Certification for CME Professionals?

Yes! Certification for CME professionals. There is group working on this right now and it is likely that a certification process for CME professional will be launched in the very near future.

The effort is not without distractors. Some ask if there a body of knowledge unique to the field of CME that can be used to establish a viable set of knowledge and performance expectations. Some wonder who will acknowledge a credential earned through a certification process. Others challenge the need for an independent certifying body suggesting it is the responsibility of professional societies in CME to “train” people in the filed and to determine what competencies should be expected of people working in their sector of the CME enterprise.

The people behind the idea of certification for CME professionals say it is time to step up, set expectations for competence and performance for people the field, and establish a process by which those expectations can be demonstrated. And they are going about it very carefully following national guidelines for establishing a certifying body and a certification process. They will likely be nationally recognized as a certifying body in the field of CME. They will be independent of the special interests of the CME Professional societies. They will have a carefully constructed certification process that is likely to include a rigorous written examination.

I can imagine hospitals and health systems coming to expect that the people they employ in CME hold a certificate. I would not be surprised to see pharmaceutical companies require that agencies receiving grants and contracts employ certified CME professionals. Hmmmmm. What if the ACCME added a requirement that at least one person employed by an accredited CME provider had to be certified? Far-fetched?

If positioned effectively and developed correctly, certification of CME professionals may change the field. If you are interested in more information about the effort to establish a certification for the CME professional visit www.NC-CME.org. I recently interviewed Dr. Judy Ribble, the Executive Director of the National Commission for Certification of CME Professionals. You can download that podcast at:

http://www.ctlassoc.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=297488

What do you think?

Conversations in CME — What It is About

There is a constant barrage of issues arising that impact the field of Continuing Medical Education. Funding issues challenging the independence of the content of industry supported CME offerings. Concerns that the CME accreditation system may be too complex and ineffective in influencing accredited CME providers link their efforts to physician competence or performance, patient safety, team care, or improvement initiatives. The emergence of a certification process for CME professionals. Independent reports that suggest major changes in how CME is funded, establishing a national focus on improving CME, and suggestions for the kinds of groups that should ( and by exclusion) should not be accredited CME providers. Just to mention a few.

Conversations in CME is a place to weigh in on these issues and your issues. It is a community of colleagues free to present and debate their opinions, make suggestions, and express concerns. From time to time there will be links to podcasts presenting “conversations” with informed leaders and stakeholders in CME. I want to make these learning opportunities for the CME professional.

Perhaps through these discussion, we can find ways to shape the future of CME from the perspective of the CME provider.

Join in and let your thoughts be known.