Continuing Education in Healthcare Professionals

The Institute of Medicine, a branch of the National Academy of Sciences, is conducting an assessment of the idea of developing a national institute devoted to the continuing education of healthcare professionals. The establishment of such an institute was recommended by participants at the recent Macy Conference on Continuing Education in the Health Professionals. This study is following the established IOM format in which a 14-member committee — with representatives from academic medicine, health professions education, nursing, accreditation, information technology, education theory, and health economics — hold three meetings in Washington, D.C., and then issue a peer reviewed report based on their findings and recommendations. IOM staff member Samantha Chao, M.P.H. heads the study. The Macy Foundation awarded a grant of $428,177 for the project, which is due to be completed March 2010.

This study will benefit from the work of two other Macy-funded continuing education projects.