Continuing Medical Education (CME) is a continuing learning process that complements formal undergraduate and postgraduate education and training. It requires practitioners to maintain and improve their standards across all areas of their practice and should also encourage and support specific changes in practice and career development. Practitioners are responsible for keeping themselves up to date in all areas of their practice.
For re-licensing, Council has adopted the following as a minimum:
- Prior to 2015:
- General Practitioners – 20 CME credit hours per year.
- Specialists – 40 CME credit hours per year.
- 2015 and beyond:
- General Practitioners – 15 CME credit hours per year.
- Specialists – 30 CME credit hours per year.
Re-licensing means doctors must show Council that they are up to date and fit to practice medicine. All medical practitioners must complete the prescribed number of hours for continuing medical education (CME) to be eligible for re-licensing and should embrace ethical principles that are fundamental to medical practice. These fundamental principles include but not limited to:
- Respecting all persons whatever their lifestyle, culture, beliefs, ethnic background, ethnic origin, sex, sexuality, disability, age, or social or economic status.
- All persons have the same rights and obligations, and must be treated with compassion and understanding.
- Reduction and elimination of pain and human suffering whenever possible.
- Involve patients in decision-making regarding their health care.
- Ensure confidentiality of patient’s medical information.
- Acknowledging patients’ rights to information and education regarding their health, privacy
- Patients must not be discriminated against because of ethnic background, sex, disability, religion, culture, age, sexuality, or nationality