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ACCME’s requirements are a roadmap for creating high-quality continuing medical education—or CME—that improves practice and promotes better care.

Some requirements address the big picture, asking, “Where do we want the journey to take us?”, or reflecting, “Look how far we’ve traveled compared to where we started!” These are PROGRAM-BASED REQUIREMENTS – strategic questions that guide our entire educational program—the sum of all our educational activities. 

By contrast, ACTIVITY REQUIREMENTS – are those that inform our day-to-day planning. They are focused more on the trip at hand, asking, “Are we going to take the pick-up truck or the convertible today?”, “What’s the route we’re going to take from point A to point B?”, and, “How will we know when we’ve arrived at our destination?”. These questions support development of educational activities that are effective and impactful for our learners.

So, as you learn more about this journey—to provide the value of continuing education in your organization—ask yourself, “Which ACCME requirement can help guide me? Do I need help with the big picture, or the day-to-day?”

Consider this when your charting a course for your institution’s educational travels. Don’t assume that you have to address every ACCME requirement in every CME activity. You know better. A handful of requirements guide day-to-day activity planning. The rest help support the big picture—informing those occasional moments when you want to pause, reflect and think about where you are and where you’d like to go.