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Collaboration Works to Assist Healthcare Professionals Map Continuing Education

A groundbreaking effort is launching that could significantly impact professionals in continuing education in the health professions as well as lead health care organizations who employ certified professionals to become quality care organizations.

Recently the National Commission for Certification of CME Professionals (NC-CME) invited several organizations that had previously never met collectively at the same "table" to discuss collaborative efforts to benefit all the organizations and ultimately the professionals working in continuing education in the health professions.

The organizations represented included the NC-CME, Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions (ACEhp), the Society for Academic Continuing Medical Education (SACME), the Association for Hospital Medical Education (AHME), the Global Alliance for Medical Education (GAME) and the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).

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Understanding EOC vs. Recertification

As many CCMEP cohorts are drawing near certification expiration, questions have arisen as to the difference between Extension of Certification (EOC) and Recertification. The NC-CME website provides details about Initial Certification, EOC and Recertification, but the summary below should be helpful as well.

	Extension of Certification (EOC)	Recertification
Who is it for?	Those whose initial certification is going to expire	All CCMEPs whose EOC or previous recertification is going to expire
When will I be notified about my certificate expiration?	Approximately 3 months prior to your current certificate expiration date	Approximately 3 months prior to your current certificate expiration date
How many additional certification years does it give me?	2 years	3 years
What do I need to do?	Complete the EOC worksheet documenting 12 points of education/experience earned since the most recent certification	Option 1: Complete the CPD Portfolio documenting 10 points; if 10 points cannot be met, you can complete performance scenarios for up to 3 points Option 2: Sit for and pass the current CCMEP exam
When is it due?	At least 1 month prior to current certificate expiration date	Option 1: 1-3 months prior to current certificate expiration date Option 2: 1 month prior to current certificate expiration date
What is the cost?	$275	Option 1: $345 + $50 processing Option 2: $400 + $50 processing

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NC-CME Gets a New Executive Director

Judy Ribble, PhD, CCMEP, Executive Director of the National Commission for Certification of CME Professionals, Inc. (NC-CME) since 2006, will be retiring at the end of January. In recognition of her dedication and commitment to founding a certification program for CME professionals, the NC-CME Board of Directors recently named Judy as Executive Director Emerita. Her successor will be Melinda Steele, M.Ed., CCMEP, FACEHP, President, Confluence Educational Consulting Inc., Lubbock, Texas.

Melinda is a familiar face to everyone in CME and hopes to pick up where Judy is leaving off and take the organization to the next level. Melinda commented, "I'm honored to move in this direction and try to fill some really big shoes". She has been president of SACME and served as Program Chairwoman for the 2012 ACEHP conference. She is also a member of the first class of CCMEPs, June 2008. "Melinda has jumped straight into the role of Executive Director and will transition seamlessly on February 1 during the Alliance conference", stated Judy.

Plan to come and congratulate both Judy and Melinda at the NC-CME Booth-#600 during the break periods at the Conference.

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NC-CME Announces Appointment of Dr. Christopher Viereck to the Board of Directors

The National Commission for Certification of CME Professionals (NC-CME) is pleased to announce that Christopher Viereck, PhD, CCMEP, has been appointed to the Board of Directors. "Dr. Viereck has served NC-CME in important ways," said Dennis Wentz, MD, CCMEP, NC-CME President. "He participated in the Advisory Board Roundtable event in New York City in 2011 and lent his expertise to the Item Writing and Item Validation Teams to help develop Form 3 of the CCMEP exam. We are looking for innovative pathways that will raise the CCMEP credential to new levels, and Dr. Viereck will be at the forefront of that endeavor."

Dr. Viereck is Chief Scientific Officer of Improve CME, LLC, and brings a unique perspective to the Board, based on leadership positions he has held within both the pharmaceutical and medical education sections of the CME enterprise. Former VP of Medical Education at sanofi-aventis, Dr. Viereck also served as clinical research associate, clinical trial study manager, and Global Head of Medical Writing at Merck, sanofi-aventis and Bayer Schering, respectively. He holds a PhD (Magna cum Laude) in developmental neurobiology from the University of Basel, Switzerland and is a regular reviewer for Contemporary Clinical Trials.

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