Founded in 1964, the American Society of Clinical Oncology^® (ASCO^®) has become the world's largest professional society of physicians concerned with clinical oncology.

Purpose
The goal of ASCO's CME program is to improve cancer care and prevention by advancing the competencies of physicians in the treatment of patients with cancer through educational programs and by supporting the professional development of physicians who participate in clinical research..

Content Areas
The broad scope of the ASCO CME program is clinical oncology. ASCO's CME activities foster communication among physicians from various subspecialties and promote the exchange of a wide range of ideas related to cancer, including biology, core competencies, diagnosis, early detection, economic impact, etiology, genetics, management, patient safety, prevention, psychosocial aspects, staging and treatment. In addition, the Society offers educational sessions on research methods and tools.

Target Audience
CME activities are primarily designed for physicians with clinical and/or research interests in the prevention, screening, evaluation, and management of cancers, including oncology fellows, medical, surgical, and radiation oncologists, pathologists and translational-oriented laboratory scientists.  In a secondary scope the Society’s activities can also benefit nurses, pharmacists, physician assistants, patient advocates, and other health care professionals involved in clinical care and research in cancer.

Types of Activities
ASCO provides a wide variety of educational programming to meet the needs of the Society’s members by advancing their knowledge, competence and performance in practicing clinical oncology. Physicians have the opportunity to participate in ASCO’s live activities such as thematic symposia, conferences, and workshops.  In addition to live activities, ASCO also provides educational activities and enduring material formats including print, online, CD, and DVD.  These activities promote the professional development and life-long learning of members as well as nonmembers. The Society develops other educational forums as required and engages in joint sponsorship and endorsement opportunities with other entities whose mission is compatible with its own. ASCO services also include the design and promulgation of treatment guidelines, identification of practice gaps, technology assessments and policy statements.  Continuing to solicit the target audiences’ needs and feedback will ensure that ASCO's educational activities remain an evolving and relevant part of their professional development.

Expected Results/Outcomes
ASCO’s CME Program is committed to positively affecting cancer care by enhancing clinical competence, encouraging the application of knowledge, and by advancing improvements in clinical performance in physicians.  To this end, ASCO conducts comprehensive needs assessments to include performance improvement and self-assessment activity reviews and utilizes this data to help ensure physicians’ educational needs are adequately met.   The evaluation techniques used to quantify program outcomes include on-site participant evaluation, pre/post assessments, and post-activity follow-up surveys. 

 

Originally approved July 2000

Revisions approved by CME Subcommittee on September 13, 2007

Approved by the ASCO Board of Directors Executive Committee on October 11, 2007