Raising awareness about street medicine is a unique and sustainable activity for family doctors who wish to start or maintain a street medicine program in their community. It includes 16 sessions covering clinical topics such as wound management, preventive care and skin conditions; behavioral health issues such as psychiatry and physical and psychological safety in street medicine; tips for overcoming obstacles such as structural racism; and resources such as the HOUSED BEDS intake tool that clinicians can use when considering a homeless person’s history.
Participants who complete the activity will be able to
- adapt current clinical knowledge of common skin disorders and wound care, screening and testing processes, trauma-informed care, de-escalation strategies, and other commonly used clinical procedures for non-patient populations hosted;
- apply harm reduction principles and best practices to practice;
- acquire tools to combat the stigma associated with providing safe care to unhoused populations;
- discuss possible avenues for starting and maintaining a street medicine program in their community and practice;
- discuss strategies for using their street medicine practice to support professional well-being and job satisfaction; And
- examine the history and philosophy of street medicine and its impact on the health of urban populations, unhoused populations, health equity, and social justice.
Individuals who complete the series can claim up to 14 Sustainable Materials, AAFP-mandated self-study credits, and the AAFP has designated the activity for up to 14 AMA PRA Category 1 credits..
Rural health is an updated and expanded version of the Academy’s existing CME program on the subject. Program sessions provide an overview of several clinical issues that family physicians are likely to encounter in rural settings and cover topics that affect patients at various stages of life, including detection of heart murmurs in children, management eczema, diagnosis and treatment options for varicose veins, and advance care planning.
After completing the activity, participants should be able to
- develop strategies to implement the latest evidence-based guidelines in a range of topics relevant to rural family medicine practice,
- recognize opportunities to self-manage the needs of more patients without referral through increased knowledge; And
- identify networking opportunities with other rural family physicians and health professionals to forge connections for continued practice improvement and support.
Individuals who complete the sessions can claim up to 22 durable materials, self-study credits prescribed by the AAFP, and the activity has also been designated for up to 22 AMA PRA Category 1 credits.
Optional exercises provide more credit opportunities
To supplement the prescribed credits, the LGBTQ+Health and Rural Health activities contain Translation to Practice® exercises that provide the opportunity to apply learning and document translation to practice.
Learners can earn two additional prescribed credits for participating in each t2p® exercise.
Health Equity and Family Medicine: More Resources
Addressing health equity has become increasingly important to the AAFP and its members. In 2018, the Academy, in collaboration with the Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors, launched a health equity scholarship establish FPs as leaders and subject matter experts on the social, cultural, and institutional factors that affect patient health. Two years later, the Academy adopted a policy which clearly defines health equity and states, among other things, that the organization is “dedicated to improving the health of patients, families, and communities and is a bold champion for health.”
The AAFP has created several additional CME activities that highlight the importance of health equityas well as collections of articles from American family physician And FPM.
Other resources include the Center for Diversity and Health Equity (and its best-known initiative, The EveryONE Project) a recently formed Commission on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Family Medicine, an update LGBTQ Health Toolkit And ongoing advocacy work.
Members can also add the Academy name to their favorites. My CME webpagewhere they can search a complete list of certified activities, report CMEs, learn about the AAFP credit system and much more.
