Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute`s IBHRE Exam Prep Course

The Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute (TCAI) is helping to fulfill the need for an independent preparation course that reviews all of the exam's topics: Pacemaker Timing Cycles, Radiology, Technical Aspects of Pacing, Indications for Device Therapy, Rate Modulation/Sensor Technology, ECG Analysis and Troubleshooting, Bradycardia, Tachycardia, Pharmacology, and CRT. TCAI, which was founded in January 2006, offers courses to cardiac healthcare providers of all levels who wish to expand their clinical education and improve their skills and knowledge in EP and cardiology. The classes are designed under the supervision of the founding EPs. The educational programs have been approved by the appropriate agencies to offer CEUs for nurses and allied health professionals, as well as CMEs for physicians. TCAI mainly provides accelerated two- to three-day classes throughout the year. The syllabus handout itself is a great tool for self-study. Class subjects include: Prucka (CardioLab) Workshop: Hands-on EP-oriented classes at TCAI in Austin as well as in satellite classes at EP labs located in the US and Latin America. The goal of the training is to educate all lab staff members. Training can be on various systems, on any topics and for all levels. The upcoming Prucka System Workshop in Austin is scheduled for fall 2007. Ultrasound System: This is an important lab system hands-on workshop in which students directly benefit from the experts. The upcoming Ultrasound System Workshop in Austin is scheduled for fall 2007. Fundamentals of Cardiac EP: Electrophysiologists recommend taking this course to understand arrhythmias and the conduction in the heart: bradycardia and tachycardia, heart blocks, mechanisms of tachyarrhythmia. This course will also help you be able to better interpret electrograms, learn the components of an EP study, and obtain an overview of ablation procedures. Advanced EP: This class covers the mechanism involved in determining a diagnosis. Students will be able to identify and interpret electrograms of different types of supraventricular and ventricular tachycardias, as well as understand the difference between reentrant and automatic tachycardias, antidromic and orthodromic tachycardias, WPW, overt and concealed ECGs. Students will demonstrate an understanding of electrograms during an ablation treatment of a specific tachycardia. The upcoming Advanced EP course in Austin is scheduled for August 2007. 3D Mapping Systems (Carto and EnSite) Hands-on Workshops: These are focused classes designed for small groups. IBHRE Exam Prep Course - EP and Pacing: The next IBHRE exam preparation course in Austin is scheduled for March 2008. Mechanics of an EP Study: This course is very beneficial to all attendees, whether the student is new to an EP lab or is already experienced. The upcoming Mechanics of an EP Study class in Austin is scheduled for summer 2007. TCA Institute programs may also be used as a preparation for further training or a refresher for the CRM professional. Curriculum and course duration can be customized to meet the needs of the participants. Creation of the IBHRE Exam Prep Course Device companies are no longer allowed to provide the IBHRE exam class to non-company employees. Therefore, TCAI offered this course on March 23 - 24, 2007, free of tuition fees for nurses and technicians. It was an extensive two-day course in Austin. Devices from all major device companies were covered (St. Jude Medical, Medtronic and Boston Scientific). A panel of expert faculty staff including highly qualified device company speakers and a TCAI clinical coordinator all provided lectures. Upon completion of the class, each attendee received three books and a caliper as self-study tools. Attendees' feedback was very positive. Therefore, due to the overwhelming success of this first IBHRE exam preparation course, it was decided to offer it on a yearly basis at TCAI in Austin. Furthermore, to answer the growing demand, TCAI decided to offer the EP exam preparation course on a yearly basis as well. Tips for Taking the IBHRE Exam This is a multiple choice exam; it consists of 200 questions and is four and a half hours long. In 1996, 70% of the participants did not finish the exam. Included below are some tips for taking the IBHRE exam. We would like to acknowledge Tom Kenny, VP of Education at St. Jude Medical, who helped provide most of these tips: Exam preparation needs to be started at least six months prior to taking the exam. Start making your own list formulas, write out your own flash cards, and then memorize them. Complete the exam review course, mainly to address weaknesses and unanswered questions. Don't be afraid to ask questions to the expert staff. The exam will most likely be 50% bradycardia therapy and 50% ICD/CRT. The exam will focus on follow-up of pacemaker and ICD devices. Be very familiar with all manufacturers' devices. Spend as much time as possible in the follow-up clinic prior to the exam. You must pace yourself while taking the exam. Allow approximately one minute per question. Do not leave blank answers. If you come to a question where you don't have a clue, SKIP IT! Look for qualifiers in the questions. Ignore useless information. Know that you will be asked to make clinical decisions (treatments). Before the exam, examine as many marker channels and EGMs as possible. You may bring a simple non-programmable calculator. Be sure to bring calipers. Historically, there were 10 - 15 chest X-rays on the test (this decreased in 2003). Chest X-rays may include ICD leads and patches and biventricular placement. You will most likely be looking at approximately 50 - 60 paced ECGs. You may also see 12-lead ECGs. Drug questions are usually limited and most commonly refer to device/drug interactions. There may be questions on the exam about conscious sedation. It is not uncommon to see a few BLS and ACLS questions. You may need to utilize your calculator to assess longevity and energy equations. The K questions have been eliminated. FINISH the exam! You are not penalized for wrong answers. Answer EVERY question. The test is graded on a curve; therefore, the required number of right answers changes from year to year. Do not read into the questions. Get lots of sleep the night before the test. In every multiple choice question, two of the answers will most likely be clearly wrong. Your challenge is to pick the best of the two remaining answers. Questions are not product-specific, but will use company-specific language (example: AutoCapture or OptiVal). Questions will focus on commercially available devices, but anything is fair game. Biventricular pacing and ICD therapy questions will be increased this year. Pacing for atrial fibrillation will likely be tested as well. There may be several questions about SVT discriminators in relation to specific underlying rhythm disturbances. You should know the new NBG, NBD, and NBL Codes. Be familiar with the terms functional non-sensing and functional non-capture. This exam may become the standard for professional certification (look at what is happening with cardiologists). Pass the exam now, and you will not have to worry about it for another 10 years! Computer-Based Testing Beginning in 2008, heart rhythm professionals will be able to enjoy all the benefits of computer-based testing. The exam will be held in US and international test centers. Candidates will have two 15-minute breaks, with 100-question intervals. In addition, the total test time will be five hours instead of the actual four and a half hours. To request more details about the IBHRE Exam prep course or any other TCAI courses, or to request a particular class topic not currently covered, please contact: admin@tcainstitute.com. TCAI can also be reached at 866-892-3408 or by visiting: www.tcainstitute.com