Purpose

The University of Tennessee College of Medicine (UTCOM) is committed to improving patient care outcomes for the citizens of Tennessee through continuing medical education efforts that promote lifelong learning for physicians. UTCOM continuing medical education activities will assist physicians in increasing their knowledge and skills to enable measurable results to occur in competence, performance, and patient care outcomes.

Content Areas

UTCOM has established a framework for continuing medical education based on the core competencies established by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) in its Maintenance of Certification (MOC) efforts. Those competencies include patient care, medical knowledge, practice-based learning and improvement, interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, and systems-based practice. In addition, content is drawn from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Aims including patient care that is safe, effective, patient-centered, timely, efficient, and equitable.

Target Audience

The primary audience of the UTCOM includes its faculty, the medical staffs of its affiliated teaching hospitals, the physicians of Tennessee, and other health care professionals. Beyond its primary audience, the UTCOM plans and conducts continuing medical education activities that attract participants on a regional and national level.

Types of Activities

UTCOM provides a variety of continuing medical education opportunities ranging from primary care to sub-specialty courses, seminars, regularly scheduled series, enduring materials, and performance improvement projects. The educational design and method for each continuing medical education activity is determined by the identified practice gap, content and instructional strategy, and expected results.

Expected Results

The UTCOM accredited program of continuing medical education is focused on fulfilling its mission of improving patient care outcomes for the citizens of Tennessee. While relying on a framework established by the ACGME, ABMS, and IOM, continuing medical education activities are expected to produce measurable results in physician competence, performance, and patient care outcomes. The University of Tennessee College of Medicine recognizes that some outcomes are immediately measurable, while others result from repeated, long-range educational interventions by multiple sources.