In concert with the University of California, Davis Health System mission of discovering and sharing knowledge to advance health, the continuing medical education mission focuses on the lifelong learning commitments of physicians who practice in the health system and in the greater Northern California region. UC Davis CME is at the nexus between scientific discovery and its translation to practice with a commitment to provide a variety of educational formats for evidence-based education that fulfills identified needs and produces changes in physician practice resulting in improved competence, performance and/or patient care. With an emphasis on multidisciplinary programs, content is based on competencies and bona fide needs assessments as well as clinical requirements. The CME Advisory Committee reviews the content and quality of CME offerings in accordance with the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education’s Essential Areas and Their Elements and the American Medical Association’s Physician Recognition Award accredited provider information.

Under the auspices of the UC Davis School of Medicine Academic Senate, the UC Davis Health System CME program is overseen by the CME Advisory Committee. The committee reviews the content and quality of CME offerings in accordance with the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education’s Essential Areas and their elements and the American Medical Association’s Physician Recognition Award accredited provider information.

The Office of Continuing Medical Education provides educational activities based on competencies related to the spectrum of clinical medicine, medical research and medical education. Activities may be organized around specific medical specialties or subspecialties, disease processes or public health topics, research findings or research methodologies, changes in the health care delivery system, and/or theories, techniques and technologies that improve the quality of medical education. With an emphasis on multidisciplinary programs, the content of CME is based on bona fide needs assessments and the clinical requirements of departments within the UC Davis Health System. As the leading academic health care provider in the region north of San Francisco to the Oregon border, special emphasis is given to the unique needs of remote and rural physicians and their patients.

Target audiences include physicians from:

• the university and health system
• Sacramento and the Northern California region
• regional affiliated and non-affiliated hospitals and medical centers
• other states and foreign countries as appropriate for activity topics and locations

Although CME activities are developed specifically for physicians, certain activities will be of value to other health care professionals including physician assistants, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, psychologists and others. Moreover, in recognition of the continuum of medical education, medical students and residents are welcome at educational activities.

The Office of Continuing Medical Education provides various types of educational activities. Collaboration is encouraged to involve members of like-minded organizations in the planning process with UC Davis faculty course chairs. The OCME is authorized to partner and jointly sponsor CME activities with other non-ACCME accredited, non-commercial support organizations whose missions and values are consistent with those of the UC Davis Health System.   

Live Activities

• Live courses consist of single- and multiple-day conferences, seminars, symposia, review courses and updates with educational formats, techniques and tools oriented to the needs of adult learners.
• Interactions between educators and participants are encouraged through case presentations, speaker panel discussions with question and answer sessions, audience response system technology to involve participants and document learning, breakout sessions with specialty tracks and hands-on laboratory sessions.
• Faculty may be on site or available via web site or audio conference. The venues for these activities include UC Davis Health System facilities, community facilities at other hospitals, hotels and conference centers, and the premises of individual participants.
• Live teleconferences are transmitted to multiple sites allowing participants from rural areas to interact with faculty.

Regularly Scheduled Series
Grand rounds, tumor boards, journal clubs and case presentations are offered in multiple clinical disciplines and locations. 
Selected sessions are teleconferenced to support health care professionals in rural communities.

Clinical Traineeships
Small group and/or individualized clinical training is available in certain subspecialties.

Enduring Materials
Enduring materials are offered in a variety of formats including DVD, MP3, CD-ROM, audiotape, newsletter, journal and internet activity enduring materials (videotaped live activities).

As a result of these educational activities, the UC Davis Health System fosters the continuing professional development of health professionals. The program strengthens the reputation of the UC Davis Health System through the quality, scope, and diversity of its educational activities. Detailed program evaluations, participant surveys, and CQI results extract improved physician performance leading to improved patient outcomes enabling achievement of excellence in teaching, research, and patient care.

Assessment tools are selected based upon the educational intervention, individual learning objectives, and available resources.  The results of CME activities sponsored by OCME are assessed as follows:
Live Activities: satisfaction, pre- and post-activity knowledge assessment, and self-reported change in behavior
Regularly Scheduled Sessions: satisfaction, pre- and post-activity knowledge assessment, and self-reported change in behavior
Clinical Traineeships: comprehensive assessments based upon data obtained from testing, chart-stimulated recall, test-stimulated discussion, medical record review, objective-structured clinical examination, multiple choice tests, and/or clinical judgment analysis
Enduring Materials: satisfaction, post-activity knowledge assessment, and self-reported change in behavior.