Education Aims & Goals

The CRA CPD (Continuing Professional Development) Sub-Committee will support the lifelong learning needs of Canadian rheumatologists with the goal of providing  best practices in health care to individuals with arthritis and rheumatic diseases.

The CRA will promote and support continuing professional development for rheumatologists by facilitating access to resources which foster not only maintenance, but development of  new knowledge, skills and attitudes, allowing the rheumatologist to function competently in his/her profession.  These competencies will include the relevant content expertise, technical skills, communication skills, interdisciplinary team skills, and research skills, as outlined in the Royal College’s  CanMEDS Physician Competency Framework.

The CRA through the CPD Sub-Committee will meet this goal by promoting, offering and approving a variety of education formats and delivery methods to meet the learning preferences as well as the perceived and unperceived needs of all members.

Our target audience is all Canadian rheumatologists regardless of their practice setting – university, hospital, community, training or administrative.  Our mission is to promote and explore evidence-based educational methods beyond the simple didactic dissemination of information.  Our aim is to improve the knowledge, skills and attitudes of rheumatologists and trainee rheumatologists; to bridge the gap between theory and practice; to improve the health of our patients and of all Canadians with rheumatic diseases.  Our goal is to reach at least 90% of our membership through activities such the Annual Scientific Meeting, the Canadian Rheumatology Association Journal, the CRA newsletter, the Journal of Rheumatology, the CRA website, and the various CPD programs accredited and/or sponsored by the CRA.