The Certified Bariatric Educator (CBE®) designation is an in-depth, evidence-based examination, aligned with the Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines, and has been designed for Canadian healthcare professionals who understand the principles of obesity management.
The Certified Bariatric Educator designation was developed to maintain the professional standards of obesity management. The Certified Bariatric Educator signifies specialized knowledge in the principles of obesity management and will help distinguish healthcare professionals as having achieved competency in obesity management. This will allow the public to easily identify healthcare professionals with advanced knowledge in obesity management.
The CBE® designation signifies specialized knowledge in the principles of obesity management and will distinguish an allied healthcare professional as having achieved competency in obesity management and bariatric care.
For those healthcare professionals practicing outside of Canada or not licensed in Canada, and meet all other criteria you will be eligible to write the examination but upon successful completion you will NOT receive the official CBE® designation. Instead, candidates will be issued an equivalency certificate indicating successful completion.
Next exam write dates:
2024:
Monday June 17, 2024
Saturday November 16, 2024
Both Canadian and International applicants will write on the same day but there are separate registrations. Please ensure you register for the correct exam.
*The exams are the exact same, however the certificate’s awarded are different.
What is CBE®
Certified Bariatric Educator certification. Developed by Obesity Canada, aligned with the Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines, this in-depth, evidence-based examination is designed for healthcare professionals who understand the principles of obesity management.
The Certified Bariatric Educator certification was developed to maintain the professional standards of obesity management within healthcare professionals. The Certified Bariatric Educator signifies specialized knowledge in the principles of obesity management and will help distinguish healthcare professionals as having achieved competency in obesity management. This will serve the public to easily identify healthcare professionals with advanced knowledge in obesity management.
Who should become CBE® certified
Healthcare professionals with a license in good standing who are currently working within the field of obesity to assess and manage patients living with obesity who want to upgrade their knowledge of obesity management.
Learning Objectives
Upon successful completion of the exam, you will be able to:
- Discuss relevant epidemiology and causes of obesity.
- Encourage dialogue with patients who have obesity or are at-risk.
- Assess patients according to American Board of Obesity Management (ABOM) recommendations.
- Counsel patients on complications of obesity.
- Discuss risk, benefits, and options available for the management of obesity, including behavioural and pharmacological management.
- Recommend realistic prevention strategies patients can incorporate to avoid becoming overweight.
- Prescribe lifestyle recommendations for obesity management according to the needs of individual patients.
- Appraise bariatric surgery options for management of obesity.
- Apply relevant guidelines to assist in obesity management among diverse populations.
Faculty
- Michael Boivin, PharmD
- Sean Wharton, MD, PharmD
- Priya Manjoo, MD
- Candace Vilhan, B.A Psych., E.C.E, CBE
- Mary Forhan*, PhD, OT
- Tasneem Sajwani, MD
- Jennifer Brown, RD, CBE
- Claire Kearney, RN
- Cathy Breen, RD, European Representative
- *Chair of committee
Criteria to become a CBE®
To qualify you are required to complete the Obesity Canada Introduction to Obesity Course. It is recommended that you complete a learning program such as Calibre or attend the Canadian Obesity Summit.
You are required to show proof that you meet ALL of the below requirements:
- You are a registered healthcare professional with a license in good standing with a regulatory body in Canada*
- You must have completed the Introduction to Obesity Course.
- You must have a minimum of 700 hours of practical obesity experience** within the last 5 years
If you are self-employed, you may submit a letter on your own behalf indicating the date when you became self-employed, the percentage of your practice time spent managing obesity, and your cme/cpd education courses specific to obesity.
*If you are outside of Canada, you are eligible to write the examination but will not receive the official designation. Certificates of successful completion of the examination will be issued instead.
**Practical obesity experience includes education***, management, advice or care.
*** Obesity Canada endorsed education includes: Calibre, Canadian Obesity Summit (COS), Obesity Canada Obesity Adult Clinical Practice Guideline Webinar Series, European Congress on Obesity (ECO), Obesity Week/The Obesity Society (TOS) and the Harvard Blackburn Course in Obesity Medicine.
Proof of a certificate of completion/attendance is required.
Fees
The cost to write the CBE® exam in 2024 is $450 CAD.
Fees to be determined following 2024.
Obesity Canada is a registered charity. We do not collect tax on education.
Recommended Study Materials
Recommended Educational Preparation:
Exam Details
The exam is offered only in English.
This is a closed book exam. There will only be one attempt given on your exam date.
You must log into your Obesity Canada education portal the day of your exam to access the exam. You will have 3 hours to complete the exam once you start.
Bathroom breaks are permitted; however the allotted exam time will not stop while you are away.
There are a total of 120 multiple choice questions from 7 categories.
The exam is not video monitored. You may choose when to write the exam on the exam date however you must be completed the exam by 11:59pm ET.
If successful, you are able to use the designation “CBE” in both English and French. Participants practicing in French may use “Éducateur Agréé Bariatrique”.
Confidentiality
The exam is confidential. Exams cannot be copied, printed, screenshotted or saved etc. in any manner at any time.
Successful Applicants:
Applicants who are successful in passing the exam will receive a certificate via their online education portal.
Unsuccessful Applicants:
Applicants who are unsuccessful in passing the exam are eligible to rewrite. Applicants can rewrite by submitting a new application and paying the required exam fees. There is no limit to how many times someone can take the examination.
The Day of Exam
You may start the exam at any time. Keep in mind you must be completed the exam before 11:59pm ET.
Log into your profile on cpd.obesitycanada.ca.
Click on “My Account”
Under your profile information you will see the courses you are enrolled in – click on the Certified Bariatric Educator Examination.
Under the “Course Content” section, click on the exam – start the exam. Once you click on this button – your exam will begin. This will begin the countdown timer for your 3 hour time allotment. The exam automatically submits your saved answers every 5 seconds and submits all of the questions after the 3 hour time limit has elapsed.
You will see all of the questions at the same time.
Once you have completed the exam, push the prompted “Finish exam” button to submit your answers.
This will immediately bring up a “Results Page” where you will see if you were successful, or not successful.
Once you have started the exam, do not refresh your page, or navigate outside of the exam until you have completed the exam in its entirety. Failing to do so will result in a failure as you only have one attempt to complete the exam.
Technical Issues on Day of Exam
If you are experiencing technical issues accessing the exam on the assigned exam date, please email us at learn@obesitynetwork.ca and include the following:
- Difficulty experiencing
- Screenshots if applicable
- Your full name
- Your email address associated with your education portal user
Please note that someone will get back to you as soon as possible via email to address your issue. As you may run into technical issues allow ample amount of time before the closure of the exam time.
Exam Categories
There are 7 categories to the exam:
- Determinants of obesity and Pathophysiology
- Communication and bias/stigma
- Diagnosis and goal setting & outcomes
- Comorbidities
- Treatment
- Follow-up and monitoring
- Obesity in diverse populations
Cheating, Deceitful Behaviour, Designation Revoking
You are not permitted to have other people in the room during your exam. As this is a closed book exam, no materials, textbooks, etc are permitted while taking the exam. Participants are encouraged to have a hard-wired internet connection (not Wi-Fi). All browser windows must be closed, and dual monitors are not to be used.
Cheating is a serious offence and subject to disciplinary action. Any evidence of cheating that occurs during the exam will be noted in detail and reported to the Certified Bariatric Educator Committee for review. Any individual who knows or becomes aware that an examinee may have cheated or has failed to follow the exam rules in any way is obligated to notify us immediately at learn@obesitynetwork.ca.
Some examples of this offence are:
- Allowing other individuals to come in and out of the room during the exam
- Any recording or screen sharing of the exam screens, including taking screenshots, pictures, or video,
- Copying the exam questions or answers,
- Leaving mobile devices/smartphones, other web browsers, software applications, or other computers on during the exam,
- Bringing in resource materials.
Designation revoking:
Obesity Canada reserves to revoke designation for any of the following:
- Falsification of any portion of the application form
- Revocation, suspension, or disciplinary action by the individual’s professional body
- Validated unethical practice of obesity education
- Deceitful behaviour during the examination*
*This includes but is not limited to having someone write the exam on your behalf, having assistance of any kind, copying and/or sharing or attempting to share examination details.
Recertification
You must renew your designation every 5 years. To recertify, you must apply to rewrite the examination and pay all associated fees. There is not a separate exam to recertify – you will be required to successfully complete the full exam again. All designation eligibility criteria must be completed prior to applying.
Exemptions
If you think you qualify for an exemption to the required prerequisites, please send your detailed request with supporting documentation to cbe@obesitynetwork.ca. Please allow 10-15 business days to obtain a response. Exceptions are based on a case by case situation.
Once you have submitted your required documentation and have paid accompanying fees for the examination there are no refunds, extensions, or deferrals. There are no exceptions.
Verification Documents
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1 Lesson
Certified Bariatric Educator Examination – Verification Documents
Verification documents must be provided before enrolling into the CBE course.
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1 Lesson
Certified Bariatric Educator Examination – Canadian
This is the Canadian registration for the June 17, 2024 Certified Bariatric Exam. Ensure you have read in detail the exam requirements as there are no refunds… -
1 Lesson
Certified Bariatric Educator Exam – International or Not Licensed in Canada
This is the international registration for the June 17, 2024 Certified Bariatric Exam (CBE). Ensure you have read in detail the exam requirements as there are no refunds…
Accolades
Becoming a Certified Bariatric Educator is a privilege more than a mere certificate. CBE title involves testing that is equivalent in standards and level of knowledge testing comparable to what is offered Globally in the field of bariatric medicine certification. Yet, the material align with the Canadian health system sources, public values and providers` principles of practice. It requires many hours of CMEs and experience to be eligible for the test, ensuring high quality of medical education. The test format and platform was user friendly. I do recommend studying the Guidelines in obesity management and Advanced Obesity Management Program offered by Obesity Canada. Finally, I add that communication with the organizing staff was effective and seamless.
Ahmed Raheem MBChB, MRes, CCFP, CBE
As a registered dietitian in a family health team, I often counsel people living with obesity. Obesity is complex, and not only for patients, but also for practitioners. From addressing lifestyle behaviours and weight stigma to pharmacological management and bariatric surgery options as well as long-term follow-up, there are so many factors at play. When I heard about the CBE certification, I knew right away it was a certification that I wanted to obtain. Now that I have my CBE, I feel more confident when working with patients living with obesity; I can provide them with the best possible evidence-based care. I also believe the CBE certification is important for our society and health care system. The CBE certification can help both referring health care providers and the general public find a health care professional who is a formally trained in obesity care.
Nasser Yassine DtP, CSEP-PEC, CBE
Completing the Certified Bariatric Educator (CBE) exam has helped me to understand what it truly means to deliver high standards of obesity care. In my clinical practice I strive to understand the reality of living with obesity as a complex, chronic disease and support patients to access evidence based, non-stigmatising treatments. The CBE® is a hallmark of healthcare professionals who deliver excellence in care – and I’m delighted to have successfully completed this exam as it is one of the highest standards of education in obesity in Canada.
Cathy Breen, PhD, RD, Senior Dietitian in Diabetes and Weight Management
The CBE designation has been a great addition to my professional portfolio. This area of medicine has many new and upcoming pharmaceutical treatments. It is important to ensure my clinical skills are ready to safely and effectively utilize all these medications. This designation allows me to feel confident about engaging in resource planning and programming for my community.
Angela Puim, PharmD. RPh. CBE. CDE. CRE.