AMA Awards for Continuing Medical Education

To the Editor.—  I recently received application forms for the 1970 American Medical Association Physician Recognition Award for participation in continuing medical education. The program places emphasis upon formal education activities but gives no credit to the physician involved in self-directed study. I suggest extension of the accreditation scheme to encompass a wider range of educational activities. It might be organized as follows.Physicians could be supplied with books similar to those given to consumers for keeping trading stamps. Stamps to be affixed in these books would be given to physicians for participating in educational pursuits. Those charged with the responsibility of organizing approved formal education courses would give stamps to physicians in attendance; the number of stamps to be given would be dependent upon the number of hours for which the course was accredited. Lecturers would receive more stamps than physicians who merely attend. Medical books might have attached