Since their creation in 2008, the HERMES examinations in adult and paediatric respiratory medicine have served as the standard of knowledge-assessment for respiratory specialists at European level and are recognised within the profession worldwide.
The multiple-choice examinations are based on European syllabi in respiratory medicine published in Breathe and the examination blueprint. Each question undergoes a rigorous process of formulation and validation by European representatives who ensure that current, as well as authentic professional situations, are illustrated.
The examinations are accredited by the European Board for Accreditation in Pneumology (EBAP) and approved by the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS) and the European Academy of Paediatrics (EAP).
There are 51 CME credits assigned to the European Diploma examination category and 6 CME credits assigned to the Self-assessment and In-training categories.
If you have completed your national programme or are in your final year of speciality training, you are eligible to join a highly qualified group of respiratory professionals from across Europe as a Diplomat. A Diploma is proof of excellence in the field which demonstrates commitment to life-long learning, can boost your mobility, and enables you to self-assess as a professional.
If you are currently working towards your national qualification you can use this examination to know where you stand in your current level of training, measure yourself against European standards and focus your learning as you move forward.
If you are a qualified doctor, this examination can help you to keep up to date with the latest best practices, strengthen your professional development and learn more about the field.
In order to sit the examination, you must be able to meet the eligibility criteria for your examination category:
Eligibility criteria
Required documentation
Optional documentation
Eligibility criteria
Required documentation
Eligibility criteria
Required documentation
Please note: You may only sit one HERMES examination per year.
The examination is designed using the consensus-based European syllabi in adult and paediatric respiratory medicine published in Breathe.
The questions selected for the examination are mapped to the examination blueprints for adult and paediatric respiratory medicine, which show all topics covered in the examination and the average percentage of questions devoted to each of these topics.
The following ERS resources are recommended for your examination preparation. More information on each resource can be found in each examination’s preparation guidebook.
For all examinations:
For the adult examination:
For the paediatric examination:
ERS members can benefit from discounted examination fees. Find out more about becoming a member.
| European Diploma | In-training | Self-assessment | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ERS member | €310 | €170 | €170 |
| Non-member | €410 | €270 | €270 |
Important information:
For an additional €10, you can obtain CME credits for sitting the examination.
You will receive:
Please note: we advise you to start the registration process well in advance of the deadline, in case we encounter any issues with your application, and to prevent longer processing time before the registration deadline.
Approximately four to six weeks after the examination takes place, candidates will be notified via email that the examination results have been released, and their official result letter, certificate of attendance and certificate of CME credits (if requested during registration) will be available to download from myERS.
Successful European Diploma candidates will be contacted via email to arrange the delivery of their printed certificates which will be delivered to them within four months of the examination date.
Candidates are entitled to appeal examination results within ten working days of the examination results being released. For more information on the appeals process, please refer to the Appeals Procedure.