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(Pediatrics in Review. 2007;28:e23-e29.)
© 2007 American Academy of Pediatrics

Learning in Practice and Maintaining Certification in Pediatrics

Terry Kind, MD, MPH^*
John T. Benjamin, MD
John Parboosingh, MD
Edward Rothstein, MD
Robert Perelman, MD^**
Mary Carol Badat, MAdEd^**
Henry Bernstein, DO

^* Children's National Medical Center, Division of General Pediatrics & Community Health, Washington, DC
Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC
Office of Professional Development, Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Pennridge Pediatric Associates, Sellersville, Pa
^** American Academy of Pediatrics, Elk Grove Village, Ill
Dartmouth Medical School, Children's Hospital at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH

	Introduction

 
As the 21st century unfolds, a broader, more comprehensive program for maintaining certification has been created for pediatricians that includes the concept of lifelong learning with dynamic self-assessments in a clinical context. (1) It is called the Program for Maintenance of Certification in Pediatrics (PMCP®), and pediatricians will be asked by the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) to comply with all of the specific requirements of this program starting in 2010. (2)

Pediatricians can work toward meeting the requirements for maintaining certification through their learning in practice. Questions arise every day in clinical practice that should stimulate learning and foster professional development. (3) These questions establish a basis for personal learning, which benefits the practitioner while ultimately improving patient care. Adult learners each bring different experiences and motivations to their professional development needs and create their own blend of lifelong learning opportunities and preferences.

The purpose of this article is to explore the evolution and importance of the concept of self-directed continuous professional development (CPD) and the link to maintenance of certification (MOC) as it fits within the context of real-time clinical pediatric practice.

	Adult Learning and a Shift to CPD

 
Although physicians enter and complete medical school during a finite time period, they continue as students of medicine throughout their careers. (4) In a study of medical oaths from the first century to present day, fewer than half of those analyzed included a commitment to lifelong learning, and most that did incorporate this commitment were not emphasized in medical schools. (5) The recent calls for reform in the certification process and the shift from continuing medical education (CME) to CPD are driven by a need for lifelong learning as well as the importance of factors such as patient safety, clinician professionalism, and ensuring clinical competence. (. . . [Full Text of this Article]