Planning Guidelines

The following information lists the requirements for planning an accredited continuing medical education activity through the Office of Continuing Medical Education.

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso Paul L. Foster School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education activities for physicians. To maintain the accreditation, educational activities must be planned within these guidelines. CME staff will provide additional information and assistance upon request.

  • A representative of the Office of CME must be integrally involved in the planning of an activity. The CME staff will ensure that all requirements for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ are met.

  • All educational activities must meet the definition of CME as established by the American Medical Association.

    "CME consists of educational activities which serve to maintain, develop, or increase the knowledge, skills, and professional performance and relationships that a physician uses to provide services for patients, the public, or the profession. The content of CME is the body of knowledge and skills generally recognized and accepted by the profession as within the basic medical sciences, the discipline of clinical medicine, and the provision of health care to the public.” (HOD policy #300.988)

  • CME activities must be designed for the practicing physician and based on identified performance gaps, or problems seen in the practice setting. To put it simply, what issue or problem do you see that needs to be eliminated? By identifying the problem, the educational need and topic of the activity become obvious.

  • Learner objectives must be written with linkage to the identified educational needs. The teaching methods should be appropriate to the needs of the target audience and presentation content. Speakers are to be selected based on expertise and teaching ability.

  • A budget must be developed in conjunction with the CME Office. Potential sources of revenue should be identified and anticipated expenses estimated as applicable. The CME staff will manage revenue and expenses for the activity.

  • Educational activities must adhere to the Standards for Commercial Support of Continuing Medical Education stipulated by ACCME. All commercial support must be in the form of unrestricted educational grants and must be administered in conjunction with the Office of Continuing Medical Education.

  • Marketing materials or announcements must be approved by the CME office prior to printing and distribution. CME staff will provide the accreditation and designation statements, along with other information in compliance with accreditation requirements and TTUHSC El Paso institutional policies. The CME staff can assist in the development of marketing materials if requested.

  • Planners and speakers for each activity must complete disclosure statements at the beginning of their involvement in the activity in order to identify relationships with industry support companies. Planners with affiliations with a commercial interest shall recuse themselves from planning the event. Speakers with affiliations will be required to resolve all conflicts of interest prior to start of the educational activity.

  • Each activity will be evaluated. Methods of evaluation and forms for evaluation by participants will be provided by the CME office.

Please consult the planner's checklist to help you plan your event.