Just as healthcare is shaped in part by local influences, so is continuing medical education (CME) affected by issues at the local, state, and regional levels. These factors include the types and distribution of healthcare providers in a particular region, their educational needs and preferences, the local availability of medical education resources, and each state’s own legal, regulatory, and licensure requirements for CME.
To enhance the quality of CME in the locales they serve, CME professionals have formed state and regional organizations (SROs) to provide opportunities for their professional education, networking, and career development. Thanks to the dedicated efforts of many individuals, SROs have grown to include hundreds of CME professionals in dozens of states and Canada. SRO members represent all CME provider groups (eg, hospitals, medical schools, medical education companies) and job responsibilities (eg, leaders, managers, coordinators, administrative support staff). Many SROs include representatives from businesses that support and facilitate the provision of CME (eg, pharmaceutical companies, hotels, publishers, software developers, meeting managers).
SROs present educational meetings and conferences, provide networking opportunities, offer mentoring programs, develop CME tools and resources, conduct research, and deliver recognition awards. While addressing issues and delivering services of interest to all CME providers, SROs often work closely with state medical society CME departments to design educational programs relevant to the needs of state-accredited CME providers.
Administrative structure and constituent demographics vary from one SRO to another. Some have established by-laws and are legally incorporated. Others are more informally organized around a particular project or educational activity. Some have a multi-state constituency. Others focus primarily on the needs of CME professionals within a single state or intra-state region.
However they are organized, all SROs share a commitment to education, collaboration, and professional growth. Given the many challenges in healthcare today, CME professionals appreciate the chance to communicate with colleagues about the challenges they face and the solutions they’ve found. SROs provide this opportunity at the grass roots level.
Click here to send us information about your SRO: how it got started; how it's organized; how it provides value to its constituents.
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