ESHRE certification for embryologists

Steering Group

Francesca Vidal (ES) (Coordinator)

Kay Elder (UK)

Borut Kovacic (SI)

Cristina Magli (IT) (Coordinator Special Interest Group Embryology)

Carlos Plancha (PT)

Catherine Plas (BE) (ESHRE Office)

Etienne van den Abbeel (BE)

Kersti Lundin (SE)

Background

IVF is clearly now a routine medical subspecialty. In the early 1980's, IVF was successfully established by clinical teams that incorporated collaboration with research scientists skilled in laboratory culture methods. In the absence of any opportunity for professional training in these methods, the laboratory aspects were subsequently undertaken by personnel from a variety of backgrounds, frequently with experience not specialised for laboratory IVF, or, indeed, with no laboratory experience whatsoever. As a result of this situation, the scientific aspects were learned either on an "apprenticeship" basis, or by self-education. Since the mid-1990's, assisted reproduction/IVF has experienced a revolution in biotechnology. The balance of assisted reproduction treatment has shifted so that its success is even more dependent upon scientific knowledge and expertise.

Today's embryologists require a foundation to prepare for and adapt to the new technologies, understand the relevance and application of advances in cell biology and genetics and apply good clinical practice. It is essential that those dedicated to achieving high professional standards should be able to obtain certification that demonstrates their levels of expertise and knowledge. The establishment of clinical embryology as a professional status and standards on an international basis has thus become imperative. In line with this, ESHRE’s Executive Committee in 2006 under the guidance of former chairman Arne Sunde set up a group to define a scheme for certification of clinical embryologists. The aim is to certify competence of clinical embryologists working in IVF and to develop a formal recognition for embryologists, similar to the scheme ESHRE created with EBCOG (European Board and College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology) for physicians. This group has now been formalised as an ESHRE subcommitte, working in close collaboration with both the executive committee and the SIG-Embryology.

A basic system has been devised, which provides two levels of certification running on three different tracks; (1) an initial fast-track for the “oldies”, those senior-senior clinical embryologists with a laboratory director position and at least ten years’ working experience in human ART labs; (2) a regular track for senior level clinical embryologists and (3) a regular track for clinical embryologists. The initial fast track for the experienced senior embryologists has now been finalised, and the timelines for basic regular track certification as a senior clinical embryologist or as a clinical embryologist are now in place.

For the time being, applications will only be open to embryologists working in Europe.

This website provides information for applicants regarding timelines and tracks. Application forms, log books, curriculum, and sample exams papers can be downloaded via the Certificate link on the website.

ESHRE Certified Members

Certified in 2008 (PDF 29 KB)

Certified in 2009 (PDF 16 KB)