Workforce Characteristics and Accreditation Outcomes in Continuing Professional Development/Continuing Education Programs: Insights From a National Survey

The continuing professional development (CPD) and continuing education (CE) workforce play a critical role in maintaining standards in accredited health care education programs. However, the relationship between workforce characteristics and accreditation outcomes remains unclear. This study characterizes the CPD/CE workforce and examines associations with accreditation outcomes.

We conducted a national survey of providers accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), Joint Accreditation for Interprofessional Continuing Education, and ACCME-Recognized State Medical Society Accreditors. Items addressed demographics, salaries, education, core functions, and staffing changes. We assessed associations between staffing metrics (eg, staff turnover, program growth, full-time equivalents [FTE]) and accreditation outcomes (eg, commendation).

Of 1470 providers, 524 responded (36%). Programs averaged 4.77 FTEs and had modest growth (0.24 new positions). Half of staff time was allocated to operations. Median salaries were $90,000 to $105,000 for leaders/managers and $60,000 to $75,000 for coordinators. Programs accredited with commendation had slower growth (-0.09), more FTEs (+3.96), higher total salaries (+$540,042), and higher salary per FTE (+$31,817), all P < .01. Staffing metrics did not differ substantially for programs required to remediate following reaccreditation review.

Accredited CPD/CE in the United States is supported by a growing workforce that is predominantly operational in focus. Workforce scale and compensation are strongly associated with program output, whereas relationships with commendation are more nuanced and may reflect the greater complexity and compliance burden of larger organizations. Sustaining quality and meeting evolving learning expectations may require deliberate investment in workforce skill mix, evaluation capacity, and educational innovation.