Rules and Regulations

1. General

The Dutch Society for Statistics and Operational Research (‘Vereniging voor Statistiek en Operationele Research’, hereafter ‘VVS’) is responsible for the registration of biostatisticians. The VVS appoints the Board for Registration of Biostatisticians (hereafter ‘BRB’) on the recommendation of the board of the Biometric Section (hereafter ‘BMS’) of the VVS. Members of the BRB are appointed for a term of six years. Reappointment is possible. The Board of the VVS cannot discharge members of the BRB during their term, unless the Board of the VVS finds them wanting in the fulfilment of their duties.

2. Register

Registered biostatisticians are entered into the Register of Biostatisticians. This Register is kept by and is accessible to members of the BRB. Members of the Board of Appeal (‘BA’, see Articles 7-9) also have access to the Register. In the Register, the following information is entered:

personal details (name, address, date of birth);
affiliation at the time of registration;
date of registration;
if applicable, date of removal from the Register.

Moreover, the following information is kept on file for reference by the BRB and BA:

relevant education (with proof);
relevant experience (with proof);
the written considerations of the BRB and (if applicable) BA;
if applicable, date of warning or reprimand, with the pertaining considerations.

The members of both Boards are obliged to observe secrecy regarding all information on file. If inquiries are made concerning the registration of a specifically named person, the Secretary of the BRB shall indicate whether or not that person is registered. New and struck registrations shall be made public in VVS Bulletin, indicating name, address and affiliation.

3. Duties of the Board for Registration of Biostatisticians

The duties of the Board for Registration of Biostatisticians shall be:

judging and processing applications for registration, and registration of approved applications;
keeping the register and the related files;
judging possibly unprofessional conduct (see Article 7) and, as a consequence, possibly removing the individual concerned from the Register;
processing inquiries after the registration of specifically named persons;
reporting annually to the Boards of the VVS and the BMS.

4. Constitution of the Board for Registration of Biostatisticians

The Board shall consist of four Members:

two professors or senior lecturers in Medical, Agricultural or Biological Statistics;
two biostatisticians from non-academic institutions who are held in high esteem, preferably Heads of Biometry Departments.

The Members shall choose from their midst a President and a Secretary. The Board may choose to be supported by an external secretary.

5. Registration procedure

Applications for registration shall be addressed to the Secretary of the BRB. They must include proof of the relevant education and an extended report on the relevant experience. Two referees must vouch for the applicant’s experience with their signature. The referees must be biostatisticians who already are, or can be, registered (at the discretion of the BRB) and who have first-hand knowledge of the applicant’s work. If no referees can be found, e.g. because the applicant works on his or her own, then evidence must be submitted, such as testimonials, publications and/or consultation reports.

Within six weeks after receiving the application, the Secretary of the BRB shall send an acknowledgement of receipt. Within four months after receipt, the BRB shall send a written reply containing either its decision or the reasons for delaying the decision and a time limit. Acceptation of applicants requires the support of at least three members of the BRB. If registration is denied, the reasons for denial shall be stated. The applicant may enter an appeal within three months’ time (see Article 8). The appeal shall be dealt with in six months’ time after receipt at the latest.

6. Requirements for registration

In order to be eligible for registration, applicants must meet the following requirements:

a Master’s degree from a Dutch university or a foreign equivalent thereof or a VVS Statistician’s Certificate. This education must include at least 42 units of credit (‘studiepunten’; one unit equals 40 hours of studying time) in statistics/calculation of probability/methodology of a satisfactory level, or the equivalent thereof (at the discretion of the BRB);
at least five years of practical experience at an appropriate level in applying biostatistical methods to designing, analysing and reporting scientific research in the field of medicine, biology or agricultural science - of these five, at least two years with personal responsibility for the biostatistical work.

Individuals who have ten or more years of practical experience on an appropriate level are equally eligible for registration, provided that they can acceptably substantiate that their knowledge of statistical theory and methods is comparable to the requirements stated above.

The BRB shall take all relevant forms of practical experience into consideration. The following list is an indication of the forms of experience that shall be considered, without being exhaustive:

conducting and reporting of statistical data analyses;
involvement in designing research, and responsibility for the statistical aspects of this;
activities in statististical consultation;
research in the field of biostatistical methods;
leading a statistics group;
teaching, geared toward practical use, of biostatistical methods and their applications.

Applicants who do not (as yet) meet the experience requirements may request the BRB to judge only if they meet the requirements as to education. The BRB shall give a definite answer in writing, without keeping the matter on file.

7. Decisions and measures which the BRB may take

The BRB shall have the authority to decide that:

an applicant shall be registered as a biostatistician;
an applicant shall not be registered;
a registered biostatistician shall be removed from the Register for a certain period or definitively, on account of unprofessional conduct;
a registered biostatistician shall be given a warning on account of unprofessional conduct;
a registered biostatistician shall be given a reprimand on account of unprofessional conduct.

‘Unprofessional conduct’ is taken to mean ‘conduct different from that of a skilled biostatistician acting reasonably under the same circumstances’. Complaints concerning supposed unprofessional conduct may be submitted to the Secretary of the BRB.

8. Appeal

Following a decision by the BRB not to register an applicant or to remove, warn or reprimand a registered biostatistician, the person concerned may lodge an appeal to the Board of Appeal within three months from the decision’s date. The appeal procedure is governed by the Regulations for Appeal. The appellant shall owe a fixed fee for the appeal procedure, the sum of which shall be established by the Board of the VVS.

9. Board of Appeal

The Board of Appeal shall consist of a President and four Members. The President, the Secretary and one Member shall be appointed permanently by the Board of the VVS, one Member of the Board of Appeal shall be designated by the BRB, and one by the appellant. The President shall decide where the Board of Appeal resides.

10. Financial

The Board of the VVS shall establish a fee for the application procedure, to be paid by the applicant.

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Approved by the Annual Meeting of the Biometric Section on 26 May 1999, and by the Board of the VVS on its meeting of 13 October 1999.