Taiwan Society of Sleep Medicine

Certification Regulations for Sleep Medicine Specialists

In accordance with decisions made during committee meetings on September 7, 2010, January 18, 2011, December 21, 2012, February 1, 2013, March 15, 2014, October 19, 2015, and board meetings on October 8, 2010, February 19, 2011, March 1, 2012, March 15, 2014, and December 27, 2015, as well as the approval of the general assembly on March 6, 2011, March 18, 2013, March 30, 2014, March 13, 2016, and March 18, 2018.

Article 1: The Taiwan Society of Sleep Medicine (TSSM), hereinafter referred to as "TSSM," establishes these regulations to enhance professional standards in clinical sleep disorder diagnosis and conduct the certification of sleep medicine specialists.

Article 2: Applicants for sleep medicine specialist certification must meet the following basic requirements and be approved by TSSM after qualification assessment:

1. Physicians must complete medical specialist training issued by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and obtain specialist qualification. Dentists and Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners must obtain practice qualifications and licenses, and after three years of practice, be approved by the certification committee.
2. Must become a member of TSSM and meet one of the following conditions:
   • 2-1. Complete one year of medical and educational training in a sleep medicine institution certified by TSSM, according to training regulations set by TSSM, and provide proof signed and stamped by the responsible person of the training institution.
   • 2-2. Complete comprehensive training in sleep medicine included in the specialty medical training established by TSSM and various medical societies, and provide proof of sleep medicine training certified by TSSM.
3. Accumulate 40 credits of sleep medicine continuing education within six years, including 13 credits in the core series of sleep disorders (core courses cannot be duplicated).
4. Submit three case reports, which must be reviewed and approved as "pass" by the designated committee of TSSM.
5. After meeting the above conditions, members can participate in the sleep medicine specialist certification examination, with the examination results determining qualification. The examination schedule and detailed scoring methods will be uniformly announced by TSSM, based on the thirteen main topics of the core courses.
6. The qualification for the examination obtained in the fifth point above can be retained for three consecutive years after approval. If the specialist certification examination is not passed within three years, the member must re-accumulate the continuing education credits specified in Article 2, point 3, and pass the review before being eligible to participate in the certification examination again.

Article 3: The thirteen core courses and their scope are as follows:

1. Physiology in Sleep (including Normal Sleep and its Variants)
2. Monitoring Sleep
3. Circadian Rhythm Disorders (including Chronobiology and Circadian Rhythms)
4. Pharmacology
5. Insomnia: Causes and Treatments
6. Sleep Disordered Breathing (including Diagnosis, Consequences, and Treatment)
7. Sleep Surgery
8. Sleep and Medical Illness
9. Sleep and Neurological Disorders (including Restless Legs Syndrome/Periodic Limb Movement Disorder, Parkinson’s Disease, Dementia, Epilepsy, etc.)
10. Sleep and Psychiatric Disorders
11. Disorders Unique to Childhood
12. Parasomnias
13. Narcolepsy and Other Somnolence Disorders

Article 4: The principle of specialist physician screening and certification is to be conducted once a year. The schedule will be announced by TSSM three months before the screening and certification, and late applications will not be accepted.

Article 5: Applicants for specialist physician screening and certification must submit the following documents:

1. One application form provided by TSSM, with two recent passport-sized photos taken within the last year.
2. Physicians must submit a copy of the Ministry of Health and Welfare's specialist physician certificate, and dentists and Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners must submit a copy of their practice license.
3. One original copy of the work or training certificate provided by TSSM (the form must be filled out in detail).
4. One certificate of sleep medicine continuing education credits, issued by TSSM after verification.

Article 6: Those who pass the sleep medicine specialist physician screening and certification will be awarded the "Sleep Medicine Specialist (Western, Dental) Physician Certificate" by TSSM. The validity period of the specialist physician certificate is six years, with each extension period lasting six years after expiration.

Article 7: Applicants for the extension of the validity period of the specialist physician certificate must participate in sleep medicine continuing education courses approved by TSSM and announced within six years of the certificate's validity period. The cumulative points must exceed 160 units.

Article 8: When applying for an extension of the validity period of the specialist physician certificate, the following documents must be submitted:

1. The extension application form provided by TSSM.
2. Two copies of the proof of sleep medicine continuing education course points.
3. Two recent passport-sized photos taken within the last year.

Article 9: The actual costs associated with sleep medicine continuing education courses, specialist physician qualification assessment and examination, certificate issuance, or extension of the validity period may be charged. The specific amounts of these fees will be determined by the board of directors of TSSM.

Article 10: These regulations must be approved by the board of directors of TSSM and submitted to the general assembly for implementation. The same process applies to any modifications.