CE COVID-19 Updates

coronavirus

COVID-19 Update & Resources 

UCSF strongly recommends that all guests attending UCSF events are up to date with their COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters, if eligible. COVID-19 vaccines remain the best public health measure to protect people from the virus, slow transmission, and reduce the likelihood of new variants emerging.

Guests also are strongly recommended to wear a mask that covers their nose and mouth while indoors unless eating or drinking.

UCSF cannot guarantee that all guests and employees at an event are fully vaccinated, nor does UCSF assume any liability for infection. No precautions can entirely eliminate the risk of exposure to COVID-19.

COVID-19 Indoor and Outdoor Events Policy

Office of CME Update

At this time, all CME staff are working remotely. Our staff is available during our regular business hours from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PT to assist you with any questions or concerns. All contact information for CME staff remains the same and we encourage you to please contact us at info@ocme.ucsf.edu for assistance.

Course Status

For the latest information and guidance on COVID-19, go to UCSF’s coronavirus website, https://coronavirus.ucsf.edu/, which is updated regularly.

UCSF CME is dedicated to continue with as many educational activities as possible. As the response to COVID-19 by federal agencies, state and local health departments, local governments, and the University of California continues to evolve, upcoming in-person courses are being restructured to be offered online or postponed to later in the year. In some cases, a course must be regrettably canceled. You can monitor the status of our entire calendar at the link below, which is updated daily.

View Current Courses
Updated Daily

Tips for Grand Rounds Online

MOVING YOUR GRAND ROUNDS ONLINE
Your certified series can still continue even without access to campus facilities! The campus license to use Zoom has been expanded to have greater bandwidth and allow more participants.  Get the basics.

Important Reminder about the Realness of "Zoom-Bombing"
This is when participants hi-jack meetings with inappropriate audio or graphics, usually profanity, hate speech or pornographic images. It has already happened here at UCSF.  If you are supporting any Zoom meetings, please scan these resources and adjust your settings if needed.  It’s more easily avoidable than you think.

UCSF IT recommends that you safeguard the privacy of your meetings. Get acquainted with Zoom’s options so you can choose the appropriate configuration for your meetings. For sensitive meetings, consider applying all of the following recommendations.

https://www.adl.org/blog/how-to-prevent-zoombombing

HOW TO CONDUCT VIRTUAL CE SESSIONS
Here are a few things particular to CME/CPE you should know for your rounds sessions:

Sign-in and Attendance:
Unless signing in is a departmental requirement, you do not need participants to physically sign in. Try one of the methods below to collect “registration” (name, email if needed, and session date) before or after your session. The method to pre-register or verify attendance afterward is the same:

  • Use a simple Qualtrics form.  View example.
  • Use an online form (like the example above) tied to a SmartSheet.
  • Use a Google Sheets form (like the example above).
  • Open gallery view in Zoom and take a screen shot of all of the participants names/images (if fewer than 20).
  • Take a quick verbal roll call, or have callers enter their names using the chat function upon entering the webinar.
  • Take a silent roll call by checking off those appearing in the Zoom Participants’ List after the speaker has started.
  • Require that participants complete a per-session Qualtrics or Word evaluation form, which also captures their name and attestation of participation.

Disclosure:
If you are not disclosing relevant financial relationships on your announcements (flyers or email), you should make sure this happens at the beginning of the session. Some easy methods:

  • Have the host/speaker make an announcement with the disclosure information.
  • Have the speaker create and display a disclosure slide.
  • Type the session date (and title if desired) and disclosure information using a large font in an open Word doc, and share that window for callers to see when they enter the Zoom.
  • Enter the disclosure information in the chat function, and take a screenshot so you can document it happened.
  • If you are recording, be sure to capture the disclosure information in the recording; you may be able to repurpose this an online module on-demand for CE credit.

Accreditation:
Whenever mentioning the number of credits available for a session, you must include the accreditation and designation statements for learners. If this is not included on your announcements (flyers or email), use one of the methods above to make people aware.

Awarding Credit:
Use your registration or attendance information to complete your normal attendance logging process. This is reported at the end of the academic year for medicine (CME) and behavioral health (CAMFT) approved sessions, and after each session for pharmacy (CPE) approved sessions.

Last-Minute Sessions:
Got a last-minute or spontaneous session related to COVID-19 that is not part of your regular rounds?  Complete this form and submit it to OCME for near-instant prior approval for COVID-19-related talks or case discussions. Contact us for more information.

Online Learning

CMECalifornia https://cmecalifornia.com/lms/

Smoking Cessation Leadership Center http://smokingcessationleadership.ucsf.edu/

AHRQ WebM&M https://psnet.ahrq.gov/webmm