Medical informatics certificate

The medical informatics certificate is a highly respected qualification certificate awarded in the German-speaking area by the scientific societies of the German Society for Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology (GMDS) and Society for Informatics (GI) as well as the Professional Association of Medical Informatics (BVMI), which qualifies for Holders occupied for management positions in computer science and medical computer science. Due to the high demands placed on applicants and the interdisciplinary character, only a good 250 certificates have been awarded since 1979 (as of September 2016: 252 certificate holders). The applicants come from Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Requirements for obtaining the certificate

The prerequisites for acquiring the certificate are according to the award regulations valid since 2014:

1. a university degree in medicine, computer science or medical computer science with a diploma, master's degree or state examination,
2. a further education that supplements the introductory studies with complementary subject areas,
3. at least 5 years of operational activity in the field of medical informatics,
4. proof of management competence,
5. an oral debate with the Commission.
6. The Certificate Commission can obtain detailed statements on the applications from certificate holders and professors of medical informatics.

Applicants must demonstrate detailed knowledge of training and practice in the following areas:

• Medical informatics
• medicine
• Computer science
• as well as proof of management skills

The current procurement regulations with detailed implementation guidelines are available on the Internet. The award winners for a year are published in the GMDS annual reports.

History of the Medical Informatics Certificate

On the initiative of Peter Reichertz , who founded the first department for medical informatics (MI) in Germany at the Hannover Medical School in 1970, a workshop took place at the Reisensburg near Ulm from May 2 to 4, 1973, for the first time Education and training aspects of MI were discussed in a group of doctors and computer scientists. One of the topics discussed was the introduction of a certificate, which, as an equivalent to a specialist in medicine, was intended to give computer scientists and medical professionals the same responsibility at chief physician level in medicine. The concept was based on a solution adopted by the German Society for Clinical Chemistry, which gave doctors and chemists equal opportunities to work in a leading position in laboratory medicine and which, in analogy to other chief physicians, included the right to liquidate. However, the computer scientists rejected this concept. They felt that the medical status structures were obsolete and feared that equality between computer scientists and medical professionals in health institutions could only be achieved in the long term, if at all.

As a compromise, the additional medical designation "medical informatics" was initially accepted, which, however, did not meet the comprehensive advanced training requirements of the MI certificate. In 1977 GMDS (Society for Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology) and GI (Society for Informatics) decided to introduce the "Medical Informatics" certificate. This certificate certifies that the holder is qualified to take on a leading position, in particular a professorship in the field of MI. It confirms a qualified further education in the field of MI.

In 1978, the first version of the award regulations for the MI certificate, drawn up by a joint working committee of GMDS and GI under the leadership of Jochen Moehr, University of Heidelberg, was adopted: A joint commission set up by the two companies GMDS and GI examines compliance with the implementation guidelines in each individual case . Members of the commission sometimes come from the relevant specialist societies in Austria and Switzerland. Professor Moehr was also the first chairman of the certificate commission. The first certificates were awarded on July 6, 1979. Jochen Moehr was followed by Peter Koeppe, Berlin (1983–1986), Friedrich Wingert , Münster (1987–1988), Carl Theo Ehlers, Göttingen (1989–1994), Franz-Josef Leven, Heilbronn (1995–2008) as chairwoman of the commission , Jürgen Stausberg, Munich (2009–2013) and Wendelin Schramm, Heilbronn (since 2014).

Following amendments to the implementing guidelines in 1979, 1993 and 2004, the commission decided in 2012 to include the professional association of medical computer scientists BVMI. The current 5th version of the procurement regulations came into force on January 1, 2014, signed by the presidents of GMDS, GI and BVMI.

Following the example of the MI certificate, the "Medical Biometry" certificate was introduced in 1982, the "Epidemiology" certificate in 1993 and the "Medical Documentation" certificate in 2000.

credentials

1. ↑ Vergabeordnung MI: Archived copy ( Memento of the original from May 19, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
2. ↑ GMDS annual reports
3. ↑ J. Möhr: 20 years BVMI - 30 years training and professionalization in MI in Germany. Self-published by BVMI, mdi special issue No. 1, 09/2004, 12-19.
4. ↑ Jürgen Stausberg, Wendelin Schramm. The "Medical Informatics" certificate from GMDS and GI. MDI (3) 2013, p73-74.