CPA's CPD Institutes return for 2007

by Katie Hardy

Five one-day continuing professional development institutes hosted by the Canadian Psychiatric Association (CPA) will be held in major Canadian cities over the coming months.

The Collaborative Forums in Mental Health are slated for Ottawa (March 30), Halifax (April 27), Vancouver (May 4), Montreal (June 1) and Toronto (June 8).

The program builds on the success of the 2006 series, which was also held in five locations nationwide.

More than 600 doctors attended last year, and on average, more than 80 per cent said they would attend a similar event in the future.

“I was so pleased with the evaluation results from last year’s program. Ideally, it would have been great to expand the Forums program from five to six sites in 2007, but until there’s sufficient funding available, the program committee has made the decision to alternate one site between the Atlantic provinces and Alberta,” explains Dr. Susan Abbey, chair of the CPA’s special committee on continuing professional development.

Based on feedback from last year’s attendees, the 2007 Forums will offer shorter lectures, longer workshops and more time for interprofessional networking.

“A number of attendees expressed a desire to have more unscheduled time during which they could network and share experiences with other delegates,” says Dr. Abbey. “We’ve tried to build that into the program while still offering a CPD-credit rich day that many others told us they value.”

The intensive, one-day program, which is supported by The College of Family Physicians of Canada, is geared to community psychiatrists and family doctors with an interest in mental health who want an update on the latest advances in psychiatry.

All educational modules are developed and implemented by well-respected subject-matter and teaching experts.

“The program wasn’t conceived as a general review of specific topic areas like depression or anxiety. Instead, program modules will focus on the latest clinical developments and provide attendees with practical tips and suggestions for working together to provide the best patient care.

“It’s vital to have high-calibre teaching at a full-day event like this,” says Dr. Abbey. “The CPA has been fortunate to have had such an enthusiastic, knowledgeable group of experts take part in the programs.”

The Collaborative Forums in Mental Health are part of the CPA’s ongoing CPD Institute program, which began in 2005.

The CPD Institute program’s goal is to provide credible, needs-based mental health education to Canadian physicians.

In addition to the one-day Collaborative Forums, CPD Institute content modules are also offered at provincial psychiatric association meetings and at the CPA’s Annual Conference.

© Copyright 2007. Canadian Psychiatry Aujourd’hui. All rights reserved.

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