Continuing Education and Quality Improvement
For years employers in many sectors, including healthcare, have offered funding for continuing education as an employment “benefit.” When graduates of our post-doctoral fellowship in primary care psychology and medical education interview, they are usually offered a professional allowance of $4,000 - $8,000 that can be used to cover the costs of enrolling in continuing education courses. Most institutions do not specify which learning opportunities qualify for reimbursement, nor do they police the courses in which their employees enroll. As healthcare increasingly focuses on quality of care, there are good reasons to think about this investment!
The science of continuing education has improved. We have a clearer understanding of the training required to build provider’s clinical skills. These innovative approaches are different from trainings that simply help people develop knowledge. Consider the difference between learning to pass a test on the history of piano music and how this is different than actually learning to play the piano. Many continuing education activities for clinicians simply impart knowledge, they do not help build skills.
The CIPC’s Certificate of Intensive Training in Motivational Interviewing course is designed to build skills. This distinction is highly relevant for healthcare systems operating under new performance-based payment programs. Under these programs it is important for clinicians to have the skills to deliver evidence-based, patient-centered care.
The CIPC offers courses that help providers learn and apply new skills. Our Certificate of Intensive Training in Motivational Interviewing helps providers increase patients’ engagement in their own care, particularly those struggling with substance use disorders. Behavioral health providers who take our Certificate in Primary Care Behavioral Health course develop the new attitudes and skills needed for primary care practice.
