Accreditation: standards for quality continuing professional development.

Accreditation is one way of assuring that continuing education providers are credible and competent. The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education has recently modified its accreditation standards to meet the needs of the health care system and continuing medical education providers. The standards (Essential Areas and Elements) from the new accreditation system will be reviewed and discussed to illustrate one system of accreditation as a potential model for the continuing veterinary medical education professional.