Speaker Information

1. Learning objectives are required and should be included on your 3rd slide. Learning objectives should be action-oriented and measurable and should follow the sentence: "At the end of this session, participants will be able to..." Please include two to three session specific learning objectives that follow the Objectives of Training in the Specialty of General Surgery competencies for your topic.
   • Objectives of Training in the Specialty of General Surgery
   • CPD Activity Toolkit: Creating Learning Objectives
2. A minimum of 5 multiple choice questions are required and should be included throughout your presentation. The MCQ Guidelines document provided by the Royal College will provide guidance and examples. Short answer questions (SAQ) may be included in addition to the required number of MCQ questions. The SAQ Guidelines document provided by the Royal College will provide guidance and examples.
   • MCQ Guidelines
   • SAQ Guidelines
3. Speakers must comply with the Rx&D Code of Ethical Practices and with the Canadian Medical Association’s (CMA’s) policy guidelines on physicians’ interactions with industry.
   • Guidelines for Physicians in interactions with industry
   • Rx&D Code of Ethical Practices

To ensure the program maintains its accreditation, we ask that you adhere to the following:

1. As of January 1, 2018, National Standard requires presenters to disclose ALL relationships with both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. Any and all financial interest or "in kind" relationships with commercial organizations over the previous two years, regardless of its connection or relevance to the topics discussed or mentioned during this event, must be declared by faculty/speakers, moderators, and members of the Scientific Planning Committee and be conveyed to the audience as a second slide as part of any presentation. The second slide should be displayed for an appropriate amount of time for participants to read.
   • Disclosure slide template
2. Drug, technology, device, product advertisements or logos must not appear in any written materials, including but not limited to preliminary or final programs, brochures, slides, or advanced notification. Only generic names of medications, technologies and devices should be used, whenever possible. Use of generic names only or generic and trade names should be consistent throughout any presentation. If trade names must be used, balanced information across products should prevail.
3. If specific products or services are mentioned, there should be a balanced presentation of the prevailing body of scientific information on that product or service and reasonable alternative treatment options. If unapproved or off-label uses of a product are discussed, presenters must inform the audience of this fact.
4. Physicians should not engage in peer selling. Peer selling occurs when a pharmaceutical or medical device manufacturer or service provider engages a physician to conduct an activity that focuses on or is designed to enhance the sale of its own products. Faculty of CPD events may intentionally or unintentionally engage in peer selling of products, tools, or devices if their presentations are not balanced, objective and evidence informed. Therefore, your presentation/activity must not include:
   • Product-specific materials
   • Product endorsements
   • Product logos or branding
5. In order to meet the requirements for an Accredited Self-Assessment Activity (Section 3) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, presentations must be given to participants 3 weeks prior to the program taking place. 

Due to the nature of our audience response system, your presentation will need to be uploaded ahead of time and run from one of our AV providers computers. You will have time during your rehearsal to review your presentation and make any final changes.

DOs:

• Set your presentation to widescreen. Page setup -> Widescreen. Please send us your presentation in PowerPoint or Keynote.
• Use a legible font on a light background with clear graphics.
• Include a disclosure/conflict of interest slide (slide 2). Disclosure slide template
• Inform the audience of any unapproved or off-label products if applicable.
• Include a learning objective slide (slide 3). Learning objectives slide template
• Include content that is likely to be tested on the exam in add to what a general surgeon needs to know. 
• Include a minimum of 5 multiple choice questions. We suggest including one or two multiple choice questions to introduce a specific topic and then follow with one or two questions to gauge understanding of the material presented. MCQ Guidelines
• Include the answers to your multiple choice questions on a duplicate slide and highlight the correct answer. These are required by our AV technicians to program all of your touch pad questions ahead of time.
• Include a summary slide with a full description of each abbreviation used throughout your presentation.

DON'Ts:

• Limit the use of abbreviations. Our participants come from across Canada, including from our French speaking provinces, and some participants come from around the world. Not all acronyms/abbreviations are universally understood, therefore it is preferable to write out the terms you are using rather than using an acronym or abbreviation.
• Avoid adding transitions or animations to your presentation. While these look good on screen, when handouts are printed images overlap and can hide valuable information.

We have asked for presentations in advance so participants have ample time to download your presentations prior to the program taking place.

1. Upload your PC or MAC presentation, supplementary handouts as well as any video and audio files that are part of your presentation. We will create participant handouts, in PDF format, using the presentation you have provided. Please upload and clearly label any supplementary handouts. MCQ answers will not be shared with participants ahead of time.
2. If your presentation contains confidential photos that cannot be shared with participants, please upload two presentations. One labelled (participant) that does NOT contain confidential photos. One labelled (AV) that does contain the confidential photos.
3. If you are using a MAC and have trouble uploading your files, click the option "Other Upload Methods". This option is found just under Step 3 on the upload screen. You can then select whether you wish to upload a file or a folder. Click "Try Selected Method". On the next screen you will add your files in Step 3.

Should you encounter difficulties uploading your presentation, please send it to [email protected].

Upload here (UPDATE LINK)