Office of Aerospace Medicine Technical Reports
FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute
Report No: DOT/FAA/AM-84/7
Title and Subtitle: Efforts to improve aviation medical examiner performance through continuing medical education and annual performance reports
Report Date: August 1984
Authors: Dille JR, Harris JL
Abstract: Continuing medical education (CME) serves to maintain or increase the knowledge, interpretive proficiencies, and technical skills that a physician uses in his/her practice of medicine. Resulting improvement in professional performance is frequently difficult to measure, particularly in aerospace medicine, but CME is required for relicensure and/or or medical society membership in 70% of states.
The Civil Aeromedical Institute first received American Medical Association approval for Category I CME credit for attendance at FAA seminars in January 1973. We began preparing 21-item annual performance reports for each aviation medical examiner (AME) in 1979 to attempt to isolate the causes of, and to reduce, computer rejection of about one-fourth of all medical certification input because of omissions or procedural errors. There was little improvement in error rate through 1982.
We are presently conducting special sessions and open-book tests for new AME's, lecturing to military flight surgeons, and encouraging Regional Flight Surgeons to review reports of physical examinations from new and frequent-error AME's.
Key Words: Aeromedical certification, Aviation medical examiners, Continuing medical education, Performance
No. of Pages: 7
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute
Report No: DOT/FAA/AM-84/7
Title and Subtitle: Efforts to improve aviation medical examiner performance through continuing medical education and annual performance reports
Report Date: August 1984
Authors: Dille JR, Harris JL
Abstract: Continuing medical education (CME) serves to maintain or increase the knowledge, interpretive proficiencies, and technical skills that a physician uses in his/her practice of medicine. Resulting improvement in professional performance is frequently difficult to measure, particularly in aerospace medicine, but CME is required for relicensure and/or or medical society membership in 70% of states.
The Civil Aeromedical Institute first received American Medical Association approval for Category I CME credit for attendance at FAA seminars in January 1973. We began preparing 21-item annual performance reports for each aviation medical examiner (AME) in 1979 to attempt to isolate the causes of, and to reduce, computer rejection of about one-fourth of all medical certification input because of omissions or procedural errors. There was little improvement in error rate through 1982.
We are presently conducting special sessions and open-book tests for new AME's, lecturing to military flight surgeons, and encouraging Regional Flight Surgeons to review reports of physical examinations from new and frequent-error AME's.
Key Words: Aeromedical certification, Aviation medical examiners, Continuing medical education, Performance
No. of Pages: 7
Last updated: Friday, June 1, 2012