IBHRE Spotlight

IBHRE regularly features certified specialists by having them share their story as it relates to the value of certification. Here, top scorer of IBHRE's CCDS exam, Sophie Dillema, CCDS, of Victorian Heart Hospital in Victoria, Australia shares her story.

Why is IBHRE certification important?
"Certification is important in order to ensure a standard of excellence for those working in cardiac rhythm management. It ensures that those who are certified have an in-depth understanding of their field and can provide safe and reliable care for their patients. It also allows both employers and patients to have confidence that the employee has fulfilled certain criteria enabling them to work in the field."

What is the first thing that comes to mind about your IBHRE certification?
"The wealth of knowledge gained through the process of becoming certified. All the topics assessed relate directly to managing device patients and studying them gave me the opportunity to have a more comprehensive understanding of cardiac devices than I would have gained through clinical practice alone."

How does IBHRE certification lead to improved outcomes?
"Those who are certified have a much deeper understanding of cardiac rhythm management and therefore can approach patient care from different perspectives. It also gives people the confidence to offer their thoughts and opinions as they have had the credibility of their skills confirmed. Therefore, they can contribute better to the rhythm management team"

How does the IBHRE certification benefit the field of heart rhythm management?
"Gaining this certification provides a comprehensive foundation of knowledge on which people can develop their skills in the field. It gives direction for those training and demonstrates that those certified have the dedication to continual improvement that is vital in a field such as this. Ongoing certification also ensures that those certified can keep up with the rapidly changing technology in this field."

What advice would you give to anyone considering IBHRE certification?
"Try and approach preparing for this exam as an opportunity to gain confidence in your own abilities It is a challenging exam and requires some hard work, but being given external validation of your understanding of cardiac devices boosts your confidence immensely. You can therefore approach your clinical practice knowing you have gone above and beyond to ensure your patients are getting the best care possible."

IBHRE RESOURCES

Questions? Contact IBHRE at info@ibhre.org

Achieving Global Excellence in Heart Rhythm Management