Planning Services

Your interest in planning an educational activity with Stanford Center for CME is greatly appreciated. Our experienced and professional staff will work with you in the design and implementation of your activity from certification through post-activity follow-up.

Scope of Services

Our professional staff consults with you to ensure your educational activity meets ACCME requirements. We provide direct support in determining educational needs, the design of activity material, the establishment of learning objectives and the design of comprehensive evaluation instruments.

All CME activities that take place on the Stanford campus must be certified and managed by the Stanford Center for CME.  

Per University policy, all events which take place on Stanford’s campus must be sponsored by an officially recognized Stanford department or organization and must be in keeping with the University's mission.  

  • We offer certification for the following types of educational activities:
    • Live Conferences and Symposia
    • Hands-On Workshops and Simulations
    • Faculty Development and Leadership Activities
    • Maintenance of Certification Activities
    • Regularly Scheduled Series (Grand Rounds, Case Conferences, etc.)
    • Online Activities

Activity Planning

Planning Conferences and Workshops

The Stanford Center for CME’s event planning team offers individual program support for live activities. Our highly skilled staff will work with you to identify and secure the most suitable conference facility. We will collaborate with conference faculty organizers to build an effective meeting schedule, an innovative marketing strategy, a detailed meeting budget and a comprehensive evaluation plan. 

  • Planning functions include:
    • Strategic Planning
    • Revenue and Expense Management
    • On and Off Campus Site Selection and Contract Negotiation
    • Faculty/Speaker Management
    • Syllabus Production
    • Marketing Research and Communications
    • Development and Production of Specialized Educational Materials
    • Food and Beverage Planning
    • On Site Registration and Event Management 
    • Transportation and Parking Coordination
    • Audio Visual Coordination
    • Audience Response System

Planning Online Courses

The Stanford Center for CME’s online planning team, in collaboration with Stanford School of Medicine’s Educational Technology team, offers multi-faceted support for the creation and development of online activities. We have experience in developing various online formats, such as standard CME activities, MOOCs, and educational games.

  • Our services include:
    • Instructional Design and Delivery
      • Platform Consultation and Training
      • Format Consultation
      • Content Consultation
    • Assessment and Evaluation of Participant Learning
    • Video Capture and Editing Training
    • Marketing Research and Communications
    • Learner Support
    • Copyright Permissions
    • Beta Testing Management
    • Revenue and Expense Management
    • Customized Departmental Reporting

Planning Regularly Scheduled Series (RSS)

Our expert RSS team will guide in the planning, certification, and evaluation of your series. We certify a variety of RSS formats including Grand Rounds, Case Conferences, Tumor Boards, Journal Clubs, and Morbidity & Mortality Conferences. 

  • The services we provide include:
    • Annual Planning Services
    • Provision of Templates:
      • Session Flyer
      • Evaluation
      • Sign-in Sheet
      • Financial Disclosure to Learners
      • Speaker Invitation
      • Pre and Post-Session Checklists
    • Registration and Certificate Management
    • Departmental Coordinator Training
    • Management and Analysis of Learner Evaluations
    • Ongoing Support of Departmental Course Coordinators and Directors
    • Customized Departmental Reporting

Commercial Support

We manage the Commercial Support process to help you receive educational funding and in-kind support from industry for your symposia and online CME activities while ensuring that Stanford CME activities are fully compliant with both the Standards for Commercial Support of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and the Stanford School of Medicine Industry Interactions Policy (SIIP). If you are interested in seeking commercial support, contact us CMECommSupport@stanford.edu to begin the process.

  • The services we offer include:
    • Consultation on appropriate approaches for seeking support 
    • Research available funding under the Course Director’s guidance
    • Manage the application process to commercial interests
    • Negotiate Letters of Agreement

Marketing

Our team has expertise in creating and executing marketing strategies for both live and online activities. We will work with you to design promotional materials appropriate for your activity. 

  • The services we offer include:
    • Email Marketing
    • Social Media
    • Procurement and Utilization of Distribution Lists (Internal and External)
    • Brochures (Print, PDF, and HTML)
    • Course Website Design
    • Save the Date Announcements
    • Newsletter Advertising
    • Advertising to Societies

Registration

We provide convenient advance and on-site registration services with several options for revenue collection (Online, Mail, Telephone) via cash, checks, Visa, or Mastercard. We retain records for six years and have an automated system for learners to receive their certificates 24/7.

  • Our registration services include:
    • Registration Reporting
    • Statistical and Demographic Reports
    • Master Roster
    • Name Badges
    • Sign-in and Break-out Session Rosters
    • Onsite Registration Materials 
    • CME Certificates
    • Receipts

Onsite Management

We provide full service onsite management that ensures the smooth and successful execution of your activity.

  • Our onsite services include:
    • Address Learner Needs and Questions (WiFi, Transportation, Dietary Needs)
    • Audio Visual Management Including Audience Response System (ARS)
    • Support Video Recording of the Activity
    • Coordination with Venue Staff and Course Team
    • Faculty Coordination
    • Catering Management
    • Manage Issues as They Arise
    • Ensure Compliance with Accreditation Requirements

Post-Activity Follow-up

After the activity is the time to evaluate and acknowledge your success, discuss opportunities for future improvement, and assess learners’ practice changes resulting from the activity. A thorough post-activity evaluation ensures you will gain important insights about your course and help you jump start preparations for a future activity. 

  • We provide:
    • Post-Activity Evaluation Distribution and Analysis
    • Performance Evaluation (if applicable)
    • Activity Debrief
    • Financial Closing
    • Planning for Future Activity Opportunities

Accreditation

Stanford University School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. Stanford was awarded ACCME's highest level of accreditation, Accreditation with Commendation.

Meet Our Team