American Association for Physician Leadership

Continuing your education with the ACP and AAPL is a great step for physicians

Curriculum

The program is divided into a three-tier structure, with each tier having a minimum credit amount required for completion.

Tier 1: Core Courses - 27 credits

For each core course, there will be required weeklong, 1-credit online group discussions relating the coursework to specific issues in either hospital medicine or primary care internal medicine. The discussions, which will take place during scheduled weeks in a designated online groups by program track, will be led by experienced physician leaders.
Core courses include:
  • Fundamentals of Physician Leadership: Communication
  • Fundamentals of Physician Leadership: Influence
  • Fundamentals of Physician Leadership: Quality
  • Transitions of Care (offered directly by ACP, not listed below)
  • Online Discussions (offered directly by ACP, not listed below)

Tier 2: Elective Courses - 23 credits required

Participants may select among the rest of courses below to complete the elective requirements.

Tier 3: Capstone Project

The CPL capstone is a 12-month project that will demonstrate and apply leadership principles in one of the three core areas of the program — communication, leadership, or quality — as it relates to hospital medicine or primary care internal medicine.

Certified Physician Executive

Be at the forefront of influential change

Since 1997, the Certified Physician Executive (CPE) credential has helped physicians maximize their leadership potential to influence health care.

The CPE designation tells a compelling story of your business acumen to colleagues, current and future employers, recruiters and others. It endorses your ability to lead large groups, manage budgets, address HR challenges, and apply strategic business insights.

The CPE demonstrates your commitment to quality, communication and excellence in health care. You’ll feel the personal satisfaction of achieving an exclusive pinnacle of professional distinction. Endorsed by the American Association for Physician Leadership®, the CPE designation is awarded by the Certifying Commission in Medical Management and is a benchmark for employers seeking the most accomplished and influential physician leaders.

The CPE curriculum provides you with the knowledge, skills and core competencies in key areas to transition into a wide array of leadership roles. The final CPE Capstone event is the culmination of that education designed to refine your skills to be an even more effective leader.

Managing Physician Performance

This course provides a blueprint for the hiring and talent management process. Those registered will explore strategies for interviewing, hiring, coaching, performance evaluations, and more. By the end of the course, physician leaders will have covered many strategies and ta...

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$1,012

For ACP Members Only

14 CME Credits

CPE CoreMaster's Core

Resolving Conflict

As a physician leader, effectively addressing and resolving conflict is a primary skill that serves you throughout your career and could be life-altering for your employees or patients. The critical communication skills in this course can help you to turn conflict into colla...

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$502

For ACP Members Only

7 CME Credits

CPE CoreMaster's Core

Develop Effective Teams

Form an efficient team using strategies learned from this course from the American Association for Physician Leadership. learn how to manage conflict, determine team member strengths, and communicate effectively. Once completed, this course counts for 5 CME credits.

$361

For ACP Members Only

5 CME Credits

CPE Elective

Establish a Just Culture

Gain access to the simple, fundamental principles required to transform the culture of a team or department. With these principles, leaders can open lines of communication with team members, foster accountability in every employee, and empower peers and colleagues to achieve...

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$260

For ACP Members Only

4 CME Credits

CPE Elective

The Numbers a CEO Needs to Know

This course introduces areas of vital importance that every CEO should be aware of in relation to the financial health of their organization. After completing this course, leaders will be able to speak authoritatively about important financial concepts, plan for strategic de...

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$325

For ACP Members Only

5 CME Credits

CPE Elective

Assessing the Health of Your Organization

Find out if your health care organization is healthy and learn actionable strategies that improve worker productivity and employee morale. Take this online course from the American Association for Physician Leadership and earn 3 CME credits.

$195

For ACP Members Only

3 CME Credits

CPE Elective

Building Physician Wellness

There is no doubt that burnout is a pervasive part of the healthcare industry, but what is it and what does it mean? Much of burnout research today informs physicians of the physical and psychological tolls it can take. This course takes a top-down approach to view wellness ...

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$195

For ACP Members Only

3 CME Credits

CPE Elective

Interdisciplinary Relationship Management

Could emotional intelligence be the key you're missing when it comes to managing your relationships? Strengthen the relationships you have with other physicians with this online course from the American Association for Physician Leadership. This course is worth 4 CME credits...

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$260

For ACP Members Only

4 CME Credits

CPE Elective

Leading Complex Organizations

This course will explore differences between traditional and complex health care organizations, evaluate leadership traits and characteristics, explain the role of conflict and ambiguity in modern organizations, determine strategies for addressing employee concerns and feedb...

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$260

For ACP Members Only

4 CME Credits

CPE Elective

Leading Problem Solving

Problem solving requires courage, ingenuity, fact-finding, and above all else, good communication. It is the essence of what leaders exist to do. With an insurmountable list of problems developing daily, and time limitations that add new complexities, finding solutions can s...

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$195

For ACP Members Only

3 CME Credits

CPE Elective

Managing Task Forces, Committees and Work Groups

Running a small group is an important undertaking, and leaders have a challenging role to play in coordinating meeting strategies. Leaders must learn to manage their groups effectively and efficiently to encourage the future success of organizational initiatives. Effective m...

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$195

For ACP Members Only

3 CME Credits

CPE Elective

Proceed Until Apprehended

Does your health care organization have a culture of fear or trust? Find out and help positively transform the culture of your clinic or hospital with this course from the American Association for Physician Leadership. Complete this course and earn 4 CME credits.

$260

For ACP Members Only

4 CME Credits

CPE Elective

Strategic Planning

This course focuses on strategic planning. It's about implementation and taking action.

$130

For ACP Members Only

2 CME Credits

CPE Elective

Strategic Thinking

This course explores the true meaning of strategy, what strategies are good for, and the difficulties in creating and implementing shared strategies.

$131

For ACP Members Only

2 CME Credits

CPE Elective

The Neuropsychology of Strategic Thinking

This course will define strategic thinking in neuropsychological terms and address both the conscious and, perhaps more significantly, the unconscious components of effective strategic thinking and it’s obstacles.

$145

For ACP Members Only

2 CME Credits

CPE Elective

Building and Leading Effective Teams

In this course, attendees will gain insight into key concepts and competencies such as shared leadership/governance, four defining attributes of a team, the group/team environment and organizational culture, and teams and change management.

$361

For ACP Members Only

5 CME Credits

CPE Elective

Science of High Reliability

Defined simply, “high reliability” is the study of human performance in complex systems. Introducing The Science of High Reliability, in which Physician Leaders will explore the systems thinking, analysis of serious safety events, and techniques to minimize mistakes.

$723

For ACP Members Only

10 CME Credits

CPE CoreMaster's Core

Practical Principles of Change Management

Change is inevitable, adaptation is powerful, and change management is an essential Physician Leadership skill. Practical Principles of Change Management, taught by Larry McEvoy, uses real case studies to provide strategies and tactics to understand, organize, and facilitate...

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$361

For ACP Members Only

5 CME Credits

CPE CoreMaster's Core

Embracing Change

This course provides practical strategies to encourage and support adaptability and resilience during times of change. Through real-world examples, you'll have an opportunity to explore potential concerns and solutions while improving your attitude toward change.

$253

For ACP Members Only

3.5 CME Credits

CPE Elective

From Autonomy to Teamwork

This course will guide participants in recognizing the importance of team-based care, identifying attributes and qualities of high-performing teams, diagnosing strategies to minimize risk and human error, and the significance of being held responsible for ones’ actions or th...

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$217

For ACP Members Only

3 CME Credits

CPE Elective

Project Management Overview for Physician Leaders

This course has a unique focus on the physician’s role in project management and explores the nuances of traditional, dyad, and triad project leadership models. Throughout this course, you will find new ways to reduce costs, identify risks, increase productivity, and boost ...

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$289

For ACP Members Only

4 CME Credits

CPE Elective

Fundamentals of Physician Leadership: Finance

New This comprehensive financial management course is fundamental and provides a solid understanding of key concepts and strategies for effective decision-making in independent practice settings and affiliated situations with hospitals and private equity.

$430

For ACP Members Only

7 CME Credits

CPE CoreMaster's Core

Foundations of Financial Accounting

This course offers insights on how to record business activities and interpret financial statements. Physician leaders who enroll can gain an understanding as to why financial accounting is so often political and controversial.

$343

For ACP Members Only

5 CME Credits

CPE Elective

For over 45 years.

The American Association for Physician Leadership has helped physicians develop their leadership skills through education, career development, thought leadership and community building.

The American Association for Physician Leadership (AAPL) changed its name from the American College of Physician Executives (ACPE) in 2014. We may have changed our name, but we are the same organization that has been serving physician leaders since 1975.

CONTACT US

Mail Processing Address
PO Box 96503 I BMB 97493
Washington, DC 20090-6503

Payment Remittance Address
PO Box 745725
Atlanta, GA 30374-5725
(800) 562-8088
(813) 287-8993 Fax
customerservice@physicianleaders.org

CONNECT WITH US

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American Association for Physician Leadership®

formerly known as the American College of Physician Executives (ACPE)