Free CME

After completing Scope of Pain: Safe & Competent Opioid Prescribing Education, you will be able to:
• Discuss prevalence of chronic pain in the US
• Discuss prevalence of the use and misuse of opioid analgesics
• Describe the pharmacology, efficacy and safety of opioid analgesics
• Describe the components of a thorough opioid misuse risk assessment for a potential candidate for chronic opioid therapy
• Describe universal precautions and their role in chronic opioid therapy
• Describe monitoring and documentation strategies for chronic opioid therapy
• Describe initiating opioid therapy
• Apply counseling and communication strategies to ensure appropriate and safe use of opioid medications
• Assess differential diagnosis for aberrant medication taking behavior – Pain relief vs drug seeking

Target Audience: Physicians focusing on Pain Management

Over 125 text-only courses in a comprehensive variety of hematology and oncology areas. Some recent topics are:
• Comparative Effectiveness Research in Oncology
• Oncology Comparative Effectiveness Research: A Multi-Stakeholder Perspective on Principles for Conduct and Reporting
• Progress in the biological understanding and management of breast cancer associated CNS metastases
• Multicenter Italian Experience in Liver Transplantation for Hepatocellular Carcinoma in HIV Infected Patients
• Prospective Head and Neck Cancer Research: a Four-Decade Bibliometric Perspective
• Role of Postoperative Vitamin D and/or Calcium Routine Supplementation in Preventing Hypocalcemia After Thyroidectomy

Target Audiences: Hematologists, Oncologists

South Texas Regional Family Medicine Grand Rounds is a weekly CME program that is directed by the Department of Family & Community Medicine in partnership with the South Central Area Health Education Center (AHEC). Grand Rounds is presented live in each week and then archived for later viewing.

Some recent lectures are:
• Multiple Sclerosis: Management in Primary Care
• Diabetes Therapy and Drug Selection
• Bone Tumors
• Warfarin vs. New Anticoagulants
• Age-related Osteoporosis: A primary care health problem

Target Audiences:
Physicians specializing in Family Medicine

Southern Medical Journal offers many CME courses offering a range of CME credits.

Topics covered include:
Vaccines, Obesity, Personality Disorders, Hypertension, HIV/AIDS, Osteoperosis, and many more.

Target Audience: Multiple Specialties

This site contains various CME activities including:
Archived Symposias, Cardiology Grand Rounds, presentations on Ethics, sessions on Heart Sounds, Echocardiography, Sleep Apnea, and more.

Target Audience:
Physicians specializing in Cardiology, Thoracic Surgery, and Vascular Surgery.

There is a huge quantity of CME material in varying formats.

This includes:
• Classes (Interactive presentations that allow you to learn at your own pace);
• Lectures (with slide presentations).
• CME From The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry (each activity includes multiple articles).
• CME From The Primary Care Companion (each activity from includes a PDF of one or more articles).
• Supplements to The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry (most offer CME credit).
• Supplements to The Primary Care Companion (offer CME credit, and the full text is available free online).

Target Audience: Psychiatrists

Online Surgery Grand Rounds are offered weekly from September through May each year. Some recent lectures are:
• Clinical and Personal Effectiveness
• Unsafe, Effective, or Close Enough? Demystifying FDA Medical Device Regulation
• Mentoring in the Clinical Years: From Fostering Interest to Ensuring a Successful Match
• Experimental and Clinical Craniofacial Transplantation
• Surviving Sepsis Campaign 2012: An Update

Target Audience: Surgeons

This site features “updates on new issues in cross-sectional imaging and…interactive reviews of illustrative cases of important findings commonly encountered in everyday radiology practice.”

Examples of courses include:
• MRI and CT Imaging of Brain Trauma
• 8 Years of QA: A Compilation of Frequent Misses and Misinterpretations in Cross-sectional Imaging
• Pelvic Trauma: Bone and Soft Tissue Imaging
• Radiology of the Post-Breast Cancer Patient
• MRI Evaluation of Osteochondral Lesions and Osteomyelitis
• Landmarks of Cortical Neuroanatomy

Target Audience: Radiologists

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online, self-learning activity:

Insomnia is characterized by the dissatisfaction of sleep quality or quantity characterized by having difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, waking too early, or a combination of these. It is the most common general complaint in medical practice, and it is designated chronic if the condition persists for three months, despite the opportunity for sleep or eradication of external stimulus.Insomnia affects people of all ages, though the likelihood of developing insomnia increases with age: one-third of the adult population reports having been affected by at least one symptom of insomnia. Several factors may contribute to the condition. Poor sleep may develop spontaneously, be influenced by genetics, occur in response to stress or other psychological triggers, arise due to endogenous neurochemical dysregulation, or a combination of any of those factors. Insomnia puts patients at a higher risk of developing mood disorders such as anxiety and depression, and cardiovascular disease. The condition is liable for patients spending $2,000 per year and the U.S. $63 billion annually, encompassing the cost of reduced productivity – including absences, work-related accidents, and health care resources.

Target Audience:

The following HCPs: neurologists, psychiatrists, sleep medicine specialists, and primary care physicians; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists who practice in the aforementioned areas of specialty; and those who otherwise have an interest in or commonly care for or clinically encounter patients with chronic insomnia.

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online, self-learning activity:

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the most common monogenic blood disorder, affecting millions of people worldwide and approximately 100,000 Americans. Although it may be found in various areas of the world, SCD predominantly affects individuals of African or Hispanic heritage. It is caused by the inheritance of b-globin alleles that code for hemoglobin S, resulting in an amino acid substitution in hemoglobin’s b chain and clinical disease. Patients with SCD have impaired circulation, and lysis of the erythrocytes contributes to a chronic inflammatory response, causing severe pain and less efficient oxygen delivery. The hallmark clinical features of SCD are hemolytic anemia and painful vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs), which may lead to emergency department visits, hospitalization, and potentially fatal complications such as acute chest syndrome, stroke, or pneumonia.

Target Audience:

The following HCPs: hematologists and primary care physicians; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, and pharmacists who specialize in the aforementioned areas of specialty; and any other HCPs with an interest in or who may clinically encounter patients with SCD.