MAINTAIN YOUR
SECEC CERTIFICATE
The SECEC Certificate recognises surgeons who have demonstrated expertise in shoulder and elbow surgery.
Maintaining your Certificate is a simple way to demonstrate continued engagement with the SECEC Community and ongoing professional development throughout your certification cycle.
Certificate holders receive an annual status update summarising their progress towards maintaining their SECEC Certificate.
Your SECEC Certification Journey
Maintaining your SECEC Certificate is an ongoing process. Certificate holders are encouraged to report relevant educational and professional activities as they occur during the certification cycle.
How to Maintain Your SECEC Certificate
Active SECEC Membership (mandatory)
Certificate holders must maintain an active SECEC membership throughout the certification period.
Congress
Participation
Certificate holders must participate in at least three SECEC Annual Congresses during the five-year certification cycle.
Continuing Professional Development
Certificate holders should report participation in events held under SECEC patronage and recognised educational activities (such as research or presentations).
Reporting Continuing Professional Development
Certificate holders should report participation in:
- Events held under SECEC patronage (national meetings and individual courses)
- Other recognised educational activities (e.g. participation in research projects, scientific presentations or similar educational contributions)
Activities directly organised by SECEC do not need to be reported. Where attendance data is available, these activities will automatically be taken into account (e.g. active membership, participation in the SECEC Annual Congress and SECEC online activities).
How Do I Monitor My Status?
SECEC will provide an annual update to help certificate holders monitor their progress.
These updates will include:
- Active membership status
- Participation in SECEC Annual Congresses
- Educational activities reported to SECEC
- Progress towards fulfilling the maintenance requirements
Certificate holders are encouraged to report activities regularly throughout the certification cycle to ensure that their information remains up to date.
Receiving Your Updated Certificate
At the end of the certification period, SECEC will review the certificate holder’s status and activities throughout the certification cycle to confirm that the maintenance requirements have been fulfilled.
Certificate holders who fulfil the requirements will receive an updated SECEC Certificate valid for the next five-year certification cycle.
Frequently Asked Questions
You should report activities that are not automatically tracked by SECEC, including participation in events held under SECEC patronage, research projects, scientific presentations and other relevant professional or educational activities.
Activities directly organised by SECEC do not need to be reported where attendance data is available, as they will automatically be taken into account.
Activities can be reported at any time until the end of your five-year certification period. However, certificate holders are encouraged to report activities regularly and to remain actively engaged throughout the certification cycle, rather than completing all activities towards the end of the period. This will help you stay on track with the maintenance requirements and keep your annual status updates up to date.
Supporting documents are not required for every activity, but certificate holders are encouraged to upload relevant evidence where available, such as a certificate of attendance, programme or confirmation of participation.
All reported activities are subject to verification by SECEC. The SECEC Office may carry out random checks and request supporting documentation before an updated SECEC Certificate is issued.
SECEC will provide an annual status update summarising your progress, including your membership status, participation in SECEC Annual Congresses and activities reported throughout your certification cycle.
This will help you identify any outstanding requirements and ensure that you remain on track to maintain your SECEC Certificate.
No. Certificate holders who fulfil the maintenance requirements will receive an updated SECEC Certificate without having to take another examination.
If the maintenance requirements are not fulfilled by the end of the five-year certification period, certificate holders wishing to receive an updated SECEC Certificate for the next five-year period will be required to take the SECEC Certificate examination again.
At the end of the five-year certification period, SECEC will review your maintenance requirements and the activities reported throughout the cycle. If the requirements have been fulfilled, you will receive an updated SECEC Certificate valid for the next five-year period.
If the maintenance requirements are not fulfilled by the end of the five-year certification period, an updated SECEC Certificate cannot be issued. Certificate holders wishing to regain certification for a further five-year period will be required to take the SECEC Certificate examination again.
Certificate holders should therefore review their annual status update carefully and plan their activities accordingly to ensure that they remain on track throughout the certification cycle.
Certificate holders who miss a membership payment will have the opportunity to settle any outstanding membership fees. However, we strongly recommend renewing your SECEC membership every year to ensure continuous membership throughout your certification cycle.
Please note that two consecutive years of non-payment will automatically result in the cancellation of your SECEC membership and, consequently, your SECEC Certificate.
Only activities completed during your five-year certification period are eligible for consideration. As the SECEC Certificate was first awarded in 2025, activities completed before 2025 cannot be taken into account.
Your email address is used to identify you and link your reported activities to your SECEC Certificate. If your email address changes during the certification cycle, please inform the SECEC Office so that your details can be updated and your activities remain correctly linked to your Certificate.
Activities directly organised by SECEC do not need to be reported where attendance data is available, as they will automatically be taken into account.
If you notice any missing or incorrect information in your annual status update, please contact the SECEC Office so that your status can be reviewed and, where appropriate, updated.
Your five-year certification period starts in the year in which you obtain your SECEC Certificate. For example, a Certificate obtained in 2025 is valid for the 2025–2029 certification period. The year in which you obtain your Certificate therefore counts as the first year of your five-year cycle.