Tempere Project Dessemination PhaseTEMPERE has run successfully from 1996-1999 and has studied a number of issues in the areas of biomedical engineering (BME) and medical physics (MP) concerning education, training and accreditation. Of particular value has been the formulation of a multidisciplinary competency based analysis of education and training needs as part of an overall framework for quality and mutual recognition of education and training. TEMPERE has therefore addressed a broad spectrum of issues and has produced recommendations, which are currently being disseminated and put to open discussion. This process has led to the establishment of an extended network of organizations including 75 universities and training institutions and three international professional associations, IFMBE, EFOMP and IOMP, which have proposed the continuation of this activity in order to complete and broaden the work accomplished so far, through a TEMPERE II project, which will focus on extending the existing network and expanding the work to more areas and greater depth. The TEMPERE network now involves a representative number of partners from all target groups, i.e. universities and training institutions, accreditation bodies and professional associations and professionals from hospitals and industry. Dissemination of results and feedback will be also sought from healthcare administrations and, of course, student associations. As the first phase is now closing and a second phase is being considered it is important to reflect on how and why TEMPERE was launched as a SOCRATES thematic network in the fields of medical physics and biomedical engineering, what has been achieved so far and what priorities remain open to future work. For the past 12 years, the European Union has supported an initiative for the development of a twin multinational advanced course in biomedical engineering and medical physics, initially within the ERASMUS and subsequently also within the TEMPUS programs. The courses draw expertise from a large multinational academic community and address a respective multinational audience. This multinational activity has led to a number of major conclusions: An advanced course in medical physics or biomedical engineering should be regarded as an integral part of the overall process of preparing professionals for the job market, in these two fields. It is therefore necessary to consider all associated issues within a global framework, including prior education, field specific education and training, subsequent accreditation and licensing, as well as continuous professional development. The concept of a European course is viable and can contribute effectively to the integration and harmonisation in the European Union. Nevertheless, transnational activities in medical physics and biomedical engineering require a framework for mutual co-operation and recognition, encompassing the whole spectrum of processes that focus on fulfilling the current needs of a global European job market. A need was also identified for the creation of an appropriate framework in each of the fields of medical physics and biomedical engineering that will facilitate student mobility and mutual professional recognition. This should be in accordance with EU harmonisation policies and without compromising the professional integrity and gains achieved to date in the two domains. Such a framework can only emerge from an open, broad discussion among professionals. This discussion benefits from existing valuable experience, work and results that have been produced, either individually or collectively, by the professional associations. A great number of valuable contributions in this direction exist in both domains. Medical physics has made more progress towards standardisation, because of its longer existence in a number of traditional application areas and - in many cases - regulation by legislation. These considerations led to a successful proposal for an EU funded activity that addressed the above issues. Hence TEMPERE has been an initiative which originated from pre-existing transnational activities which aimed to introduce a framework for an open European discussion and collaboration on issues relating to the education and training of medical physicists and biomedical engineers including issues of accreditation and licensing. Within the TEMPERE project a set of recommendations have thus been formulated, concerning education, training and accreditation in the fields of medical physics and biomedical engineering. These have been prepared in common for both medical physics and biomedical engineering - with sections that introduce the differentiation as appropriate - and they were drawn up to contribute to harmonisation activities by the professional associations aimed at Europe-wide recognition of medical physicists and biomedical engineers. The recommendations have been edited into a single document, structured in five sections which set out the global framework for quality and quality assurance, within which the issues have been considered; the requirements for education and training in the two fields, by means of identifying the necessary competencies that medical physicists and biomedical engineers should acquire in order to be able to address this job market; the essential requirements for capable education and training schemes; and the general issues of accreditation and licensing. The document is supplemented by three appendices containing a glossary of terms and abbreviations used, as well as detailed sample curricula for advanced education in medical physics and medical engineering. A further phase of TEMPERE would be necessary in order to complete and broaden the work accomplished so far, with the focus on extending the existing network and expanding the work to more areas and greater depth. Nevertheless, the development of implementation and assessment tools is also regarded as being of particular importance in order to facilitate the application and assessment of the guidelines themselves. A critical priority is to detail the guidance on accreditation and licensing issues on the basis of the commented respective recommendations issued during TEMPERE, and elaborate on assessment schemes aiming at both the assessment of educational and training structures as well as the competency assessment of individual professionals. Zoi Kolitsi PhD | ||