Tropical Medicine - DTM&H vs CTropMed

[yobuddy]

Hello,

I practice emergency medicine and rural family medicine in Canada, and I also do a lot of international work at rural mission hospitals in various southern African countries. I am considering doing a tropical medicine course to solidify and round out my knowledge in tropical medicine. Diploma courses approved by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH), such as the ones offered by the University of Minnesota or West Virginia University, allow one to sit the CTropMed exam, so I've been thinking about doing this because it would be nice to be awarded a recognized qualification for learning stuff that I want and need to study anyway. Interestingly, I also discovered that any ASTMH-approved diploma course also makes one eligible to sit the DTM&H exam by the Royal College of Physicians London in the UK.

Based on my research, the content of the exams for the CTropMed and DTM&H seem very similar. I probably won't bother doing both exams, so I'm trying to decide which one is more worthwhile to pursue since completing an ASTMH approved course would make me eligible for either exam.

The advantage of the CTropMed is that the next exam sitting is in Toronto, Canada, which is relatively near to where I live, so I wouldn't have to travel far or cross time zones to take it. Being an American exam, the CTropMed's format would probably be more straightforward for me as a Canadian, and I wouldn't have to worry about weird British spellings (Canadians spell some words differently than Americans, but our spelling of medical words is generally more similar to Americans than the British). Thus, for these practical reasons, the CTropMed seems advantageous to me.

On the other hand, the DTM&H seems to me to be a more widely recognized qualification internationally since it has been around a long time. Please correct me if I'm wrong on this one. Therefore, I'm not sure if the DTM&H might potentially open up more doors in the future, though for the work I'm currently doing, neither the CTropMed or DTM&H is obligatory.

Anyway, if anyone out there has insights into the differences/similarities of the CTropMed vs the DTM&H and any advice about whether one if preferable to the other, I would greatly appreciate it!

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[alpinism]

Did the Hopkins diploma course 7 years ago and spend a significant about of time overseas doing humanitarian medicine.

Honestly it doesn't matter which one you get as most places don't really care. In fact I'd say that at most places where I've worked including multiple different countries in Africa they've never even heard of any of the above qualifications. The courses themselves are more for your benefit since emergency medicine residency provides little if any education regarding the management of tropical diseases.

 

[david.codington]

Did the Hopkins diploma course 7 years ago and spend a significant about of time overseas doing humanitarian medicine.

Honestly it doesn't matter which one you get as most places don't really care. In fact I'd say that at most places where I've worked including multiple different countries in Africa they've never even heard of any of the above qualifications. The courses themselves are more for your benefit since emergency medicine residency provides little if any education regarding the management of tropical diseases.

I checked in with a friend of mine who is close to the end of his time in residency at Erlanger in Chattanooga, TN. He works in the ER, and told me that apart from research that he's done on his own, he's not encountered much in tropical medicine. (This isn't surprising given that we live in TN.)

 

[deleted109597]

There's London, and Baylor here in Texas at the National School of Tropical Medicine.
Truthfully, as above. Do the one that fits in your schedule best. Nobody cares anywhere else.

 

[DeadCactus]

I would argue that the DTM&H from London or the Gorgas course are probably the gold standard but frankly it's like an MPH; it's such a small aspect of your qualifications compared to medical school, residency, and career accomplishments that the most convenient and cost-effective route is the best option for most people,