TO BE SELECTED as a Nurse Fellow of the European Society of Cardiology (NFESC) is an outstanding honour because it distinguishes holders from the regular nurse members of the ESC on the basis of their unique personal achievements.
THE MAIN PURPOSE of creating a Nurse Fellowship is to provide the Society with a team of nurses whose responsibilities are to uphold and develop the professional contribution of nursing to cardiac care throughout Europe, particularly by means of the greater integration and collaboration of the activities of the various National Nurses’ Societies.
Nurses eligible for Nurse Fellows should have gathered special experience in the field of cardiac care over several years; should have distinguished themselves in clinical practice; should have been involved in the educational, investigational, organizational or professional aspects of cardiac nursing. Applications will be evaluated by the ESC Credentials Committee, in consultation with a representative of the field of cardiac nursing, if necessary.
POTENTIAL CANDIDATES must be nurses whose name currently appears in the Professional Register of the country in which they practice. A minimum of ten years of practical experience after qualification is required, the majority of which must have been spent in cardiac care.
A CANDIDATE FROM WITHIN EUROPE should be a member of good standing of a National Nurses’ Society, where it exists, or of the Council on Cardiovascular Nursing and Allied Professions (CCNAP). Applications should be accompanied by supporting letters from the President of the National Nurses’ Society or from the President of the National Society of Cardiology to whom the National Nurses’ Society is Member, and from a CCNAP Member. In the event that the Nurses’ Society is not Member to the National Society of Cardiology, or does not exist, the written support of a Member of the Council on Cardiovascular Nursing and Allied Professions is required.
A CANDIDATE FROM OUTSIDE EUROPE must submit similar documents.
APPLICATION PROCEDURES
When applying for the ESC Nurse Fellowship online, please follow the procedures below:
- Browse the documentation requested and upload (all documentation has to be translated into English)
- Submit the application before the annual deadline of 01 March
Applications should be sent via the online submission system (no paper submissions will be accepted) to the European Heart House (Membership Services Departement) by the applicant or by any of the constitutional bodies of the ESC (National Society, Association, Working Group).
The application should be made electronically via the dedicated online system, available here or your ‘My ESC’ account. The application must contain all above specified documents.
The deadline for applications is 01 March, year N for ESC Nurse Fellowship to be awarded during the annual Congress in year N. The newly elected NFESC will be informed in May year N of acceptance / rejection of their application.
The newly elected ESC Nurse Fellows should pay the Nurse Fellowship fee before 1 January, year N+1. Thus, all NFESC benefits, privileges and duties formally begin on 1 January, year N+1. Alternatively, the newly elected ESC Nurse Fellows may pay their first Nurse Fellowship fee immediately after they receive the notification of their election as Nurse Fellows (ie for the year N). In this case they will benefit from the ESC Nurse Fellows privileges upon receipt of their payment.
THE ELECTION PROCESS
Applications submitted after the annual deadline are not considered by the ESC Credentials Committee.
The ESC Credentials Committee reviews complete Applications only and the candidate is informed by email.
PRIVILEGES FOR THE NURSE FELLOWS
The payment of the yearly Nurse Fellowship generates the following personal advantages:
- A subscription to the European Heart Journal (EHJ) or European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing (EJCN)
- A subscription to the Dialogues in Cardiovascular Medicine Journal
- A subscription to My ESC News – special Fellows editions (sent once every two weeks by email):
- Exclusive news for ESC Fellows and Nurse Fellows
- Full content of the regular My ESC News
- Possibility to submit a message or news to publish in My ESC News – Fellows edition
All ESC Nurse Fellows will receive this privilege. Please note that if you do not wish to continue receiving it you may unsubscribe at anytime through your "My ESC" account
- A free entrance to the ESC Annual Congress
- Special ESC Annual Congress related advantages including advance priority hotel booking, fast track registration through the “Fellows Registration Desk”, gold badge and access to the private Fellows Lounge
- Fellows and Nurse Fellows Directory containing names, addresses and contact information
- Nurse Fellowship Diploma: personalised recognition of your Nurse Fellowship status
- Awards Ceremony participation: NFESC status conferred by the ESC President accompanied by the ESC Credentials Committee Chairman in the presence of your peers
- Congresses and educational programmes related information
- 30% Discount on Blackwell books
THE NURSE FELLOWSHIP DIPLOMA Presented to the newly elected Nurse Fellows during the annual Congress of the ESC.
NURSE FELLOWSHIP FEE RULES
The yearly Nurse Fellowship fee is 200 EURO and covers the period of 1 January – 31 December.
The request for payment for previously-elected, confirmed, Nurse Fellows is mailed at the end of September and the payment must be received before 30 November to ensure the delivery of the selected Journal early January (when the Nurse Fellowship fee is paid on time).
Payment should be made preferably online.
On 1 January, all the advantages for the Nurse Fellows will be stopped if the Nurse Fellowship fee remains unpaid.
After 2 years of non-payment of fees, consecutively or not, the Nurse Fellow will be informed of his/her exclusion from the ESC Nurse Fellowship, unless payment is received within 3 months. An excluded Nurse Fellow will remain a Member of the ESC if he/she is a Member of an ESC Constituent Body, and his/her reintegration in the ESC Nurse Fellowship register will be accepted upon payment of all due fees.
A "pay in order" principle applies: the Nurse Fellowship fee is due every year and one may only pay the Nurse Fellowship fee of the given year, upon payment of the fee of the previous year.
EXEMPTION OF PAYMENT RULES
In the case where a Nurse Fellow is unable to pay his/her Nurse Fellowship fee, he/she must contact the Membership Services Departement before November, giving the full reason for his/her inability to send the payment. The reason should be unexpected (eg sudden significant illness or similar). Differences in economic standards of various countries will not be accepted as reason for exemption, as far as this was known to the candidate before he/she applied for the ESC Nurse Fellowship.
The ESC Credentials Committee will then make a decision. Exemption will be possible only for specific reasons and the evaluation will be made on a case by case basis. The exemption is valid only for one year and cannot be repeated.
A Nurse Fellow exempted from payment will retain Nurse Fellowship but cannot claim Nurse Fellows‘ privileges such as subscription to the ESC Journal or free entrance to the ESC Annual Congress and its onsite Nurse Fellows advantages.
THE EMERITUS NURSE FELLOW (ENFESC)
The status of Emeritus Nurse Fellow will be conferred by the ESC Credentials Committee upon written request of the Nurse Fellow when he/she reaches minimum age of 65 years, and retires from full-time work. Proof of retirement should be provided to the Membership Services Departement.
An Emeritus Nurse Fellow retains the title of Fellow but is no longer required to pay the annual Nurse Fellowship fee.
He/she is entitled to attend the ESC annual Congress at a reduced registration fee that will also include one of the ESC Journal subscription for one year.
The status of Emeritus Nurse Fellows of the European Society of Cardiology will not be offered to Nurse Fellows with outstanding fees unpaid to the ESC.