CPD has significantly evolved its operations to support the transition of primarily on-site CPD to virtual learning, increasing access to education and accreditation consultation services. Since March, the CPD Accreditation Team has been providing as many as half-dozen consults each day to Scientific Planning Committees (SPC).
One primary focus area for these consults has been enabling the SPC to identify strategic choices of active learning opportunities in the virtual environment, such as multiple forms of polling, chats, and the thoughtful use of breakout rooms. Another prime area for consultation focuses on continuing the strong collegial collaborations and community of practices that typify CPD activities into the virtual environment. Creating opportunities for sharing and developing mutual supports in addressing challenges facing health providers, their patients and communities is important to all.
Another area of frequent consult is supporting SPCs to develop programs that fully meet accreditation requirements for a virtual program. For example, many consults focus on the retention of the high-quality academic content and integrity while balancing the appropriate acknowledgement of sponsors in a virtual environment. Likewise, as we begin to move away from COVID-specific material which was offered and accredited often at no cost to programs and participants, accreditation consults now often focus on achieving a balance between a registration fee requirement for accredited programming with program fee structures in the virtual environment. As we continue to see, Program Directors, Faculty, Educational Teams, Sponsors, and CPD Participants are turning a challenge amid a crisis into opportunities to build more accessible and more effective CPD.