Abstract
A recent national study analyzed university based continuing professional education efforts in five fields - medicine, pharmacy, social work, education, and law. Persons who coordinate such efforts were interviewed. The sample of institutions was a small but somewhat representative selection of major universities that contain most or all of the five professional schools, at least one of which was perceived as having an outstanding continuing professional education effort. Case descriptions for each effort were analyzed within and across fields. The efforts varied greatly in their vitality, as reflected in program expansion and innovativeness. Three major characteristics associated with vitality were educational leadership, obtaining support, and involvement of practitioners.
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