American College of Cardiology

CANDIDATES RESIDING IN NORTH AMERICA

Fellow

1. The designation of Fellow represents recognition by the College of high professional achievement in a cardiovascular discipline. Candidates shall have certification by both a primary specialty board and an applicable subspecialty board which holds membership in either the American Board of Medical Specialties or the Advisory Board for Osteopathic Specialists of the American Osteopathic Association. Those candidates who began their subspecialty training in 1990 and beyond shall show evidence of having successfully completed an accredited program and shall have a minimum number of in-training years as follows: adult cardiology—3 years; or pediatric cardiology—3 years; or cardiovascular surgery—2 years. Candidates shall provide evidence from their communities that they are recognized as specialists and consultants or as scientists and shall be at least 18 months past completion of required subspecialty training at the time the application is reviewed by the Credentials Committee.

2. The candidate who is not board certified shall have had training required (see above) to qualify for admission to examination by one of the recognized cardiovascular related subspecialty boards, if working in a field having a certifying board. The candidate shall have made significant contributions to the scientific literature or as a teacher or investigator in cardiovascular disciplines.

Associate Fellow

1. Candidates shall be certified by one of the primary specialty boards and qualified for admission to examination by one of the subspecialty boards which holds membership in either the American Board of Medical Specialties or the Advisory Board for Osteopathic Specialists of the American Osteopathic Association. (For those candidates who began their subspecialty training in 1990 or beyond, see above requirements under “Fellow, #1”.) Candidates shall also provide evidence from the community that they devote the majority of their professional time as recognized specialists and consultants or scientists in a cardiovascular related discipline.

2. Lacking primary specialty board certification or appropriate training in a cardiovascular related discipline, candidates for Associate Fellowship shall have made important scientific contributions and shall have devoted the major share of their efforts over a period of years to the cardiovascular field.

Member

1. Candidates shall have completed the training required by both primary and cardiovascular related subspecialty boards, which hold membership in either the American Board of Medical Specialties or the Advisory Board for Osteopathic Specialists of the American Osteopathic Association. (For those candidates who began their subspecialty training in 1990 or beyond, see above requirements under “Fellow, #1”.)

2. Lacking certification by either board, candidates may apply for the Member category. Candidates for this category are expected to provide evidence from the local community of having attained peer recognition as practicing cardiovascular specialists.

Affiliate (Temporary)

Upon satisfactory completion of cardiovascular related training, including the required minimal years of training, the membership status of Affiliates-in-Training will be changed to that of Affiliate (Temporary) in the College for a period not to exceed 24 months. During this time, it is anticipated that the candidate will fulfill the requirements of a board that will allow advancement within the College. Membership in the College automatically ceases if application is not made for continued membership through the area Governor and Credentials Committee within the 24-month period.

Affiliate-in-Training

The candidate shall be a current full-time trainee in a cardiovascular related program approved by either the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) or the American Osteopathic Association (AOA). Candidates for this category use a special application form which is sent directly to College Headquarters for processing. If complete in every respect, these applications will be accepted without the review and approval of the area Governor, Credentials Committee or the Board of Trustees.

CANDIDATES RESIDING OUTSIDE NORTH AMERICA

The duration and quality of specialty and cardiovascular related subspecialty training expected of the United States candidate is also expected of the applicant trained outside North America. A detailed description of the scope of the training program in an institution outside North America should be submitted with the application.

Member

Candidates who have recently finished their training and are not yet well established in practice in the cardiovascular field may apply for the Member category. They are expected to provide evidence from the local community of having attained peer recognition as practicing cardiovascular specialists.

Associate Fellow

These candidates:

1. will generally be recognized as outstanding specialists within the cardiovascular community in which they are practicing or,

2. usually will have achieved a national reputation with a number of publications in peer-reviewed journals. Candidates shall also provide evidence from the community that they devote the majority of their professional time as recognized specialists and consultants or scientists in a cardiovascular related discipline.

Fellowship

These candidates should be recognized as clearly outstanding in their own country by:

1. holding key positions such as Director of a cardiovascular division or of a major cardiology laboratory or group in a major hospital and/or,

2. will usually have achieved an international reputation with a sizeable number of publications in peer-reviewed journals. Candidates may have certification by both a primary and subspecialty board which holds membership in either the American Board of Medical Specialties or the advisory Board for Osteopathic Specialists of the American Osteopathic Association and/or will be expected to have made important contributions to the cardiovascular field.

ADVANCEMENT

1. In general, advancement to Fellowship may be achieved by (a) certification by a specialty or subspecialty board; (b) significant scientific contributions; and (c) other evidence from the community of having attained peer recognition as a consultant for a period of a least 18 months.

2. Advancement from the status of Member to Associate Fellow requires (a) certification by an appropriate primary specialty board; (b) demonstration of continued activity and interest in cardiovascular diseases; and (c) other evidence from the community of having attained peer recognition as a consultant.

3. A member may not make application for advancement earlier than two years after election to current status, with the following exceptions: Applications for advancement will be accepted for consideration by the Credentials Committee when the candidate presents verification of successful completion of certification by a specialty or subspecialty board holding membership in either the American Board of Medical Specialties or the Advisory Board for Osteopathic Specialists of the American Osteopathic Association and, in the case of Fellowship, other evidence from the community of having attained peer recognition as a consultant for a period of at least 18 months.