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Home: CSDMS Resources: CME
CME
It is the goal of the Canadian Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (CSDMS) to promote and provide continuing educational opportunities for all Canadian Sonographers. The CSDMS has instituted a system to grant credits for continuing medical education activities in conjunction with the Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers (SDMS) guidelines. The educational activities that are granted CME credits facilitate the accumulation of credits for both CARDUP and ARDMS purposes. The CSDMS will not grant credits for programs, which have been granted AMA category 1, or SDMS credits.
It is the responsibility of the program coordinator to ensure that the completed application documents and fees are submitted to the CSDMS CME Credit Committee at least 4 weeks prior to the event. Credits WILL NOT BE GRANTED IN RETROSPECT.
The CSDMS will approve credits for the following type of activities:
- National, Regional and Local Seminars
- Ongoing Study Groups and Rounds
- Clinical Teaching
- Commercially Sponsored Events
- Video and Audio Tapes
- Correspondance Courses
- Lectures and Authors
The Educational activity must provide information, which is current and relevant to the practice of Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound.
Lectures: 1 credit is given per hour of instruction.
Audio and Video Tapes: Tapes must be less than 10 years old. The producers of the tapes should apply for credits. Commercial tapes on Knobology will not be credited.
Correspondence Courses: Correspondence Courses must be geared to Sonographers. Courses of an introductory nature will not be credited.
Lectures/ Authors: Lectures will receive 3 credit hours for each hour of presentation within a program already credited by the CSDMS/SDMS. Authors will receive 3 credit hours for each article written for a scientific journal. Lecturers and authors must make their own application within 90 days of the event. A nominal $25.00 processing fee is required.
Hands-on and Demonstration Sessions: Credits will only be granted for hands on sessions if they are a part of an activity, which also includes lecture format. These are credited at 1 credit per 2 hours of hands on time. Those sessions, which are purely demonstration, will be credited at 1 hour per hour of demonstration.
General Information
- Application for CSDMS CME credits must be submitted with the required documentation, and the applicable processing fee. Proof of a current and valid CSDMS membership (photocopy of membership card) is required in order to use the members' discounted rate. The application fee is found on the application form provided. A cheque or money order for the full amount made out to the CSDMS must accompany the application. This fee is non-refundable.
- If a CME activity will be offered in multiple formats ie. Print and web-based, each format requires separate application.
- Incomplete or illegible application forms will not be processed and will be returned to the program director for completion.
- Application and documentation must be received prior to the scheduled CME activity.
- Applications submitted after the CME activity has taken place will not be accepted.
- Retroactive CSDMS CME credit will not be granted.
- Allow 4 weeks for application processing. The program director will be sent written notification of credit approval.
- All approved CME activities are awarded CME credit for one year from the date of approval. An approved activity can be offered at multiple times during the approval period. (Exception: a one-time seminar is approved only for the specific date(s) of the seminar).
- An application, required documentation and processing fee must be submitted to the CSDMS Continuing Education Committee six weeks prior to the expiration date of the current CME approval. All CME activities must be renewed on an annual basis. Failure to provide post activity documentation may result in the revoking of credits for your program or denial of re-application.
- The program director is responsible for submitting the initial and renewal application forms. The CSDMS does not send renewal notifications.
It is the responsibility of the program coordinator to:
- Submit to the CME committee a complete participant list including:
- their names and CARDUP and/or ARDMS registry numbers.
- the number of credits issued to each person. For on going programs this may be done monthly, quarterly, semi annually or annually.
- On going programs must submit to the CME Committee a list of speakers and their credentials, topics and the dates given. (monthly, quarterly, semi annually or annually).
- Ensure evaluations are provided for the participants to complete at the conclusion of the CME activity.
- The program coordinator is not required to submit the evaluation summary to CSDMS. However, the CSDMS Continuing Education Committee reserves the right to request the evaluation summary in the event questions arise about any activity approved for credit.
- Ensure each participant receives a CME Certificate within one month of the event. These certificates must contain the following information:
- Provider's name
- Participants name
- Title of the CME activity (please make sure that the title matches the title indicated on the application)
- Date of attendance
- Number of CME credits awarded (1CREDIT FOR EACH HOUR EDUCATION)
- CSDMS CME file number
- Signature of the program coordinator. The person signing the documentation is verifying that all the information is accurate.
- It is the responsibility of each attendant to submit their CME certificate to CARDUP and/or the ARDMS.
- Maintain all records of attendance and number of credits granted for three (3) years.
- Refer to the CSDMS CME file number on all correspondence.
- For ongoing programs a new application must be made each year. To ensure continuous coverage this should be done before the current CME file expires.
- CME NUMBERS ARE VALID FOR A PERIOD OF ONE YEAR- PLEASE DO NOT ISSUE CERTIFICATES WITH A CME NUMBER THAT HAS EXPIRED
Lectures / Authors
Lectures will receive 3 credit hours for each hour of presentation within a program already credited by the CSDMS/SDMS. Authors will receive 3 credit hours for each article written for a scientific journal. Lecturers and authors must make their own application within 90 days of the event. A nominal $25.00 processing fee is required.
OnGoing Study Groups and Rounds:
This is an educational activity sponsored by a specific institution (ie. hospital, medical/imaging centre, clinic or physicians office) to provide continuing education for it's employees who are directly involved in the practice of sonography.
The study group must have a program director or co-ordinator.
Meetings over 2 hours in length are considered seminars and require a separate application.
Approval will be granted for a period of one year. The program director is responsible for submitting the initial and renewal application.
The CSDMS does not send renewal notifications.
Credits are issued on the basis of one credit for each hour of education. The program coordinator must submit:
- A list of topics and speakers (if known in advance)
- A completed application form with the appropriate fee, please quote your CME number on all correspondence.
These must be submitted at least 4 weeks prior to your scheduled activity, as retroactive credits will NOT be granted
Post-Meeting Documentation:
- The program coordinator provides a certificate of completion to each participant.
- Please ensure that your participant understands that it is their responsibility to submit these certificates to the ARDMS and/or CARDUP.
- At the end of your program you must submit to the CSDMS CME committee the following information:
- The date, topic and speaker of each session and the number of credits assigned to that session
- The total number of credits that you have issued to your activity for the year
ie. 15 meetings, each 1 hour = 15 credits
- A roster including the participants names, CARDUP/ARDMS number for each session and
- Yearly total of credits issued to each participant
- Evaluation forms and summaries need no longer be sent to the CSDMS CME committee. However these must be retained on file for a period of 3 years.
Issuing more credits than applied for or than approved by the CSDMS will result in revocation of CME approval. The application fee is based on the number of approved CSDMS CME credits issued per year. Failure to provide post activity documentation may result in the revocation of credits for your program or denial of re-application.
National, Regional and Local Seminars / Conferences:
These are educational activities consisting of one or more lectures or presentations. The terms seminar, conference, meeting and program are used interchangeably
Classifications:
One-time: a seminar conducted within a specified time frame and offered one time
Multiple offerings: seminar presented multiple times within the CSDMS CME approval period.
Guidelines:
- Credits are given for actual educational time. Registration, introductions, meals and breaks are not calculated in this time.
- Time spent on hands-on scanning or equipment demonstration is calculated as follows two (2) hours equal one (1) CME credit
- If the content or length of the seminar changes, submit these changes to the CSDMS CME committee.
- The sequence in which the contents of a seminar are presented can be altered/revised as long as the content and the length of the seminar remains the same.
- If there is a change/replacement in faculty, submit the revised faculty documentation to the CME committee.
APPLICATION PROCEDURES: The program director submits:
- the application form, appropriate fees and proof of CSDMS membership (photocopy of membership card if applying for the reduced membership rate).
- times- agenda/ schedule if the seminar is more than 2 hours in length. The schedule must be consistent with the number of CME credit requested
POST MEETING DOCUMENTATION:
Each participant is issued a certificate of completion.
With in 60 days after the seminar, the program director submits the CSDMS participant roster; the roster must include the participants' full name, CARDUP and/or ARDMS registry number, and the number of CSDMS CME credits awarded.
Please quote your CSDMS CME number and affiliate number on all correspondence.
Please allow 6 week for processing of your application.
Policy and Procedures for Clinical Instructors Receiving CME Credits
POLICY:
Sonographers actively involved in the clinical teaching of students enrolled in a recognized Sonography program (a formal, accredited or non-accredited program in Canada), will be awarded with continuing medical education (cme) credits.
OBJECTIVES:
- To encourage more Sonographers to become involved in the clinical teaching of students enrolled in recognized programs.
- To promote greater involvement of those Sonographers who are involved in clinical training.
- To award the efforts of those Sonographers in a practical way by granting them CME credits. It is realized that these Sonographers often receive no financial or other incentives.
PROCEDURE:
- Program directors of recognized programs in Canada are eligible to apply for this benefit, on behalf of their clinical instructors, on a yearly basis.
- The standard CME application and corresponding fee must be submitted to the CME committee of the CSDMS.
- The program director would apply under the category of clinical teaching on the CME form.
- Once approved by the CME committee, the program director would distribute pocket cards or the sheet form to the clinical instructors in his/her program.
- A student who receives four (4) hours of clinical teaching (refer to the description at the bottom) will verify by signature on the card that they have received actual instruction in that time period. Each four hour segment will count as one (1) CME credit.
- Once completed, the card is returned to the program director who will send the cards to the head office of the CSDMS. The Executive Director will issue CME certificates to the clinical instructors.
- The maximum number of credits that will be awarded yearly will be five (5). Instructors will still be required to attend other forms of continuing education to maintain their active status.
GUIDELINES:
Clinical teaching will encompass those cases where the Sonographer observes and gives technical tips and suggestions while the student scans all or part of the examination. The Sonographer then reviews the images after the case and discusses anatomy, pathology, pathophysiology, technique, differential diagnosis, expected clincal signs and/or lab findings. Information will be looked up by both Sonographers and student and discussed re:pathology, anatomy etc. In a situation where a student merely watches a Sonographer scan or one who does so without the direct supervision of a Sonographer does not follow the above criteria and will not be considered applicable for CME credits.
Other Forms
* Handwritten information is not acceptable for those forms
Participant Roster (Word)
Coordinator Responsibility information (Word)
CME Certificate (Word)
Evaluation Form (Word)
Speaker Information Form (Word)
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