Introducing the theme--continuing veterinary medical education: where are we?

Abstract

tion’s Council on Medical Education is studying ways to revise how credits are awarded for re-licensure. The president of the American Association of Medical Colleges noted that “Until continuing medical education is once again seen by the leaders of academic medicine to be an inherent obligation of the profession itself, rather than a commodity to be obtained from any willing provider, physicians and the public alike will continue to be denied the benefits of a truly effective means for assuring continued physician competence.” 2 The goal is to improve the quality of health care through all the various mechanisms of continuing professional development. Continuing professional development is the process by which health professionals keep up-to-date to meet the needs of patients, clients, society, and individual performance. It includes “the continuous acquisition of new knowledge, skills, and attitudes to enable competent practice.”3 Because of the speed at which new knowledge is now developed, obsolescence in practice can occur swiftly. It should be the goal of every provider of continuing veterinary medical education (CVME) to provide timely, appropriate, and relevant programs and materials to practitioners, who are daily faced with the same cases, but with different diagnostic and therapeutic challenges and very different client expectations. The professional’s education is truly a continuum and one in which veterinary colleges as well as private CVME providers play a very important role. What are the challenges that face the CVME provider? Who are we? Where are we in our ability to identify learner needs or program effectiveness? In this issue of the Journal we have asked some individuals in the field of continuing medical education (CME) and continuing veterinary medical education (CVME) to provide the latest on advances in their various arenas. The first paper discusses the “Essentials for CME Providers” from the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education, an organization that provides guidelines for CME providers. Dr. Leist discusses the Council’s role and