Continuing Education Mission Statement

Purpose

The intent of the American Pain Society (APS) continuing education (CE) program is to improve pain care by advancing the education of physicians, nurses, pharmacists, psychologists, scientists, and other professionals in the treatment of individuals with acute/chronic pain, and by supporting the development of pain research.

Content Areas

The scope of the APS CE program is pain treatment and pain-related research. The program fosters interdisciplinary exchange of information concerning advances in the field of pain and its treatment. Since pain is a substantive problem for many individuals with a variety of clinical conditions and is of interest to many disciplines, the APS CE program will provide evidence-based education that emphasizes the value of interdisciplinary approaches to pain management and the translation of research into practice.

Target Audience

The APS CE program is designed for, but not limited to specialist’s and primary care clinicians involved in the treatment of pain and pain research, and other professionals interested in expanding their knowledge in the field of pain.

Types of Activities

APS will provide continuing education in a variety of formats including, but not limited to live courses (e.g.; annual conference, web-casts) and enduring materials (e.g., print). APS will develop other educational forums as necessary in response to educational and technological needs of the membership and pain care community.

Expected Results

APS anticipates that the CE program will enhance the learner’s ability to develop new pain management strategies and treat patients in pain. Portions, or all, of APS’ CE activities are designed with the intent of changing learner’s competence, performance, and/or patient outcomes then evaluated to determine the extent to which the targeted change is achieved. These results are indicators against which the organizational and CE missions are measured and programming evaluated and planned.

Revised May 2005, APS Education Committee

Revised August 2007, APS Education Advisory Committee

Revised November 2008, APS Education Advisory Committee