As I’m sure for most people, this was my first time completing a PI CME, so I found very little to compare it to on the web or even from my colleagues. Actually, most of my colleagues have still not even heard of PI CME requirements or the available options. I completed the Johns Hopkins Patient Safety Performance Improvement (PI) CME Activity. I’ve compiled my thoughts on this activity in hopes others can use this info to decide on their own PI CME choice.
First, if you’re not an AAPA member, purchasing the PI CME alone will make this membership worth its cost. This one was $250 for 20 credits.
I found it a tad annoying to go through and click each individual option on the AAPA website (link) in order to read about each activity. I also found it very confusing as to HOW I actually complete this activity. All of the information about Performance Improvement CMEs imply that you evaluate your practices, make a change to improve them, then evaluate the outcome; but how this is conducted and measured and CME is awarded was very unclear. It turns out that it was an online module-based activity, with 20 modules to compete followed by a final test. You complete all of the material through the Learning Central section of the AAPA website.
When I purchased, there was some sort of glitch (I got a receipt for my credit card transaction, but the charge never went through, as far as I remember). So that was a plus, and I hope that happens for some of you as well!
There were 20 modules to complete. Each one gave you the estimated time to complete and varied from about 0.75 to 1.25hrs, but they often took much less. I’d estimate that the average module took about a half hour. They involve reading, clicking some items at times to move the module along, and videos. There’s a brief 3 or 4 question quiz at the end of each, with no repercussions for wrong answers.
At the end of all 20 modules, there’s a final quiz. You must continue and complete all the modules before you can take the final quiz. You only get 3 TRIES to pass the final quiz. Knowing that was the case, I took notes the entire way through the modules in a Word Document so that I could reference it for the quiz. It turned out that all that extra work was probably unnecessary, as I easily got 100% on the quiz and had to look up maybe 1 single question in my document.