1.3 UEMS-EBDV Governance, European Training Requirements & Diploma Recognition
Key Takeaways
- The UEMS-EBDV is responsible for the EBDVD, while its Sub-commission for European Board Examination, including clinical, educational, and assessment experts, organises and delivers it (UEMS-EBDV).
- The first EBDVD examination was held in Frankfurt am Main in August 2007, and the examination has been computer-based with Orzone AB since 2016 (UEMS-EBDV).
- Passing the EBDVD does not give a right to practise in any EU, EEA, or Swiss country; such rights are granted only by the relevant national authority (UEMS-EBDV).
- In 2024 the UEMS Council for European Specialist Medical Assessments (UEMS-CESMA) awarded the EBDVD a Certificate of Recognition and Merit (UEMS-EBDV).
- The UEMS Training Requirements recommend at least 4 years of specialty training after a 1-year common trunk, or at least 5 years of full-time training where there is no common trunk (UEMS, 2017).
1.3 UEMS-EBDV Governance, European Training Requirements & Diploma Recognition
This section explains who sets the examination and what the diploma means. It also covers the syllabus the questions are drawn from. The syllabus matters most, because the official topic list is the best guide to what can be asked.
Who Runs the Examination
| Body | Role |
|---|---|
| UEMS (European Union of Medical Specialists) | A non-governmental organisation of national associations of medical specialists, working through Specialist Sections and European Boards |
| UEMS Section of Dermatology and Venereology | The specialty section, based in Brussels |
| UEMS European Board of Dermatovenereology (UEMS-EBDV) | Responsible for all aspects of the examination |
| Sub-commission for European Board Examination | Organises and delivers the examination. Its members are full or associate Board delegates and co-opted experts, including educational and assessment experts |
| Orzone AB (Gothenburg, Sweden) | Operates the computer-based online examination and calculates the scores |
Questions are developed, discussed, selected, and approved by the Sub-commission. All Board delegates can contribute questions, so that the question bank represents practice across Europe.
A Short History
- August 2007: the first examination is held in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It has taken place there every year since.
- 2016: the examination becomes computer-based, in cooperation with Orzone AB.
- Current format: a hybrid online examination with on-site (Frankfurt) and remote places.
- 2024: the UEMS Council for European Specialist Medical Assessments (UEMS-CESMA) awards the EBDVD a Certificate of Recognition and Merit, after it passed the quality-control requirements of the CESMA assessment appraisal.
What the Diploma Does and Does Not Mean
The Board describes the diploma as a quality mark at the end of specialist training and "the highest honour EBDV can award". The official page is also clear about its limits:
- The EBDVD is voluntary in most European Union countries.
- Many European countries recognise it as conforming to their own national specialist examinations. The official page does not list these countries, so check your national rules.
- Passing does not give a right to practise in any EU or EEA member state or in Switzerland. Only the relevant national authority grants that right.
- The diploma does not give automatic permission to work on your own responsibility or automatic access to national social security systems.
- The UEMS encourages national authorities to recognise the diploma. It may also help when applying to work in another European country, provided all other requirements are met.
Recognition of a specialist title between EU countries works through national authorities under the EU rules on professional qualifications (Directive 2005/36/EC), not through the EBDV Diploma.
The Syllabus: UEMS Training Requirements
The examination "represents the European curriculum of dermatology and venereology" published in the UEMS Training Requirements for the Specialty of Dermatology and Venereology (European Standards of Postgraduate Medical Specialist Training), approved by the UEMS Council in October 2017. Key points from that document:
- Training length: at least 4 years of specialty training where there is a 1-year general medicine common trunk, or at least 5 years full time where there is no common trunk.
- Logbook and assessment: trainees keep a logbook and complete formative and summative assessments set by their national systems.
- Board examination: the document describes the UEMS-EBDV examination as a supranational test of theoretical knowledge and "a further means of EU-wide standardization in specialty training". It also says trainees can retake it if they fail.
Official Syllabus Topics
| Dermatology Topics (official list) | Where This Guide Teaches Them |
|---|---|
| General dermatology (outpatient and inpatient) | Inflammatory, papulosquamous, adnexal, hair, nail, pigment, and drug-reaction chapters |
| Dermatopathology, biopsy and technical aspects; molecular biology | Dermatopathology chapter |
| Immunology and immune-mediated disease; allergy diagnostics and treatment | Skin biology, bullous, eczema, and allergology chapters |
| Occupational and environmental dermatology | Epidemiology, photobiology, and occupational chapter |
| Paediatric dermatology and genetics; geriatric dermatology | Paediatric and genetic chapter; pruritus, pregnancy, and geriatric section |
| Dermatologic oncology | Keratinocyte cancer, melanoma, and tumour chapters |
| Photodermatology and phototherapy | Photobiology section; phototherapy section |
| Burns, physical agents, and wound healing | Physical injury and wound-healing section |
| Bacterial, fungal, viral, and parasitic infections | Infection chapters |
| Mucous membranes, including proctology | Oral, mucosal, and perianal section |
| Vascular pathology; non-invasive diagnostics, dermoscopy, ultrasound | Vasculitis, phlebology, angiology, dermoscopy, and imaging sections |
| Topical and systemic treatment, formulations, prescribing, pharmacology and toxicology | Therapeutics chapter |
| Dermatological surgery, electrosurgery, cryosurgery, lasers, radiotherapy, photodynamic therapy | Dermatosurgery chapter |
| Aesthetic and corrective dermatology; skin care, prevention, and rehabilitation | Aesthetic section; prevention content |
| Psychodermatology and social aspects | Psychodermatology section |
| Venereology Topics (official list) | Where This Guide Teaches Them |
|---|---|
| Epidemiology, prevention, and control of STIs including HIV; partner notification; STI services | STI chapters |
| Sexual history-taking and genito-anal examination | Sexual health services section |
| Clinical diagnosis and management of STIs; laboratory and serological tests | Syphilis, gonorrhoea, chlamydia, genital ulcer, and other genital infection sections |
| HIV infection and its complications, management and treatment | HIV sections |
| HPV-related lower genital tract malignancy, including cervical abnormalities | HPV and anogenital neoplasia section |
| Common gynaecological, proctal, and andrological disorders | Anogenital disorders section |
| STIs in pregnancy and neonates; children with genital infections | Pregnancy, neonates, and children section |
| Familiarity with at least one set of STI management guidelines (national, European, CDC) | Throughout; European (IUSTI) guidance is used first |
| Contraception; sexual health, education, and psychosexual problems | Sexual health section |
Recommended Reading (Official List)
- Textbooks: Braun-Falco, Rook-Wilkinson (Rook's Textbook of Dermatology), Fitzpatrick, and Bolognia.
- Guidelines: European Dermatology Forum (EDF), European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV), International Union against Sexually Transmitted Infections (IUSTI), and European Association of Dermato-Oncology (EADO) guidelines.
- Journals: CME articles in JAAD, Archives of Dermatology, Dermatology, Acta Dermato-Venereologica, JEADV, and JDDG, plus major review articles.
Because the examination is European, this guide uses European guidance first: EADO for skin cancer, IUSTI for STIs, and EuroGuiDerm/EDF/EADV for inflammatory disease. Where a well-known US source (CDC, NCCN, AJCC) gives a different figure, the difference is pointed out.
A dermatologist passes the EBDVD and wants to practise independently in another EU country. What does the official UEMS-EBDV page say about practice rights?
Which body is responsible for organising and delivering the EBDVD examination?
According to the UEMS Training Requirements for Dermatology and Venereology, what is the minimum specialty training in a country with no general medicine common trunk?
The official venereology syllabus asks candidates to be familiar with STI management guidelines. Which statement matches the official wording?