Maintenance of certification: big brother or responsible regulation?
From a beginning of providing continuing education where there was none, the College of Family Physicians of Canada, in 30 years, has created a system of study credits, a certification process, and now a maintenance of certification process individually tailored to the participant's practice. Every five years certificants can identify learning needs, evaulate the results of a pre- and post-test, and structure a program of continuing education to meet specific needs. They are required only to participate-not to reach a predetermined standard. Few other non-punitive methods can be this specific. The Maintenance of Certification Program is a prevention of the Big Brother syndrome, rather than a manifestation of it.
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