part - Foundation studies

Three years, full time, consisting of :
• Basic training in internal medecine (including emergencies and intensive care) in the form of theoretical sessions, seminars and a supervised clinical training period.
• An apprenticeship of a minimum of three months and a maximum of six months in Cardiology. The theoretical sessions of the first two years form part of the specific university training programme (FUS, in French).

part - Higher studies

Three years, full-time, during which the specialist candidate :
• will have the responsibility for caring for patients hospitalised in cardiology for a period of at least 6 mois
• will be responsible for the care of a minimum of 150 patients in polyclinic cardiology
• will participate for a minimum of 3 months in the work in the coronary Unit
• will participate in the pre- and post-operative care of cardiac patients and will be trained in operatory risk calculation for cardiac and non cardiac patients who have to undergo non surgical interventions
• will interpret a minimum of 1000 ECG and 150 Holter and participate in the control of a minimum of 50 cardiac stimulators of a standard model
• will learn the techniques and pratice of effort tests by carrying out and interpeting a minimum of 300 effort tests of which a certain number will be associated with ergospirometrical and radio-isotope tests
• will learn the technique of Doppler echo-cardiography for the period of 6 months. During this period, the candidate specialist will have to personally carry out and protocol a minimum of 300 trans-thoracic exams to which 50 trans-oesophageal exams will be added.
• will participate in the cardiac catheterisation activities in the laboratory. During this period, the candidate will participate in the discussions and therapeutic decisions as well as the practising of the exams, without having to take the responsibility for them. The first hand practice of the diagnostic exams requires complementary training.
• will participate in the carrying out of 50 electro-physiological exploratory exams, as well as in the diagnoses and therapeutic decisions thereof. The first-hand practice of the diagnostic electro-physiological exams requires complementary training
• will become familiar with the factors which give rise to cardio-vascular risks, as well as with prevention thereof and the multidisciplinary functional re-education of cardiac patients.

During the first 3 years of training, the specialist candidate will likewise benefit from theoretical instruction and
inter-university studies.