Committees

What is the mission of the Continuing Education Committee?

The mission of the Continuing Education Committee is to sponsor and/or promote high quality, multidisciplinary educational opportunities (aside from AACPDM's annual meeting) for healthcare professionals, both Academy members and non-members alike, who serve the developmentally disabled.

What are the Committee’s current aims?

The Committee currently has two main goals: (1) To partner in sponsoring three 1-day multidisciplinary tutorials in different parts of the country which will target Academy members or non-members who serve the unique healthcare needs of the developmentally disabled. (2) To archive on this website and promote audio or video recordings of at least three high quality “Grand Rounds” presentations on various, focused topics which can be accessed by members and non-members alike. These may include highly rated presentations from previous annual meetings or an online journal club/interview with an author of a recently published and noteworthy peer-reviewed scientific article.

What are tutorials?

Tutorials are 1-day multidisciplinary workshops presented by local or regional experts in their given specialties. These individuals may or may not be Academy members. Tutorials are intended for smaller groups of practitioners who live within driving distance of the host site. It is encouraged that a portion of the day will include demonstration, hands-on practice (lab), and/or observation of one or more of the presenter(s) during actual clinical practice. These tutorials are to be spearheaded and coordinated by the local host with the Academy coming alongside of that institution to lend its name, limited financial assistance, and promotion to Academy members and non-members alike.

How are tutorial topics determined?

Tutorial topics as well as the institutions and speakers who deliver them may be recommended by CE committee members, by Academy leadership or by AACPDM members at large. Oftentimes course content may be predetermined by the host site who then retrospectively requests the Academy sponsor their workshop as an AACPDM tutorial. Speakers should be individuals with expertise in the subject matter(s) covered. Academy and CE Committee leadership are most interested in presenters/institutions whose material has a track record of being evidence-based.

Who can attend tutorials?

Tutorials may be attended by Academy members and non-members alike.

What do tutorials cost to attend? Is the cost higher for non-AACPDM members?

The cost is set by the local host and, thus, will vary. However, historically, these have cost as little as $50 for the day. The registration fee is the same for Academy members and non-members alike.

Can I earn continuing education credits for my participation in tutorials?

Possibly. Arrangements may be made by the host institution to provide continuing education credits for those in attendance. If they do not, you may still be able to earn credit by following the requirements spelled out by your individual state licensing board for your discipline.

Is there financial assistance available to speakers/host sites who offer tutorials?

Small grants in the neighborhood of $500 have historically been made available to local hosts to help defray the cost of putting on tutorials. Additional costs may be made up through registration fee set by the host institution.

What are Grand Rounds?

These are 1-hour web-based presentations on focused topics of interest to select sectors of our membership and the healthcare community at large. They are put on by invited experts in their specialty area. These were previously offered as live webinars (later archived), but the lack of flexibility in viewing times generally led to poor attendance during the live event. Thus, these will now be recorded in advance and posted to this website for viewing at listeners' convenience at http://www.aacpdm.org/education/lectures/. Grand Rounds may include highly rated or sold-out sessions offered at a previous AACPDM national meeting. They may also include podcast discussions/interviews with authors of recently published, peer-reviewed scientific papers thought to be of particular significance to our membership. These may be accessed by non-members and members, though non-members may have to pay a small fee to do so.

Can I receive continuing education credits for watching Grand Rounds?

The Academy does not currently have plans to make continuing education credits available for these one-hour seminars. However, members may refer to their individual state licensing boards to determine if credit may be received for watching web-based seminars of this nature and what the process is to apply.

What happened to the monthly one-hour live Grand Rounds webcasts that the Academy previously offered?

These were discontinued by Academy leadership in March 2009 secondary to financial constraints and poor viewership. They are being replaced by less frequent (3 per year) pre-recorded presentations which will be archived for viewing on demand rather than live. Several of the past webcasts which were originally done live are archived on the website for viewing at your convenience at http://www.aacpdm.org/education/lectures/.

Can I suggest ideas or speakers for Tutorials or Grand rounds?

Absolutely. We value your input. Simply e-mail your idea(s) for topics and speakers in 120 words or less to Committee Chair, Mitch Barr, PT at mitchbarr@sbcglobal.net.

How does the Academy finance Grand Rounds and Tutorials?

The Academy currently has $10,000 of a larger grant from Medtronic corporation earmarked, in part, for use in creating two internet-based Grand Rounds seminars relating to spasticity. These funds expire in summer 2010 but may be used for editing and archiving, for instance, material presented at the last annual meeting into a Grand Rounds ready webcast. The Academy leadership will likely seek other similar grants in the future for use in continuing education.

Can I earn continuing education credits for courses I attend at the AACPDM annual meeting?

Yes. CEU/CME credits are available on-site for physicians, as well as physical and occupational therapists. Those individuals from other disciplines can generally earn credit by following the requirements spelled out by your individual state licensing board for your discipline.