PURPOSE

To provide education and advocacy in support of safe, equitable and effective patient care. The program provides activities designed to promote health professional performance, competency and optimal patient outcome and services to the public and the profession.

TARGET AUDIENCE

The target audience includes practicing physicians, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, physician and other health assistants, health administrators, basic scientists, researchers, social workers, and graduate and other health trainees.

While African Americans and other minority health professionals are especially assisted in support of the reduction of health disparities, health professionals and patients of all races, ethnicities and genders are included in the NMA CME mission.

CONTENT AREAS

Content includes knowledge and skills generally accepted by professionals to include the basic sciences, the discipline of clinical medicine and the provision of health care to the public. Evidence-based reports in key national publications describing health disparities and performance gaps are major sources of NMA CME content. (These key national sources include the National Sciences Institute of Medicine (IOM) quality initiatives reports: To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System and Crossing the Quality Chasm, the Healthy People 2010 Report of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, content of updated medical textbooks, NMA consensus reports and evidenced-based articles from the NMA journal and other peer reviewed journals.

Specialty practice needs are addressed in specialty practice sessions and communities of practice providing education in the learner’s concentrated practice interest. Maintenance of competency is emphasized in the specialty sections.

Partnerships with historically based Black medical colleges, hospitals and clinics and other health institutions form the clinical base for the NMA CME program. Barriers to learning are reduced through NMA membership training and assistance in informatics. Legislation affecting patient care is promoted by NMA CME orienting national decision makers in aspects of health care.

TYPES OF ACTIVITIES

Professional development activities of NMA CME are designed to promote professional performance, competency, and improved patient outcome. These activities are provided during NMA educational planning and presentations in medical specialty section, region, state and local societies courses. Performance improvement presentations are made by lectures, panels, workshops, small group discussions, courses, symposia, case review, hands-on exercises, enduring materials and print and electronic media.
Lecturers are evaluated by audience participants as to how well the patient care needs of the participant(s) are met. Pre and post tests are given in all NMA CME approved activities for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ in order to document the perceived change caused by the education intervention.
The NMA CME program is reviewed by the NMA Council on Educational Affairs, consultants, and an external review panel for consistency with ACCME standards and the internal review “report card” committee to determine the NMA CME program quality and continuing professional development improvement in keeping with the NMA Strategic Plan.
Monthly-published peer review journals and NMA-developed consensus reports augment the general NMA CME program. Topics related to the practice of medicine, socioeconomic factors, cultural competency, and health disparities are emphasized to promote health professional performance, competency, and optimal patient outcome.

EXPECTED RESULTS

Assessment of knowledge gaps reduction and satisfaction in our curriculum are included in our mission and used as outcome measures for effectiveness of our CME activities.

In addition, the NMA CME activities are expected to result in the following changes:

• Changes in health professional knowledge, performance and patient outcome.
• Reduction of barriers to NMA membership learning.
• Continued orientation of national legislators to information about health care by the National Medical Association as a part of the NMA CME advocacy for improved health care for patients and the public.
• Continued collaboration with stakeholders by NMA members:
  • Historical Black colleges and hospitals and other colleges and hospitals
  • Clinics, Center for Disease Control, American Cancer Society
• Reduction in national health disparities among AA professionals and patients.
• Increased participation by physicians with other health professionals in education and patient care activities.
• Mentoring of medical students and residents and fellows.
• Increased application of cultural competency in patient care providers and institutions.
• Community education in health care by health professionals.
• Passage of Legislation resulting from advocacy contributions.
• Enrollment of disenfranchised patients in insurances
• Increased Use of informatics.
• Quality improvement in CME services as judged by the Strategic Plan monitors.
• Increased competency in disease management.
• Increased competency in manual health care procedures.
• Increased competency in manual medical technical skills
• Increased competency in clinical assessment