ECHO Idaho Awarded Joint Accreditation for Interprofessional Continuing Education Status
January 27, 2022
BOISE, Idaho — Jan. 25 2022 — ECHO Idaho, a virtual, continuing education resource for Idaho’s healthcare workforce, has been awarded Joint Accreditation for Interprofessional Continuing Education status. This designation provides continuing education to all individuals on a healthcare team — including counselors, nurses, pharmacists, physicians and others — through a single, unified application process. ECHO Idaho is the first and only Idaho institution to offer continuing education (CE) credits to psychologists and physician assistants through Joint Accreditation.
Receipt of CE credits is necessary for healthcare professionals to maintain certifications, credentials and licensure. The number of hours and credit activity types vary across professions. Obtaining CE through ECHO Idaho removes barriers that health providers – especially in rural areas of the state – may face such as travel to CE-eligible conferences, time away from patients, and drift from evidence-based medicine due to a solo or small practice.
“By opening the doors to a variety of healthcare audiences simultaneously, we are able to ensure that our programming is dynamic, collaborative and interdisciplinary,” said ECHO Idaho Director Lachelle Smith. “We provide an environment for learning about patient care from a variety of perspectives that is convenient to attend and immediately applicable to one’s practice.”
Supported by the Idaho WWAMI Medical Education Program, ECHO Idaho addresses urgent healthcare needs in the Gem State by connecting specialists with local healthcare providers through Zoom for case-based learning and support. Community-based healthcare team members — especially those in rural or underserved areas of Idaho — can enhance their skills by engaging with subject matter experts and specialists across the state in regular, real-time collaborative sessions. Each hour-long ECHO session is meant to help healthcare professionals gain the expertise required to meet the unique needs of their patients.
“ECHO offers collaboration that is seldom available but often necessary to provide the best care possible to complex patients who may be suffering from multiple physical and mental health diagnoses simultaneously,” said Rachel Root, Ph.D, a Boise psychologist and panelist for ECHO Idaho’s Behavioral Health in Primary Care series since 2018. “Through ECHO, I’ve built relationships with peers I might not have met or known about otherwise. The hour-long sessions have proven valuable to me and my practice, but even more so now that I can claim continuing education units.”
ECHO Idaho currently offers education series focused on the following healthcare topics: Behavioral Health in Primary Care; Counseling Techniques for Substance Use Disorders; COVID-19; Opioids, Pain and Substance Use Disorders; Pediatric Autism; Viral Hepatitis and Liver Care; and X-Waiver Trainings.
More information about how to register for ECHO Idaho’s free continuing education opportunities is available at uidaho.edu/echo.
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Media Contact
Lindsay Lodis
Marketing and Communications Manager
Idaho WWAMI Medical Education Program
208-364-4037
llodis@uidaho.edu
About the University of Idaho
The University of Idaho, home of the Vandals, is Idaho’s land-grant, national research university. From its residential campus in Moscow, U of I serves the state of Idaho through educational centers in Boise, Coeur d’Alene and Idaho Falls, nine research and Extension centers, plus Extension offices in 42 counties. Home to more than 12,000 students statewide, U of I is a leader in student-centered learning and excels at interdisciplinary research, service to businesses and communities, and in advancing diversity, citizenship and global outreach. U of I competes in the Big Sky and Western Athletic conferences. Learn more at uidaho.edu.