Introduction to Online CME

• Bernard M Sklar, M.D., M.S.

• bersklar@netcantina.com
• February 2003
 What is Online CME?

• Online CME is a way to earn CME credits,

over the Internet, using your computer,
from home or office
What do I need to get Started?

• A computer
• Internet connection (faster is better)
• Speakers connected to computer
• Printer connected to computer
What are the types of instruction I
may find in Online CME?
• Simple Text or Text-and-graphics (like
reading a textbook or journal)
• Slide-audio or slide-video lectures (like
being at a lecture)
• Case-based interactive (like treating a
“real” patient); you get to make choices
according to the clinical presentation
 More instruction Types of Online
CME
• Quiz questions and answers (the program asks
you a question, waits for your answer, then
gives you explanations and information based on
your answer)
• Games (like golf, where you gain or lose points
for your answers)
• Correspondence courses (a group of doctors
study material and correspond with each other
by email)
 How much does Online CME cost?

• Surprisingly inexpensive!
• There are more than 2000 hours of Online
CME available without charge
• Another 16,000 hours cost $5 to $15 per
hour
• A small minority of credits costs more than
$15 per credit-hour
 Don’t Worry

• Don’t be concerned about “visiting” an

Online CME web site
• There is almost never any fee to look at
the site or the list of courses
• You will, however, usually be asked to
give some basic information about
yourself and to choose a user name and
password before going too far
 Why should I bother?

• “I get all the CME I need at live meetings”

• “Why should I bother doing it at the
computer?”
• BECAUSE…
 Why you should bother

• …Online CME is always there, waiting for

you, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at
home or at the office
• You can proceed at your own speed
• No travel costs
• Very inexpensive
 Is it hard to do Online CME?

• No!!
• If you have basic internet skills, such as
pointing and clicking, going forward and
back in your browser and two-finger
typing, you will do just fine
How do I find the CME courses that
I want to look at?
• This can be a problem, especially at first,
because there are more than 200 web
sites offering more than 10,000 activities
and more than 19,000 credit hours
• There is no ONE place on the Internet
which will show you exactly the instruction
you want.
• HOWEVER….
How do I find the CME courses that
I want to look at?
• ...a good way to start is at the
• Annotated List of Online CME,
www.cmelist.com/list.htm
• Choose your area of interest or medical
specialty
• And choose from the sites or courses that
seem to be of interest
 Family Practice

• A family doctor might start at the

Family Practice Section of the CME List, and
go from there to the
• American Academy of Family Physicians
site or to
• FamilyPractice.com, sponsored by the
American Board of Family Practice
 Internist

• An internist might start at the

Internal Medicine section of the Online
CME List, and go from there to
• Clinical Problem Solving Cases, sponsored
by ACP/ASIM, or to
• Johns Hopkins Advanced Studies in Medici
ne
 Cardiologist

• A cardiologist could start at the

Cardiology section of the Online CME List
and go to
• CardioVillage (University of Virginia) or
• Baylor University’s extensive list of
cardiology offerings
 Other Specialties

• You will find courses in 25 specialty areas,

from Allergy to Urology, linked from the
main page of the
• Annotated List of Online CME
Finding Online CME - Medscape
• Visit Medscape, and register
• Registration is unobtrusive and easy
• Each time you re-visit Medscape, you will automatically
go to your specialty area
• Medscape has about 150 CME courses at any one time;
most offer 1.5 free credit hours; most are text or slide-
audio lectures
• You can search Medscape by keyword for CME subjects
of interest to you
• With your permission, Medscape will send you periodic
emails about CME courses that may interest you
Finding Online CME – DocGuide
• Visit Doctor’s Guide and register
• As with Medscape, you can set up a home page for your
specialty and receive emails about courses of interest
• You can search for courses by medical topic
• About 1000 courses are currently described
• The CME courses you find are not produced by
DocGuide. However DocGuide gives you enough
information to help you decide whether to visit the
course. When you visit the new site, you may have to
register again and pay for CME credit
 Finding Online CME – CE Medicus

• CE Medicus offers access and free CME credit to

about 450 online CME activities created by six
CME providers
• You can search by medical keyword for courses
of interest
• You need to register only once
• CE Medicus will also keep track of all your CME
requirements and all your CME activities if you
wish
 Finding Online CME – Other Sites
with Search Engines
• cmecourses (Healthstrea • Pulmonary and Critical
m) Care Update
• CME web • RSNA Link
• Moffitt Cancer Network • Thyroid Disease Manager
• NEJM Weekly CME • University of Alabama
Program
• World Medical Leaders
• Postgraduate Medicine
• psychLINK
 What do I do now?

• Visit The List of Online CME or

• Medscape or
• Doctor’s Guide or
• CE Medicus or
• Your specialty society website or
• Any online CME site you may heard of,
and have a look.
 Questions/Comments?

• Contact Bernard Sklar, MD, MS at

• bersklar@netcantina.com
• Or visit
• www.cmelist.com