If you want to shine in the medical field, think of Medical
continuing education. Medical practitioners have the opportunity to
improve their services, courtesy the continuing medical education.
Continuing
medical education is the logical extension of continuing professional
development. Continuing medical education helps professionals to
enhance and extend their knowledge and consequently become aware of
latest developments, which can be skillfully used for the betterment of
patient and public at large. The process of categorization, enlargement
and promotion of rules used by physicians to heighten expertise helps
in ameliorating medical care for patients.
CME activities
comprise educational involvement (through live events, written
publications, online programs, audio, video or other electronic media)
that rely on evidence-based medicine to give medical professionals a
pragmatic medical boost, which eventually improves the health care
service. Medical professionals proficient in their own respective
fields, prepare, assess and deliver the content for such programs in
the manner of the system followed in academic journals.
The
monetary funding for medical continuing education comes from multiple
sources like the private sector, government, hospitals, academic
institutions, non-profit organizations, and industry. In 2005, the net
monetary funding was $2.25 billion and the big chunk of it $2.25
billion came from commercial support. The 2005 period witnessed 79820
activities approved or accredited as official CME against 48092 CME
activities in 1998.
The monitoring body of CME recognizing
the lurking possibility of “commercial bias”, has formed and maintains
it “Standards for Commercial Support” to ensure that the independence
and quality of CME is not diluted. Organizations like the Alliance, the
largest professional organization for CME professionals often hold
meetings to address issues related to standards and development of the
CME. The public media sources have now and then questioned continuing
medical education.
Who Oversees The Activities Of CME?
The
CME enterprise is monitored and administered by a body known as ‘The
Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education’ (ACCME). This
seven-member organization includes members from the American Medical
Association and the American Board of Medical Specialties. The ACCME’s
Mission is to recognize, evolve and promote standards that will usher
new knowledge helping to develop better medical care facility, bringing
smile on the faces of patients and the public on the whole.
The
ACCME accomplishes its goal via a voluntary self-regulated system for
accrediting CME providers and a peer-review process ready to adopt
innovative steps in medical education and the health care delivery
system. Bodies like Government, private, non-profit organizations,
professional societies and academic institutions offer CME or
facilitate CME delivery.
If a doctor acquires CME “credits”
through accredited CME activities, most of the regulatory bodies make a
doctor’s registration or licensure conditional. However, different
states have their own parameters for physicians and other clinicians.
Each state has various CME requirements for physicians and other
clinicians desiring to keep and sustain their licensure.
Medical
continuing education has evolved innovative ways to improve the health
services and has added a new dynamic vision in the field of medical
science, enabling medical professionals to carry out their functions
smartly and diligently.