Amount of external CME in groups of specialties: a nation-wide survey among Finnish doctors.

Background: Continuing medical education (CME) is an integral part of continuing professional development and a prerequisite for good quality in health care. We aimed to describe and analyse the number of days spent in formal CME outside the workplace by specialty among Finnish doctors of working age.

Findings: The number of days in formal CME outside the workplace in 2005 reported by specialists was obtained from an annual postal survey, conducted by the Finnish Medical Association in March 2006, of all working-age doctors.