Reimagining Continuous Professional Development for Physicians in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions (05/19/26) Barry, James S.; McAdams, Ryan M.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping medicine by altering how clinicians learn, reason, communicate and care for patients, making it essential for continuing professional development (CPD) to help physicians work effectively with intelligent technologies while preserving core human capacities such as empathy, ethical judgment and trust-building. Traditional CPD models, built for a pre-AI era and focused on knowledge acquisition, are increasingly mismatched to a clinical environment where reasoning is augmented through AI-clinician collaboration. Researchers propose the Technical Understanding, Critical Appraisal, and Practical Application × Dual-Axis framework, which integrates three domains of AI competency with organizational strategies for governance, infrastructure, and culture to support the co-evolution of individual and institutional learning. "Reimagining CPD with AI supports clinicians in developing adaptive expertise while remaining clinically competent, ethically grounded, and compassionate while working alongside AI models in a rapidly changing health care environment," the researchers conclude.

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