EACVI Certification in Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Level 2 for Technicians (CMR)

Certification organised by the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI)

The EACVI CMR Certification programme seeks to set a standard for competency and excellence in the field of cardiovascular magnetic resonance across Europe and beyond. It has been meticulously developed to accurately reflect clearly defined assessment goals and evaluate the necessary knowledge, skills and clinical competencies that are required for cardiovascular magnetic resonance practice.

The EACVI Certification in Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Level 2 for Technicians programme is designed for technicians involved in cardiovascular magnetic resonance. Physicians interested in taking the certification programme, are invited to consult the EACVI CMR for Physicians webpage . The programme is set out in two parts:

The exam - intended to test the theoretical knowledge of the candidate
The logbook - demonstrating the training, skills and experience of the candidate

Exam

Eligibility

The EACVI CMR written examination is open to qualified technicians involved in cardiovascular magnetic resonance. The EACVI CMR Certification for Technicians is not a compulsory or regulatory certificate of competence or excellence. The scope of practice depends on national regulations and institutional policies.

Exam format

The EACVI CMR examination is a multiple-choice written examination in English.

The examination consists of 100 questions, administered over three hours, with no break.

Questions are designed to assess the candidate's knowledge:

Based on a clinical scenario
Five options with only one single best answer
No negative marking

Questions are drawn from the entire spectrum of cardiovascular magnetic resonance reflecting the EACVI CMR syllabus.

Topics distribution of the examination questions (examination blueprint)

Exam date and delivery

The EACVI CMR examination is usually delivered once a year, using an online proctoring platform (CYIM/ProctorU^®).

This provides candidates with the safety and convenience of an online platform while retaining the integrity and quality of an on-site supervised exam.

The online format of the EACVI CMR exam is:

Accessible anywhere in the world.
Taken on the candidate’s own device (computer only) and monitored by a human proctor online through ProctorU^®.

Find out more about preparing for the exam.

Exam preparation

The EACVI CMR exam is designed to test a wide range of cardiovascular magnetic resonance knowledge aligned with the EACVI CMR syllabus.

There is no single source from which all questions are developed, so candidates are encouraged to read widely.

You can also visit the EACVI educational area.

This section includes information about education-related matters such as:

Cardiovascular imaging recommended reading
EACVI webinars (live, online seminars)
Educational and preparatory courses organised by, or in collaboration with, the EACVI
EACVI core syllabus
EACVI textbooks and The ESC Textbook of Cardiovascular Imaging

Exam results

The passing score of the exam is established using referenced methodologies, that are widely used in certification. The passing score links the score required to pass the exam to the minimum level of knowledge required for cardiovascular magnetic resonance practice.

Following the exam, psychometric analysis of the questions is conducted and items that do not meet psychometric standards are removed from the exam. In addition, any items that have been flagged during the exam administration are reviewed and if these items are deemed to be defective for any reason they are removed from the exam.

Results are subjected to multiple levels of verification before being reported to candidates.

Examination results are communicated to candidates in the eight weeks after the examination.

Candidates will receive an email containing their results letter on the date of the result release. Successful candidates for the exam will also receive a certificate of completion of the written exam.

Candidate’s results are also made available through the candidate’s My ESC account.

Appeal

ESC/EACVI aims to deliver examinations of the highest quality and provide the best level of service for all candidates. To ensure that all candidates are assessed fairly, there is a procedure to allow candidates to appeal against their exam results.

Learn more about exam and logbook appeal regulations.

Policies for online proctoring examinations

For more information, please refer to the ESC Online Proctoring Examination Terms and Conditions.

Logbook

Once candidates have passed the exam, they can then apply for the logbook part of the programme to prove their practical experience in the CMR field. No late submissions will be accepted and, if the deadline is not respected, the candidate will have to repeat the exam to apply for certification.

Eligibility

The EACVI CMR logbook part of the programme is accessible to all successful candidates to the exam.

Access to the logbook platform is granted to candidates only after having successfully passed the written exam.

Requirements

Candidates are required to provide evidence of their clinical experience. Any applicant for certification in CMR Level 2 for Technicians is expected to fulfil the following requirements:

To be a registered technician with current valid registration.
To have passed the EACVI CMR exam.
To have 5 years of experience in CMR.
Cases must be collected under the supervision of a CMR Level 3 certified expert. Applicants are strongly advised to check the requirements for a Level 3 certified supervisor (see below).
To submit a logbook of 150 cases with a maximum of 10% normal cases. Up to 75 cases can be from another centre (for instance if the candidate’s centre does not have access to stress perfusion or patients with congenital heart disease). The logbook must be submitted no later than two years after passing the EACVI CMR examination with cases taken from a consecutive 24-month window (from a maximum of two years before up to two years after the date of sitting the exam).
To be Basic Life Support (BLS) certified.
To have completed 25 hours of CME specifically in CMR (please see details regarding acceptable CME/CPD).
To submit a supervisor’s declaration stating that the candidate was under his/her direct supervision, was primary operator for all of the cases provided in their logbook and is of the appropriate standard for Level 2 certification.

Requirements for Continuing Medical Education (CME)/Continued Professional Development (CPD)

Evidence of CME is required for all applications for Level 2 certification.

Required CME credits should not be claimed from a single online source, congress or event.

Courses/conferences attended more than two years before the exam are not appropriate.

General cardiology or radiology conferences/general webinars are not accepted and only the CMR component of relevant meetings will count for certification.

The learning hours must be collected as follows:

One CME/CPD Credit = one hour of CMR learning
CME/CPD Credits are obtained by participating in:

Recognised national, European and international CMR meetings; and
Educational courses with relevant endorsement and CPD credits
ECTS points (European Credit Transfer System) are accepted

For multimodality imaging courses, conferences or meetings with CMR content, the number of total CME/CPD Credits should be divided by number of modalities in question. For example, if the meeting is on cardiac CT, nuclear cardiology and CMR, the total CME/CPD Credits must be divided by three. If the meeting is on cardiac CT and CMR, the total number is divided by two.

Examples of specific meetings are given in Table 1 (below), this list is not exhaustive. It should be noted that CME Credits will vary between meetings and should be confirmed for each meeting attended.

Logbook regulations

Not complying with the below regulations will result in the logbook being returned to the candidate for modification and as such, delay the grading process.

The application must be submitted in English. Any document in the local language must be accompanied by an English translation.
The application must not include any patient data, in order to comply with GDPR regulations.
The application must be submitted no later than two years after having received the exam results.
Cases included in the logbook must have been collected from two years before to two years after the written exam and must cover only 24 consecutive months.
Each patient may be present only once in the logbook. It is not allowed to add multiple studies of the same patient.
Candidates should only include cases in the logbook where they have been the primary operator (i.e. the candidate must have performed their own analysis and provided a full written report independently). Cases which have only been observed cannot be included.
The candidate must have been present in the scanner control room during the acquisition of at least 50 cases.
Candidates must ensure that the maximum number of 'normal' cases (10%) is not exceeded.
There must be the required minimum number of cases in each diagnostic/study category, and each of the categories must be fully respected. For example, the adult congenital cases must include assessment of true congenital pathology, such as shunts, anomalous pulmonary venous drainage, Fontan circulation, etc. Cases such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and bicuspid aortic valve will not be accepted in this category.
Cases submitted from courses are allowed, but must not exceed 20% of the total required cases. Any cases included from courses must have included a full review of the case submitted by the candidate. Cases from the same course cannot be counted more than once.
No duplicate cases are allowed. Each patient may be present only once in the logbook unless there is a significant change in clinical status – we will not allow follow-up studies of the same patient if the findings have not changed.

Candidates are not asked to submit the full reports, although they may be requested by the EACVI CMR graders and EACVI CMR certification committee. Thus, candidates are asked to keep this information available.

The EACVI CMR Exam Board reserves the right to perform random checks to cross-reference the above information with the Level 3 supervisors and centres.

Both the Level 3 trainer (supervisor) and the candidate are fully responsible for providing the correct information. Misconduct may result in both the trainer and candidate losing their EACVI CMR Certification (see section Professional Standards of Conduct).

Professional standards of conduct

It should be noted that if any impropriety, falsification or fraudulent application is discovered, either at the time of the application or at a later stage, this may result in the revocation of both the applicant’s and the supervisor’s own Level 3 EACVI certification. This could be deemed to be serious professional misconduct and any further action would be decided by the EACVI CMR Exam Board in conjunction with the EACVI Board and the ESC. In extreme cases, this might also mandate reporting to the appropriate national society or national body for professional registration.

Supervisor

Any current practitioner in CMR who holds active Level 3 CMR certification (from either EACVI or SCMR) can act as a supervisor for a candidate’s application for Level 2 certification for Technicians. The following mandatory stipulations, however, apply:

All supervisors must have current Level 3 certification (either EACVI or SCMR).
No person can act as a supervisor until the date they have been awarded Level 3 certification.
No logbook can contain cases supervised by them before this date.
The supervisor must ensure that the logbook submission is accurate.
The supervisor must ensure that the applicant is of the appropriate standard for Level 2 certification for technicians in CMR, as appropriate.

Applicants are strongly advised to check the requirements for a Level 3 certified supervisor before starting any period of training to ensure that their training will be recognised.

Logbook results

As soon as the logbook is compliant with the requirements, the application is sent for grading to members of the EACVI CMR Certification Committee. Graders may require additional information from the candidate to provide their grading.

Results are sent by email within 3 months of submitting the e-Logbook. Please note that some delays in the grading can occur due to the high volume of applications received throughout the year.

Appealing the logbook

Candidates who fail to the logbook part may raise an appeal.

Please find more information here.

Extension requests

There is a one-year window to complete the logbook part of the programme. In exceptional circumstances, candidates may request an extension to submit their application.

To ensure the process remains fair and robust, extensions will generally only be given in the following circumstances: parental leave, less than full-time work or illness of the candidate.

Extension requests must be accompanied by a signed letter from your supervisor briefly explaining the situation and stating the duration of the extension required. Requests cannot be considered without this letter. The request must be submitted before the deadline.

Please note that extension requests are not guaranteed and are reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the certification committee.

Use the “Contact Us” to submit such requests and further information.

Certification result and list of certified candidates

Candidates will be granted certification in CMR once they have completed the two parts of the programme (exam and logbook). The certification is valid for five years after which the candidate must apply for recertification to keep the certification valid.

EACVI is pleased to list all their CMR certified candidates.

Table 1. Examples of CME Points for Specific Meetings

Candidates will be required to upload the relevant attendance certificates detailing the number of CME points/ hours accrued. We no longer allow self-directed learning for CME submission.

The CMR certification committee reserves the right to check the details of the course and evidence of attendance. The decision of the EACVI certification committee is final regarding award of CME hours.

Title	CME Points Awarded	Notes
EACVI 2025	12.5	Full recognition of all CME credits will be given. This meeting will not be divided by the number of imaging specialties involved.
EACVI 2023	18	Full recognition of all CME credits will be given. This meeting will not be divided by the number of imaging specialties involved
EuroCMR 2021	18	18 CME credits can be claimed for this meeting for full attendance despite the lower CME total (5) granted by UEMS-EACCME
EuroEcho-Imaging	Total divided by 3	Divided by 3 for Echo/CMR/CT
EACVI Best of Imaging	Total divided by 3	Divided by 3 for Echo/CMR/CT
EACVI CMR Teaching Courses	As per CME certificate	This includes both the Examination Preparation Course for Adult CMR and the Course for CMR in Congenital Heart Disease
EACVI Level 1 Course	9	All CMR modules must be completed
EACVI CMR Basic Tutorials	6	As per CME certificate
EACVI Multimodality imaging in CHD	4	All modules must be completed
EACVI/SCMR Joint Summit on Artificial Intelligence in CMR 2022	10	As per CME certificate
SCMR Annual Scientific Sessions	24	For participation in any congress or conference, a maximum of 8 CME credits per day can be claimed.
SCMR Annual Scientific Sessions - On-demand educational content	As per CME certificate
SCMR Introductory Online Course in CMR	10
BSCMR Annual Meeting	6
ESC Congress	3	General cardiology meeting, only 3 CME credits can be claimed for CMR
Medmastery Online Course - Cardiac MRI Essentials	14
CMR Level 1 Course (JCA Seminars)	10

Overview of requirements for EACVI Certification in CMR Level 2 for Technicians

	Level 2 for Technicians
Registered technician	Required
EACVI CMR exam pass	Required
Full time training	Not required
Logbook cases number	150
Max. normal cases	10%
Max. from courses / teaching files	20%
Max. from elsewhere	75
Basic life support (BLS)	Required
CME hours	25
Additional requirements	5 years of experience in CMR
CMR Level 3 certified supervisor	Yes
Supervisor's declaration	Yes