About Us
Over the last 30 years, the Office of Continuing Medical Education (CME) has offered educational activities to physician faculty members, educator and research faculty, fellows, residents, medical students, nursing students, health care providers from affiliated institutions and community physicians.
Using an inter-professional approach, the Office of CME is committed to developing and implementing evidence-based CME activities to address identified knowledge and professional practice gaps, and to facilitate life-long learning attitudes for health care professionals in the border region of West Texas. Since CME involves a continuum of undergraduate, graduate and post- graduate medical education, we emphasize and foster a life-long learning attitude in all stages of medical training. We want our CME activities to improve medical knowledge, and change physician practice behavior and clinical performance. Our CME program also provides training opportunities to CME presenters to deliver their information more effectively. An example of training the trainer is the Office of CME's collaboration with the Office of Faculty Development in conducting the comprehensive faculty development program in which the faculty members are trained to apply principles of adult learning, effective oral presentation, effective use of technology in medical education, literature appraisal or practice of evidence-based medicine.
In March 2015, the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso Paul L. Foster School of Medicine was awarded its initial accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education. Prior to this date, all CME activities were accredited via our mother institution Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.
Committee on CME
There are a number of resources that are available to help you understand what continuing medical education is and how accredited programs should operate. Also, the TTUHSC El Paso Paul L Foster School of Medicine (PLFSOM) Office of Continuing Medical Education (CME) has a Committee on CME. This committee functions to ensure that the PLFSOM CME Program meets the mission and vision of the department, and to serve as liaisons among departments, the institution and the Office of CME.
ACCME Accreditation
The Association Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) is our accrediting body and its website houses a plethora of information that is useful for those planning a CME activity. There are a number of resources and tools available that will help you as you begin to think about the role of CME within the institution or within a clinical department. The ACCME website also contains a number of useful videos about CME, CME planning and accreditation policy.
AMA CME Credit System
Most, if not all, of the Office of CME programming falls under AMA (American Medical Association) PRA Category 1 credits. We have begun offering live/virtual and internet based asynchronous CME programming. Please contact the Office of CME at CMEinfo@ttuhsc.edu for information on how to accredit these types of programs.
For more information regarding AMA PRA Category 1 credits, please click the link below.