ACCME accreditation is offered to organizations that demonstrate a commitment to use continuing medical education (CME) as a process for improving professional practice to benefit healthcare. The ACCME Criteria and Policies provide a framework that allow accredited organizations many ways to realize CME as a strategic asset in support of their broader organization's mission and goals. As a CME professional, your efforts may be dedicated toward planning and implementing educational activities in support of your "CME mission" in compliance with the ACCME's Criteria and Policies. But, where does your "CME mission" and your larger organization's mission meet? How do you best position your CME program to provide value and strategic benefit to your organization?
To explore these questions, the ACCME has developed this educational tool. The goal of this tool is to provide new insights and strategies to help enhance your CME Program's strategic role within the organization. In 3 collaborative exercises, you and your colleagues will reflect on the current environment within your organization, map accomplishments, opportunities, and challenges, then develop a plan for moving your CME Program forward.
The exercises outlined below can be completed either individually or in a group (such as a CME Planning Committee or with departmental staff). They have been designed specifically with accredited CME Providers' staff and volunteers in mind - including any individuals who assist in the planning, development, and delivery of CME activities.
Preparing for this Activity
If you are hosting this activity, first review the Materials and Activity Outline so that you are familiar with conducting the exercises.
MATERIALS
You will need to gather the following materials before conducting the exercises:
- The Positioning Your CME Program for Organizational Impact worksheet - choose one of the two formats below, click on the appropriate link to open the document, and print one copy for each participant (in color if possible)
- Your Organizational Mission Statement - print one copy of your organizational mission statement for each participant
- Your CME Program Mission Statement - if different than organizational mission statement, print one copy of your CME Program mission statement for each participant
- Computer and/or projector with Internet access (optional) - if you are utilizing the video tutorials on this page to guide your group, you will need a computer and/or projector so that each member of the group can view and listen to the instructions.
- Facilitation Guide (PDF) for this activity - this document includes the instructions for Exercises 1 & 3 as well as the Reflective Discussion that you see on this webpage. It also contains written instructions for Exercise 2 that can be used in place of the video guides below in the event that you do not have internet access. You should print at least one copy of this Facilitation Guide for the facilitator of the activity. You may also print one copy for each participant if you choose. This document includes a transcript of the Introductory Video (below).
ACTIVITY OUTLINE
Below is an outline of the Positioning Your CME Program for Organizational Impact Activity ("Activity"), which includes a description of what you will be doing in each exercise and the estimated time that it will take you to complete that exercise with a group. You can conduct the entire activity at one time or over the course of several meetings. We are providing a Sample Committee Agenda (DOC) that you may choose to use or that you may cut and paste information from.
- Navigating the Exercises - An Introduction (10 minutes)
- First, you will watch the Introductory Video below as a group or, if you do not have access to the video, allow each member of the group to review the transcript for the video included in the Facilitation Guide (see "Materials").
- Then you will take a few minutes to make sure everyone understands the purpose of the exercise.
- Exercise 1: Self-Assessment (30 minutes) - use Page 1 of the worksheet (See "Materials")
- First, review the instructions together (5 minutes)
- Next, each member of the group will complete the self assessment individually (5 minutes)
- Finally, facilitate a group discussion as directed in the instructions (20 minutes)
- Exercise 2: Mapping Your Organizational Position and Goals
- Step 1 – Your Organization (30 minutes) - use Page 2 of the worksheet
Play the video below to walk the group through the exercise or use the Facilitation Guide (See "Materials")
- Step 2 - Your CME Program (30 minutes) - use Page 3 of the worksheet
Play the video below to walk the group through the exercise or use the Facilitation Guide (See "Materials")
- Step 3 - Connections (30 minutes) - use both Pages 2 and 3 of the worksheet
Play the video below to walk the group through the exercise or use the Facilitation Guide (See "Materials")
- Step 1 – Your Organization (30 minutes) - use Page 2 of the worksheet
- Exercise 3: Tactical Approaches (45 minutes) - use Page 4 of the worksheet (See "Materials")
- First, review the instructions together (5 minutes)
- Next, each member of the group will answer the questions individually (10 minutes)
- Finally, facilitate a group discussion as directed in the instructions (30 minutes)
- Reflective Discussion (25 minutes) - return to Page 1 of the worksheet
- First, review the instructions together (5 minutes)
- Then, facilitate a group discussion as directed in the instructions (20 minutes)
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Navigating the Exercises - An Introduction
Approx. 10 minutes to complete
The purpose of these exercises are to assist accredited CME providers in developing strategies to improve their CME Program's current or potential impact on the institutional goals of their organization. Play the "Navigating the Exercise - An Introduction" video below for the group to hear more about this activity.
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Exercise 1. Self-Assessment
Approx. 30 minutes to complete
The purpose of Exercise 1 is to help you gauge the extent of engagement between your CME program and your accredited organization. This exercise should be completed individually by each member of your group; you will then discuss your rankings together at the end of the exercise.
So, let's begin. On the left side of Page 1 of the Positioning Your CME Program for Organizational Impact worksheet that you printed, under the title Exercise 1. Self-Assessment, you will see six topic headings with statements below them. For example, the first one looks like this:
Each topic and statement has a continuum arrow directly below it; for the topic above, the values at each end of the continuum are "Disagree" and "Agree." Each member of your group should mark an X on the continuum at the place that best represents how they feel about the statement as it applies to your organization and the CME program. In the example above, if you strongly disagree with the statement, your X will be close to the word "Disagree"; in contrast, if you somewhat agree, your X will be around the middle, but a little closer to the word "Agree" than "Disagree".
For Exercise 1, do not write in the blue shaded area with the heading Strategies for Change and Improvement. Your group will return and complete this section as part of the final Exercise of this activity.
Once each member of your group has ranked all six of the statements on the left side of the page, discuss your rankings as a group. For each statement, consider the following:
- Where did you mark the continuum for this statement?
- Why do you feel this way?
- Is this something as a group we feel we are doing well or could be improved?
After you complete a discussion of each of these six areas, it is time to move on to Exercise 2. The next two exercises will help you assess both where and how you might be able to improve upon the areas that the group feels need to be strengthened. Your group will then return to complete the right side of the page, when directed to do so, as a last step in this Activity.
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Exercise 2. Mapping Your Organizational Positioning and Goals
Approx. 30 minutes per Step to complete (90 minutes total)
Step 1 - Your Organization
Step 1 begins by reflecting on your organization as a whole, looking beyond the borders of the CME department to explore the mission, challenges, and opportunities your organization faces. Because each member of your team may "see" things differently, complete the first part of this exercise individually, so that each staff member's viewpoint is recorded. You may choose to play the video guide for Step 1 (below) to walk your group through this exercise, or facilitate the exercise yourself using the Facilitation Guide provided in the Materials section.
Step 2 - Your CME Program
Step 2 requires that you reflect specifically on your CME program. Like Step 1, Step 2 is designed to be completed by each individual participating in this exercise. You may choose to play the video guide for Step 2 (below) to walk your group through this exercise, or facilitate the exercise yourself using the Facilitation Guide provided in the Materials section.
Step 3 - Connections
Step 3 is designed to help you make connections between your organization as a whole (Step 1) and your CME Program (Step 2). You may complete Step 3 individually, as you did in Steps 1 and 2, or as a group. You may choose to play the video guide for Step 3 (below) to walk your group through this exercise, or facilitate the exercise yourself using the Facilitation Guide provided in the Materials section.
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Exercise 3. Tactical Approaches
Approx. 45 minutes to complete
In Exercise 2, you connected the work of your CME program to your organization as a whole. Now, in this exercise you and your group will be focusing more specifically on strategies that are currently being used in your CME Department related to the development and delivery of education for your learners. You will also spend some time identifying challenges that you encounter.
Turn to page 4 of your worksheet. Working individually, take about 10 minutes for each member of the group to jot down some answers to the questions on this page. The questions on the left of the page all deal with strategies that your organization currently uses, while the questions on the right ask you to identify challenges that you face when trying to utilize those strategies.
After you have each had a chance to answer the questions, discuss your answers together as a group, moving down the page topic by topic. For example, begin with the heading “What is the problem?” Ask your group members to share what they wrote down first about the strategies that your organization currently uses to identify “gaps” and then about the challenges you encounter when identifying “gaps.” After you have had a chance to compare and contrast your answers for each topic – “How will it be solved?” “How will I measure change?” and “How will I ensure independence?” – discuss the following questions together in the group (you can choose to record your observations on a flip chart or separate piece of paper if you would like):
- Overall, what does our organization do well related to the development and delivery of CME activities?
- Are there consistent themes related to the challenges that the CME Unit faces at each stage of the process? If so, what are they? Whether or not there are common themes to the challenges, what ideas do you have about overcoming those challenges?
- Thinking back to Exercise 2, did you draw any connections between your overall Organization and CME Program that might provide new insight on how to address the challenges you discussed?
Well done! This exercise helped you focus on the “job” of your CME Unit as well as what helps and hinders your organization’s ability to deliver quality education. Now you are ready to reflect back on your initial Self-Assessment on page one of the worksheet and make a plan for moving forward.
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Reflective Discussion
Approx 25 minutes to complete
The final step in this Organizational Mapping Activity is to circle back to the first Exercise and use what you have learned through the process to make an action plan. Based on what you’ve discovered through the Exercises of this activity, your team is going to take some time to articulate concrete next steps for you and your CME program – these could be deliverables for this week, this month, or this year.
Your strategies for change and improvement might be things that you do internally within your CME program or department, such as process changes or new topic areas for your CME activities. You might also consider steps to take with other departments, organizations or individuals you work with on your current CME offerings. Your action plan may be based on the alignment you’ve discovered between your CME program and your organization; or it may be based on how to better align your program as a strategic asset to your organization.
Turn back to page 1 of your worksheet. It’s now time to write in the blue shaded area on the right hand side of your page. Together as a group, revisit where you collectively marked the X on each continuum arrow for each topic. Then together as a group, discuss what strategies you could implement in each area to help move the arrow as far to the right-side of each continuum arrow as possible; closer to “Agree,” “Fully linked,” “Fully team-based,” and “Good participation.” Keep in mind the connections that you drew in Exercise 2 as well as the strengths and challenges that you identified in Exercise 3.
This list of Strategies for Change and Improvement can now be used as you see fit as your organization’s action plan for engagement with the environment.
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Provide us with your Feedback
We value your feedback about this and other ACCME educational tools. Please take a moment to complete a brief survey about this education. You may complete this evaluation individually or together as a group.
Positioning Your CME Program for Organizational Impact - Evaluation Survey
© 2011 Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education. These materials may be used only for non-commercial educational purposes.
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Videos
