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The proposal by the major cardiovascular societies in the US to form a new board of cardiovascular medicine to manage initial and ongoing certification of cardiologists represents something of a revolution in the field of continuing medical education and assessment of competency. 

Five US cardiovascular societies — the American College of Cardiology (ACC), the American Heart Association (AHA), the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA), the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS), and the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI) — have now joined forces to propose a new professional certification board for cardiovascular medicine, to be known as the American Board of Cardiovascular Medicine (ABCVM). 

The ABCVM would be independent of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM), the current organization providing maintenance of certification for cardiologists as well as many other internal medicine subspecialties. The ABIM's maintenance of certification process has been widely criticized for many years and has been described as "needlessly burdensome and expensive." 

The ABCVM is hoping to offer a more appropriate and supportive approach, according to Jeffrey Kuvin, MD, a trustee of the ACC, who has been heading up the working group to develop this plan. 

Kuvin, who is chair of the cardiology at Northwell Health, Manhasset, New York, a l arge academic healthcare system, explained that maintenance of certification has been a topic of discussion across the cardiovascular community for many years, and the ACC has a working group focused on the next steps for evaluation of competency, which he chairs.

"The topic of evaluation of competence has been on the mind of the ACC for many years and hence a work group was developed to focus on this," Kuvin noted. "A lot of evolution of the concepts and next steps have been drawn out of this working group. And now other cardiovascular societies have joined to show unification across the house of cardiology and that this is indeed the way that the cardiovascular profession should move." 

"Time to Separate from Internal Medicine"

The general concept behind the new cardiology board is to separate cardiology from the ABIM. 

"This is rooted from the concept that cardiology has evolved so much over the last few decades into such a large multidimensional specialty that it really does demarcate itself from internal medicine, and as such, it deserves a separate board governed by cardiologists with collaboration across the entirely of cardiology," Kuvin said. 

Cardiology has had significant growth and expansion of technology, tools, medications, and the approach to patients in many specialities and subspecialties, he added. "We have defined training programs in many different areas within cardiology; we have our own guidelines, our own competency statements, and in many cases, cardiology exists as its own department outside of medicine in many institutions. It's just time to separate cardiology from the umbrella of internal medicine." 

The new cardiology board would be separate from, and not report to, the ABIM; rather, it would report directly to the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), the only recognized medical certification body in the US. 

What Are the Proposed Changes

Under the present system, managed by the ABIM, clinicians must undergo two stages of certification to be a cardiologist. First, they have to pass the initial certification exam in general cardiology, and then exams in one of four subspecialties if they plan to enter one of these, including interventional cardiology, electrophysiology, advanced heart failure or adult congenital heart disease. 

Next, clinicians enter the maintenance of certification phase, which can take three different forms: 1) taking another recertification exam every 10 years; 2) the collaborative maintenance pathway — a collaboration between ACC and ABIM, which includes evaluation, learning and a certified exam each year; or 3) longitudinal knowledge and assessment — in which the program interacts with the clinician on an ongoing basis, sending secured questions regularly. 

All three of these pathways for maintenance of certification involve high stakes questions and a set bar for passing or failing. 

Under the proposed new cardiology board, an initial certification exam would still be required after fellowship training, but the maintenance of certification process would be completely restructured, with the new approach taking the form of continuous learning and assessment of competency. 

"This is an iterative process, but we envision with a new American Board of Cardiovascular Medicine, we will pick up where the ABIM left off," Kuvin notes. "That includes an initial certifying examination for the five areas that already exist under the ABIM system but with the opportunities to expand that to further specialties as well."

He points out that there are several areas in cardiology that are currently not represented by these five areas that warrant some discussion, including multimodality imaging, vascular heart disease, and cardio-oncology. 

"At present, everybody has to pass the general cardiology exam and then some may wish to further train and get certified in one of the other four other specific areas. But one topic that has been discussed over many years is how do we maintain competency in the areas in which clinicians practice over their lifetime as a cardiologist," Kuvin commented. 

He said the proposed cardiology board would like to adhere to some basic principles that are fundamental to the practice of medicine. 

"We want to make sure that we are practicing medicine so that our patients derive the most benefit from seeing a cardiologist," he said. "We also want to make sure, however, that this is a supportive process, supporting cardiologists to learn what they know and more importantly what they don't know; to identify knowledge gaps in specific area; to help the cardiologist fill those knowledge gaps; to acknowledge those gaps have been filled; and then move on to another area of interest. This will be the focus of this new and improved model of continuous competency."

The proposed new board also says it wants to make sure this is appropriate to the area in which the clinician is practicing.

"To take a closed book certified exam every 10 years on the world of cardiology as happens at the current time – or the assessments conducted in the other two pathways – is often meaningless to the cardiologist," Kuvin says. "All three current pathways involve high stakes questions that are often irrelevant to one’s clinical practice." 

Lifelong Learning

"The crux of the changes we are proposing will be away from the focus of passing a test towards a model of helping the individual with their competency, with continuous learning and evaluation of competency to help the clinician fill in their knowledge gaps," he explains.

He described the new approach as "lifelong learning," adding that, instead of it being "a punitive pass/fail environment with no feedback, which causes a lot of discontent among clinicians," it will be a supportive process, where a clinician will be helped in filling their knowledge gaps. 

"I think this would be a welcome change not just for cardiology but across medical specialties," Kuvin said. 

He also pointed out the ABMS itself is considering a continuous competency approach, and the proposed new cardiology board aims to work with the ABMS to make sure that their goals of continuous competency assessment are matched. 

"The world has changed. The ability to access information has changed. It is no longer imperative for a clinician to have every piece of knowledge in their brain, but rather to know how to get knowledge and to incorporate that knowledge into clinical practice," Kuvin noted. "Competency should not involve knowledge alone as in a closed book exam. It is more about understanding the world that we live in, how to synthesize information, where we need to improve knowledge and how to do that." 

Kuvin acknowledged that asking clinicians questions is a very helpful tool to identify their knowledge base and their knowledge gaps. "But we believe the clinician needs to be given resources – that could be a conference, an article, a simulation - to fill that knowledge gap. Then we could ask clinicians some different questions and if they get those right then we have provided a service." 

Tactile skills for cardiologists needing to perform procedures – such as interventionalists or electrophysiologists may be incorporated by simulation in a technology-based scenario.

On how often these assessments would take place, Kuvin said that hadn't been decided for sure. 

"We certainly do not think an assessment every 10 years is appropriate. We envision, instead of an episodic model, it will be rather a lifelong journey of education and competency. This will involve frequent contact and making sure knowledge gaps are being filled. There are criteria being set out by the ABMS that there should be a certain number of touch points with individuals on an annual as well as a 5-year basis to make sure cardiologists are staying within specific guardrails. The exact nature of these is yet to be determined," he said. 

Kuvin added that it was not known yet what sort of hours would be required but added that "this will not be a significant time burden."

What is the Timeframe?

The application to the ABMS for a separate cardiology board is still ongoing and has not yet received formal acceptance. Representatives from the five US cardiovascular societies are in the initial stages of formulating a transition board. 

"The submission to the ABMS will take time for them to review. This could take up to a year or so," Kuvin estimates. 

This is the first time the ABMS has entertained the concept of a new board in many years, he noted. "It will be a paradigm shift for the whole country. I think that cardiology is really at the forefront and in a position where we can actually do this. If cardiovascular medicine is granted a new board, I think this will help change the approach of how physicians are assessed in terms of continuous competency not just in cardiology but across all specialties of medicine."

He added: "We are confident that we can work within the construct of the ABMS guidelines that have been revised to be much more holistic in the approach of continuous competence across the board. This includes thinking beyond rote medical knowledge and thinking about the clinician as a whole and their abilities to communicate, act professionally, work within a complex medical system, utilize medical resources effectively. These all have to be part of continuous competence."

How Much Will This Cost?

Noting that the ABIM has received criticism over the costs of the certification process, Kuvin said they intend to make this "as lean a machine as possible with the focus on reducing the financial [burden] as well as the time burden for cardiologists. It is very important that this is not cumbersome, that it is woven into clinical practice, and that it is not costly." 

But he pointed out that building a new board will have significant costs. 

"We have to think about developing initial board certification examinations as well as changing the paradigm on continuous certification," he said. "This will take some up-front costs, and our society partners have decided that they are willing to provide some start-up funds for this. We anticipate the initial certification will remain somewhat similar in price, but the cost of ongoing continuous competency assessment will be significantly reduced compared to today's models."

Kuvin said the collaboration of the five participating US cardiovascular societies was unprecedented. But he noted that while the transition board is beginning with representatives of these individual societies, it will ultimately be independent from these societies and have its own board of directors. 

He suggested that other societies representing other parts of cardiology are also interested. "Cardiology has recognized how important this is," he said. "Everybody is excited about this."

Earning specialized certifications is a surefire way to advance your career in the IT field, regardless of industry or current career level. The right certification validates your skills and knowledge, which makes you more desirable to future employers who want to attract and retain the best employees. Below, we’ll explore the top IT certifications and share how to examine your goals to choose the right path forward. 

Dec. 15—HERMITAGE — After running a successful campaign, commissioner-elect William G. McConnell Jr. will be resigning from the Hermitage Board of Commissioners in favor of a county position — leaving a vacancy on the board that will need filled early next year.

McConnell previously secured a two-year term on the Board of Commissioners as a Republican candidate during the November general election.

However, McConnell said he also received an offer that same month to serve as solicitor to the Mercer County Board of Commissioners.

Since county code prevents the solicitor from serving as a member of a municipal legislative body, McConnell said he had to choose between serving as the county solicitor or as Hermitage commissioner.

Believing he could have a bigger impact on the community by serving at the county level, McConnell said he submitted a letter of resignation to Hermitage city Manager Gary Hinkson earlier this month.

"I was disappointed that I couldn't serve as both," McConnell said of the positions.

While McConnell has prior experience serving on the Hermitage Board of Commissioners from 2018 through 2021, he also served as the county's litigation solicitor from 2004 through 2011.

McConnell has served as solicitor for other entities throughout the county over the years as well, including the townships of South Pymatuning and Lackawannock, and the Mercer County Industrial Development Authority.

McConnell's resignation from the Hermitage Board of Commissioners will take effect on Jan. 2, 2024, the same date as the commissioners' special meeting to swear-in new members and the beginning of his time as county solicitor, McConnell said.

Hinkson briefed the Hermitage commissioners on McConnell's resignation at the board's work session Thursday evening, along with the process for appointing someone to fill the vacancy.

Hinkson said the same process was previously implemented when vacancies were created by the deaths of William Scanlon in 2004 and William Finzel in 2010.

"It's a transparent process that has worked out well for us before," Hinkson said.

The Hermitage commissioners will vote to begin the process on Jan. 2. The vacancy must be filled within 30 days of McConnell's resignation taking effect, Hinkson said.

The first step will include issuing a public notice for interested applicants through the city's website, social media and the Herald. Candidates must be qualified Hermitage voters and of the same political party as the departing commissioner — in this case, a Republican.

The notice will include the requirements and the date and time that letters of interest and resumes must be received at the city, Hinkson said.

The commissioners will then set a date and time for a public meeting, where the candidates will be questioned by the city's solicitor, Brett Stedman.

Each candidate will receive the same questions, but the process will rotate through the candidates, giving each candidate the opportunity to answer a question first. The candidates will also have the opportunity to give opening and closing statements, Hinkson said.

After the question period, there will be a short break where the commissioners can review their notes. This break will be held in public, rather than in an executive session.

The commissioners will vote to appoint one of the candidates, who will take the oath of office at that same meeting, Hinkson said.

Hinkson recommended that anyone interested in serving on the Board of Commissioners refrain from submitting letters of interest until after the commissioners take official action on Jan. 2 and accept McConnell's resignation notice.

McConnell said he hoped the vacancy-filling process will encourage younger residents of Hermitage to consider serving on the Board of Commissioners and bring a new perspective to city operations.

"Hopefully it will be someone who has worldly experience and exercises independent judgement," McConnell said.

Like David L. Dye on Facebook or email him at ddye@sharonherald.com.

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As the new year begins, so too does Chambers County’s school district superintendent election. The county had three candidates qualified for the upcoming race: Sharon Weldon, Winford Ashmore and the incumbent Casey Chambley.

Chambley, a native of Chambers County, has worked in the school district since 2016 when he was hired as an assistant principal for LaFayette High School. Before he won the election for superintendent, Chambley was serving as the vice principal at Valley High School.  

Entering the office in 2020, Chambley first had to contend with the new challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. Moving students online proved difficult not just in the short-term but in the long-term as well. 

Chambley said the pandemic has caused a teacher shortage as well as a learning gap for students. 

During the last year in office, Chambley has also worked with the school board to move forward with the 30-year-old court order to consolidate schools in the county. Though Chambley said there are things he would do differently to move the process along, he is satisfied with the result of the decision on the consolidated high school.  

“We would have to do it the same because we had to make a decision. There was really no other way to go,” Chambley said. “The other choices that we had on the table would have been more detrimental to our community and our county and we took the lesser of the two evils and made a decision and moved forward.”

With the final order given in July, Chambley said he looks forward to moving on to more routine, district-level projects in the new year if he is re-elected. 

Weldon has been an educator and administrator in the county school system for many years. A Chambers County native, she worked in the central office for 11 years before returning to the classroom to teach math this year.

“A vote for me is a vote for us,” Weldon said. 

With her certification with the state’s superintendent academy and her Ph.D. in Educational Administration, Weldon said she feels ready to take on the role to improve the schools and county. 

“I see things that are going on in our community. And with our students, especially now that I’m back in the classroom, I just want more,” Weldon said. “I want more for them. I want more for the community.”

Weldon said her platform is focused on the students, the teachers and respect for the county as a whole. With the COVID-19 gap, many students are facing new challenges with the curriculum. Weldon said she plans to meet the needs of the teachers as well as the students. 

The school district has faced a lot of challenges with the court hearing on the consolidated high school. Weldon said her top priority is the students of the county. She said it’s the school district’s responsibility to ensure students don’t lose interest in school if they don’t have access to extracurricular activities due to a disparate transportation issue burden.

“I’ve really worked hard not to have an opinion on it because I want to do what’s best for all the children, all the students,” Weldon said. “I do think that if you have it on one extreme of the county, there is a whole lot you’re going to have to do with ongoing added cost.”

However, Weldon said she acknowledges that the decision was voted on by the school board. She said she respects the board and plans to work respectfully with them and the community. 

This will be Ashmore’s third time running for the superintendent role in Chambers County. He also ran against Dr. Kelli Hodge and Dr. Casey Chambley in 2016. Later, he challenged Casey Chambley again in 2020. 

Ashmore, from Opelika, worked at LaFayette High School in 2016. While there, he said it was a low-performing district and he believed that the district needed new leadership.

“I realized that, you know, that I gotta be the change. If this thing is going to change, I got to be that change,” Ashmore said.

Ashmore left the school district in 2016. He said his goal if he wins the election is to focus on the school district to inspect the quality of teaching, instill effective leadership and incorporate community input. 

“No one in education is an island now,” Ashmore said. 

Ashmore said he hopes to be an advocate for the students of the whole district when it comes to the consolidation. He said he would have taken more input from the community on its needs for the consolidated high school.

CATAWBA COUNTY, N.C. — A Newton-Conover School Board candidate is eligible to run for election, the North Carolina State Board of Elections ruled.

Brad Scott is challenging Ivey Robinson’s eligibility in the Republican primary for the Newton district seat on the Newton-Conover Board of Education.

Scott said that when Robinson filed for office, she was originally listed as running for the Conover seat on the board instead. Election officials corrected this after the filing period closed.

The Catawba County Board of Elections rejected Scott’s challenge, saying an employee made a mistake.

The state Board of Elections rejected Scott’s candidate challenge, and Robinson will stay on the ballot.

VIDEO: NC Board of Elections investigates claim about judicial candidate’s residency

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The Abilene Board of Trustees named Dr. James M. Largent as the district’s interim superintendent following Dr. David Young’s transition into retirement in January 2024.

Young will officially retire from Abilene ISD June 30, 2024. He stated his belief in Largent’s abilities and experience to lead the district as the Board searches for the next full-time superintendent.

“Dr. Largent is a veteran Texas school leader with a statewide track record of success,” said Young. “I am certain the Abilene ISD community will benefit greatly from his steady and professional leadership while our Board completes the superintendent search process.”

Largent has 21 years of superintendent experience and 31 years of service in Texas public schools.

“On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I would like to express our confidence in Dr. Largent’s leadership experience and administrative skills,” said Daryl Zeller, Abilene ISD Board President. “We are excited to have Dr. Largent on our team as we work diligently to select the best candidate to lead AISD into a bright future.”

He is currently the founder and CEO of Largent Consulting, LLC, and works to support schools and corporate partners in executive searches and superintendent mentorship.

Prior to the 2018 establishment of his consulting firm, Largent served as superintendent of schools in Granbury ISD, Rusk ISD and Chireno ISD. He also served two separate terms as interim superintendent for New Braunfels ISD.

His experience includes more than a decade of service in teacher and administrative positions for high school and athletic programs.

Largent is a four-time nominee for Superintendent of the Year in Regions 7 and 11. He was presented with the Key to the City of Granbury in 2018 and awarded an honorary life membership from Texas Association of School Administrators in 2019.

Largent holds a doctoral degree in education from Sam Houston State University and a superintendent certification from Texas A&M University-Commerce. He also completed a master’s degree in educational administration at SHSU and a bachelor’s degree in physical education at Lamar University. He is the author of Leading in Chaos: A Commonsense Blueprint for New and Aspiring School Leaders, a 2022 Amazon bestseller.

In addition to his career as an educator and administrator, Largent has served Texas students and communities as a leader for the Texas Association of School Administrators, Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Association of Mid-Sized Schools, and Texas Association of Community Schools. He is a previous member of the governing board of the American Association of School Administrators and prior chairman for the Granbury Chamber of Commerce and Lake Granbury Medical Center.

“I am excited to get to work with AISD’s students, staff, and school board in the spring,” said Largent. “I have a lot of respect for Dr. Young and the job he has done for the past nine years in the district. My goal will be to provide support to the staff and students and continue the great work happening in Abilene ISD schools, while providing a smooth transition between Dr. Young and the next superintendent of AISD.”

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Abilene Board of Trustees names interim superintendent following Young

Dec. 15—HERMITAGE — After running a successful campaign, commissioner-elect William G. McConnell Jr. will be resigning from the Hermitage Board of Commissioners in favor of a county position — leaving a vacancy on the board that will need filled early next year.

McConnell previously secured a two-year term on the Board of Commissioners as a Republican candidate during the November general election.

However, McConnell said he also received an offer that same month to serve as solicitor to the Mercer County Board of Commissioners.

Since county code prevents the solicitor from serving as a member of a municipal legislative body, McConnell said he had to choose between serving as the county solicitor or as Hermitage commissioner.

Believing he could have a bigger impact on the community by serving at the county level, McConnell said he submitted a letter of resignation to Hermitage city Manager Gary Hinkson earlier this month.

"I was disappointed that I couldn't serve as both," McConnell said of the positions.

While McConnell has prior experience serving on the Hermitage Board of Commissioners from 2018 through 2021, he also served as the county's litigation solicitor from 2004 through 2011.

McConnell has served as solicitor for other entities throughout the county over the years as well, including the townships of South Pymatuning and Lackawannock, and the Mercer County Industrial Development Authority.

McConnell's resignation from the Hermitage Board of Commissioners will take effect on Jan. 2, 2024, the same date as the commissioners' special meeting to swear-in new members and the beginning of his time as county solicitor, McConnell said.

Hinkson briefed the Hermitage commissioners on McConnell's resignation at the board's work session Thursday evening, along with the process for appointing someone to fill the vacancy.

Hinkson said the same process was previously implemented when vacancies were created by the deaths of William Scanlon in 2004 and William Finzel in 2010.

"It's a transparent process that has worked out well for us before," Hinkson said.

The Hermitage commissioners will vote to begin the process on Jan. 2. The vacancy must be filled within 30 days of McConnell's resignation taking effect, Hinkson said.

The first step will include issuing a public notice for interested applicants through the city's website, social media and the Herald. Candidates must be qualified Hermitage voters and of the same political party as the departing commissioner — in this case, a Republican.

The notice will include the requirements and the date and time that letters of interest and resumes must be received at the city, Hinkson said.

The commissioners will then set a date and time for a public meeting, where the candidates will be questioned by the city's solicitor, Brett Stedman.

Each candidate will receive the same questions, but the process will rotate through the candidates, giving each candidate the opportunity to answer a question first. The candidates will also have the opportunity to give opening and closing statements, Hinkson said.

After the question period, there will be a short break where the commissioners can review their notes. This break will be held in public, rather than in an executive session.

The commissioners will vote to appoint one of the candidates, who will take the oath of office at that same meeting, Hinkson said.

Hinkson recommended that anyone interested in serving on the Board of Commissioners refrain from submitting letters of interest until after the commissioners take official action on Jan. 2 and accept McConnell's resignation notice.

McConnell said he hoped the vacancy-filling process will encourage younger residents of Hermitage to consider serving on the Board of Commissioners and bring a new perspective to city operations.

"Hopefully it will be someone who has worldly experience and exercises independent judgement," McConnell said.

Like David L. Dye on Facebook or email him at ddye@sharonherald.com.