Educational activities, which serve to maintain, develop, or increase the knowledge, skills and professional performance and relationships a physician uses to provide services for patients, the public and the profession. The content of CME is the body of knowledge and skills generally recognized and accepted by the profession as within the basic medical sciences, the discipline of clinical medicine and the provision of healthy care to the public. (AMA).

IT IS IMPORTANT THAT:-

A physician shall continue to study, apply, and advance scientific knowledge, maintain a commitment to medical education, make relevant information available to patients, colleagues, and the public, obtain consultation, and use the talents of other health professionals when indicated.

All CME providers must ensure the content of the educational activities is accurate, current and objectively presented. Educational needs should guide activities and the development of their purpose and/or learning objectives.

These needs may be driven and defined by individual physicians, groups of physicians and/or outside organizations.
Non-clinical subjects (e.g. office management or physician-patient communication) may also be considered for CME credits.

CME activities may include the explaining of complementary and alternative health care practices. These will however, need to include discussion of the existing level of scientific evidence that supports the practices. Education that advocates specific alternative therapies or teaches hot to perform associated procedures, without scientific evidence or general acceptance among the profession that supports their efficacy and safety, will not be accepted for CME credits.

Activities that are designated to as acceptable for CME credits by the Medical Council of Guyana will meet the following criteria:-

• Confirm to the definition of a CME activity.

• Present content appropriate in depth and scope for a physician audience.

• Should not be promotional in nature and not provide financial gain for the presenter (s).

• Address demonstrated educational needs.

• Communicate a clearly identified educational purpose and/or objective.

• Use learning methodologies and format(s) appropriate to the activity’s educational purpose and/or objective.

• Use evaluation mechanisms to assess an activity’s quality and relevance to its purpose and/or objectives.

• Include a means of the provider to record the actual credits claimed by each physician participant.

• Activities shall not be retroactively designated for CME credits.

• Learner participants shall be awarded 1 CME credit for 60 minutes of physician participation. This will include the actual lecture or presentation and the question and answer period.
• Faculty or teaching staff shall be awarded 2 CME credits for 60 minutes of live presentation at a live activity designated for such credits. This will include the actual lecture or presentation and the question and answer period.
• Credits can only be claimed once. Repeat performances by faculty or learner participants shall be credited again.
• 0,5 or 0,25 credits shall not be issued or accepted by the  Medical Council of Guyna for CME credits.
• Two activities/lectures however that qualify in the content as a CME activity and together make up the 60 minutes shall be treated as a single CME credit.
• The  Medical Council of Guyna shall not accept Journal-based CME activities as valid for CME credit. The review of manuscripts and Internet point of care learning activities shall also not be considered for CME credits by the  Medical Council of Guyana.

The provider shall first ensure that the activity meets all of the criteria outlined in the designation of CME credits .

An application for CME credits shall be sent to the Medical Council of Guyana's CME subcommittee at least 2 weeks in advance of the scheduled activity.

The application shall include the following

• Name of the provider.
• Name, qualification and curriculum vitae of the presenter(s).
• Address of the intended activity.
• The date of the intended activity.
• An outline of the learning objectives and purpose of the activity.
• Scientific data where necessary to support the claims of the activity.
• The number of credits requested.
• Method of recording participating physicians. 

It is important to note that the list of persons attending should be submitted to the secretary of the Medical Council of Guyana at least 14 days after the activity.

Where the decision of the Medical Council of Guyana CME subcommittee is deemed unacceptable to a provider, an appeal can be made to the Medical Council of Guyana through the Chairman.

The decision of the council shall be considered final in all appeals.

Download the CME guidelines here.