Continuing Medical Education

 

The Full form of CME is Continuing Medical Education. CME refers to a specific form of continuing education (CE) that helps those in the medical field maintain competence and learn about new and developing areas of their field. It is ongoing education and retraining for licensed medical professionals to stay abreast of developments and new technologies, and to maintain or improve their practice competencies. These activities may take place as online programs, live events, written publications, audio, video, or other electronic media. Content for these programs is developed, reviewed, and delivered by experts in particular fields or practice areas and it can be delivered in a variety of formats and settings. Similar to the process used in academic journals, any potentially conflicting financial relationships for faculty members must be both disclosed and resolved in a meaningful way. Many states require Continuing Medical Education for medical professionals to retain their licenses in the United States. Within the United States, CME for physicians is regulated by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) and the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME). In Canada, certification is provided by the College of Family Physicians Canada (CFPC) and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC).