About the Office of Professional Development and Accredited Continuing Education
The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) has a long and respected history in continuing education. In 1974, TTUHSC established the Office of Educational Development and Continuing Medical Education to support the professional growth of healthcare providers. Accreditation for CME was officially granted in 1976 by the Liaison Committee for Continuing Medical Education, and in 1985 TTUHSC earned its initial accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education. Subsequent reaccreditations in 1991, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2009, 2013, and 2019 reflect the institution’s ongoing commitment to educational excellence and lifelong learning.
In July 2023, TTUHSC achieved Joint Accreditation for Interprofessional Continuing Education, joining a select group of institutions recognized for advancing education that brings healthcare professionals together to improve patient care. Joint Accreditation is the nationally accepted framework for developing and delivering continuing education that supports the collaborative practice of the healthcare team. It allows TTUHSC to provide continuing education for multiple professions within one unified system, ensuring that physicians, nurses, pharmacists, social workers, psychologists, physician assistants, dietitians, therapists, and athletic trainers learn with and from one another. This framework strengthens communication, enhances collaboration, and leads to measurable improvements in skills, strategies, performance, and ultimately patient outcomes.
In 2025, TTUHSC combined the Office of Faculty Development and the Office of Accredited Interprofessional Continuing Medical Education to create the Office of Professional Development and Accredited Continuing Education (OPDACE). This integration unites faculty development and accredited continuing education under one mission. By bringing these areas together, TTUHSC established a single, comprehensive resource for professional learning that supports educators in teaching and leadership, clinicians in maintaining clinical excellence, and healthcare teams in applying evidence-based strategies that improve care. The integration enhances consistency in educational quality, encourages collaboration across schools and campuses, and strengthens TTUHSC’s ability to evaluate and demonstrate learning outcomes.
Today, OPDACE supports the growth of faculty, clinicians, and healthcare professionals throughout Lubbock, the Permian Basin, Amarillo, and surrounding regions. Through inclusive and evidence-informed education grounded in adult learning and lifelong learning principles, OPDACE helps faculty deliver and evaluate curriculum that leads to meaningful change in skills, strategies, performance, and patient outcomes.
Our goal is to help our learners and their teams deliver the highest quality of care. Through continuous learning, collaboration, and professional growth, OPDACE empowers every member of the healthcare team to make a lasting difference in patient care and community health.
Our Interprofessional Education Process
At Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, accredited education is developed through an interprofessional process that brings together healthcare professionals from multiple disciplines to plan, deliver, and evaluate learning. Guided by the Joint Accreditation for Interprofessional Continuing Education framework, our approach promotes teamwork, lifelong learning, and measurable improvement in patient care.
Each activity begins by identifying the educational and professional development needs of the healthcare team. Gaps are determined through data, research, and direct feedback from faculty and clinicians. Objectives are developed to enhance teaching, improve clinical practice, and strengthen team performance and patient outcomes.
Interprofessional planning committees design activities that allow participants to learn with, from, and about one another. Programs integrate adult learning principles and real-world application, supporting faculty in improving their teaching and leadership skills while helping clinical teams improve care delivery.
Evaluation is conducted after every activity to assess learning outcomes and intent to change. A follow-up evaluation measures the actual impact on performance and team collaboration. When appropriate, OPDACE partners with departments and external organizations to review quality indicators and identify opportunities for continued growth.
Results are reviewed to determine how activities influence knowledge, teaching effectiveness, interprofessional teamwork, and—when measurable—patient or system outcomes. Findings inform future programming and faculty development initiatives, ensuring continuous improvement in education and healthcare delivery.
Through this collaborative model, TTUHSC empowers educators and healthcare professionals to advance together.
Departments and organizations interested in partnering with OPDACE receive guided support, consultation, and shared evaluation strategies designed to promote excellence in interprofessional education and faculty development.
Accreditation
TTUHSC Office of Professional Development and Accredited Continuing Education (OPDACE) has been granted the opportunity to be simultaneously accredited to provide continuing education for multiple professions through a single, unified application process, fee structure, and set of accreditation standards.
In support of improving patient care, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
TTUHSC Office of Professional Development and Accredited Continuing Education is authorized to award AMA PRA credit, ANCC credit, ACPE credit, and IPCE credit. Additionally, we now extend credit opportunities to physician assistants, social workers, psychologists, dieticians, and athletic trainers.
Mission Statement
The TTUHSC Office of Professional Development and Accredited Continuing Education (OPDACE) supports the growth of faculty, clinicians, and the interprofessional healthcare team across West Texas.
Serving metro and rural communities throughout Lubbock, the Permian Basin, Amarillo, and surrounding regions, OPDACE delivers inclusive, evidence-informed education through main and extension offices that reach geographically dispersed healthcare providers.
Our mission is to advance professional development by offering accessible, needs-based education grounded in adult learning and lifelong learning principles. Programs aim to enhance teaching, leadership, scholarship, and the performance of healthcare teams.
The expected results are improvements in the skills, strategies, or performance of the healthcare team and, when feasible, patient outcomes. OPDACE evaluates impact through performance-based assessments and selectively measures patient outcomes for applicable activities.
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Office of Professional Development and Accredited Continuing Education
806.743.2929
CME@ttuhsc.edu