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Part I Technical Report: Continuing Medical Education (CME) Role of Jordan Medical Council

One objective of the Private Sector Project for Women’s Health (PSP) is to improve the quality of women’s health services delivered through the private sector. Toward that end, PSP commissioned a review of the status of Continuing Medical Education (CME) for physicians in Jordan. The complete report for the whole review of CME has three parts:

• Part I: Technical Report: Continuing Medical Education (CME), Role of Jordan Medical Council (JMC) and the Way Forward
• Part II: Legal Report: The Legislative Status of the Jordan Medical Council and Continuing Medical Education
• Part III: Jordan Medical Council Capacity Building Report: Organizational Structure, Job Descriptions, and Training Needs Assessment

This report addresses part I only, i.e., the Technical Report: Continuing Medical Education, Role of Jordan Medical Council and the Way Forward.

The review and analysis found that the JMC does not meet expectations when benchmarked against the regional and international CME standards. Specifically, the review found the following:

• The JMC does not provide CME activities.
• CME is not necessary for re-licensing.
• The CME credit system is non-specific.
• Guidelines are rudimentary and subjective.
• There is no provider accreditation.
• Collaboration among the private sector is not prominent.
• CME is does not follow unified plans or standards.
• The JMC is both provider of CME and an accreditation body.

A number of recommendations are critical for advancement of CME:

• Make CME legally mandatory for relicensing.
• Relinquish the provider role from the JMC mandate.
• Review regulations and guidelines to meet international best practices.
• Change the organizational structure.