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VCOM Campus

Continuing Medical Education

The mission of VCOM’s Continuing Medical Education (CME) program is to enhance the professional development of VCOM faculty, community-based physicians, and healthcare professionals regionally, nationally, and internationally.  In pursuit of this mission, VCOM is committed to excellence in biomedical education, research, and healthcare and will achieve its mission by augmenting physician’s clinical knowledge and competence, improving clinical knowledge and performance, and promoting lifelong learning so that their practices reflect exceptional medical care for their patients.  In correlation with the mission and goals of the college, the CME program places a specific focus on preparing globally-minded, community-focused physicians to meet the needs of rural and medically underserved populations with an emphasis on the Appalachian and Delta regions of the United States. 

The mission of the CME program encompasses the following:

  • Promoting lifelong learning and all desirable physician attributes expressed in the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) and Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Core Competencies.
  • Identifying the professional practice gaps in physician knowledge, competence and/or performance, defined as differences between current practice and best practice of physicians, that might be addressed through CME programs.
  • Designing and implementing CME activities that present content that is unbiased, evidence-based, and free of commercial interest in educational formats appropriate for the setting, objectives, and desired results of the activity.
  • Evaluating changes in physician knowledge, competence, and performance as a result of the CME process, using both quantitative and qualitative measures.
  • Increasing physician competence through the acquisition of knowledge and new strategies to address the prevention, diagnosis, and/or treatment of a specific health care need.
  • Enhancing physician performance through their newly acquired skills and knowledge, to improve health outcomes and make changes in practice for their patients and communities.
  • Enhancing physician understanding of clinical and patient issues of rural and medically underserved populations, especially within the populations of Appalachia and the Delta regions of the United States.
  • Enhancing physician understanding of research related to healthcare issues of rural and medically underserved populations.

About Continuing Medical Education (CME)

Accreditation for Faculty Development and Continuing Medical Education

The Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine is accredited by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) to provide continuing medical education for physicians as a Category 1 CME sponsor. VCOM strictly adheres to the standards and regulations provided by the AOA governing the provision and documentation of CME programming.

Key Parts of a Continuing Medical Education Faculty Development Program

The AOA’s Accreditation Manual for CME Sponsors identifies three key parts of a faculty development program:

  • Faculty Development refers to those programs which focus on the individual faculty member. The most common focus for programs of this type is the faculty member as a teacher. Faculty development specialists provide consultation on teaching, including class organization, evaluation of students, in-class presentation skills, questioning and all aspects of design and presentation. They also advise faculty on other aspects of teacher/student interaction, such as advising, tutoring, discipline policies and administration.
  • A second frequent focus of such programs is the faculty member as a scholar and professional. These programs offer assistance in career planning, professional development in scholarly skills such as grant writing, publishing, committee work, administrative work, supervisory skills, and a wide range of other activities expected of faculty.
  • A third area on which faculty development programs focuses is the faculty member as a person. This includes wellness management, interpersonal skills, stress and time management, assertiveness development and a host of other programs which address the individual's well-being.

 

Each year VCOM holds faculty development sessions on campus and in our clinical sites upon request to enrich the faculty members education. Faculty development programs are also provided online and opportunities are sent to the faculty through their Chairs. Faculty are always welcome to contact the Assistant Dean or Director of Faculty Development to request additional materials or programs.

The American Osteopathic Association awards Category 2 B credit for faculty development. Please visit the AOA’s Continuing Medical Education Guide for Osteopathic Physicians for complete information about the 2019 – 2021 cycle.

Requirements for Osteopathic Physicians

AOA members are required to obtain 120 credit hours in a three-year cycle, with at least 30 hours in Category 1-A. The remaining 90 hours may be obtained in CME designated as Category 1-A, 1-B, 2-A, or 2-B. Osteopathic board certified physicians must earn at least 50 of their total 120 hours in their primary specialty.

General Information

Local Resources 

VCOM regularly holds CME events. You can also check your state osteopathic medicine association's  website for events near you:

 

CME Credit for Precepting

If you are interested in learning more about precepting VCOM students or if you are an existing preceptor, please see Becoming a Clinical Preceptor for more information.

Osteopathic preceptors are allowed a maximum of twenty-four (24) Category 1 B credits per three-year CME cycle by the AOA. In order to be eligible, the preceptor’s name and signature must appear on the VCOM student evaluation. In order to receive this credit, no other action is required on the part of the preceptor. A list of qualifying preceptors is generated and verified by the clinical department and submitted biannually to the AOA’s Department of CME.

If you are a VCOM preceptor and need assistance, please contact Paula Shipper, Ed.D, Director for Continuing Medical Education and Clinical Faculty Development, Virginia Campus, at 540-231-7188 or pshipper@vt.vcom.edu.

Please reference the AOA’s Continuing Medical Education site for additional information about continuing medical education.

Requirements for MD Physicians

CME requirements for licensure and relicensure vary depending on the jurisdiction. Sixty-one (61) state and US territory licensing boards (both allopathic and osteopathic) now have mandatory CME requirements for relicensure. Forty-eight (48) states and territories will accept a current AMA PRA certificate or an AMA approved PRA application as documentation of meeting the CME requirements. Physicians can find the State licensure and relicensing requirements on the AMA Website but should contact the appropriate state medical board to get the most recent information on state CME requirements and the reporting mechanism.

Information

 

CME Credit for Precepting

If you are interested in learning more about precepting VCOM students or if you are an existing preceptor, please see Becoming a Clinical Preceptor for more information.

Allopathic preceptors may claim AMA PRA Category 2 Credit™. These continuing medical education credits are self-documented and these records should be maintained by the physician in the event of an audit. Please reference the Physician's Recognition Award and Credit System™ which provides complete information about qualifying activities and the reporting process.

If you are a VCOM preceptor and need assistance, please contact Paula Shipper, Ed.D, Director for Continuing Medical Education and Clinical Faculty Development, Virginia Campus, at 540-231-7188 or pshipper@vt.vcom.edu.