Office of Continuing Medical Education

About Baylor CME

Baylor College of Medicine is dedicated to the promotion of excellence in education, research, and patient care. Baylor recognizes its responsibility to promote lifelong learning through the provision of educational experiences for physicians and other health professionals that enhance and expand medical knowledge and skills to improve health care services. Baylor College of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to sponsor continuing medical education for physicians.

The Office of Continuing Medical Education (OCME), part of the Center for Collaborative & Interactive Technologies, oversees all CME activities at Baylor. The OCME strives to respond to the educational needs of physicians by identifying factors that impact the practice of medicine-new technologies, devices, therapeutic drugs, and other scientific advances in medicine; practice guidelines; changing health policies and regulations; and changing health care delivery systems. To achieve this goal, OCME takes a proactive approach in its efforts to add, enhance, or expand activities and to develop new educational strategies and information technologies for delivering CME.

The OCME is a resource and service center. Part of its mission is to sponsor varied learning opportunities for medical professionals. Educational formats include:

• Live activities/courses (conferences, colloquia, review courses, seminars, symposia, workshops)
• Regularly scheduled conferences (grand rounds, tumor boards, case conferences)
• Enduring materials (CD-ROMs, audio/video tapes, monographs)
• Internet-based enduring materials

The OCME is responsible for ensuring that every activity sponsored by Baylor adheres to the ACCME Essential Areas & Elements, including the Standards for Commercial Support. The OCME is the primary liaison between Baylor faculty, pharmaceutical, and medical supply companies, and other entities that wish to support activities financially through educational grants and in-kind contributions.

As an accredited CME provider, Baylor can designate a CME activity for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)^TM. In addition, the OCME can arrange to provide other types of continuing education credit for health professionals, e.g., nurses and pharmacists, obtained from specialty societies and professional organizations. The OCME also will participate as a joint sponsor with non-accredited entities outside of the College where Baylor faculty members have significant involvement.

The OCME works closely with activity directors in planning (including needs assessment and development of educational objectives), implementing, and evaluating CME activities. In addition, the OCME provides support services such as:

• Selection of meeting site and scheduling
• Catering/social function arrangements
• Preparation of promotional materials (design, printing, distribution)
• Compilation of course materials
• Processing registrations
• A/V arrangements
• Facility set-up and on-site supervision
• Preparation of financial accounting records (budget projections and financial account close-out)
• Issuing credit certificates
• Maintenance of required documentation
• Management of educational grants

The CME Standing Committee, comprised of Baylor administrators, academic and clinical faculty, and staff, serves as an advisory council to the Senior Associate Dean for Continuing Medical Education. Committee members formulate operational policies and procedures, develop activities, participate in long and short-term strategic planning efforts, assist in CME evaluation, and monitor the quality of Baylor-sponsored activities.