A member of good standing or good citizen status… Sounds confusing. What’s the difference?
Both terms actually refer to the engagement of a PRA Member with the Association. The member of good standing (a certificate of which is required by many hospitals to apply or maintain a doctor’s privileges) refers to a PRA Member who fulfills the following:
- Must have complied with attendance requirements of the Association
- Must not be delinquent in the payment of his financial obligations
- Must not be under suspension from membership privileges or from the practice of medicine
This is the simplest way to engage the Association – pay dues, attend CME activities (especially the Annual Meeting), come to annual business meeting and behave appropriately.
However, part of the vision of the organization is to have members who promote/ advocate rheumatology as a specialty and who work towards the advancement of education and research in the field. Likewise, with the implementation of the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Law of 2016, it also became important that members of the Association meet the minimum requirements of CPD credit units with a part of these needing to be obtained through PRA initiated activities. Thus, during the Annual Business Meeting in 2018 (held in Crowne Plaza Hotel, Pasig City), the general assembly of members approved the institution of the GOOD CITIZEN STATUS to reflect a PRA members’ active participation in the Association.
The PRA Committee on Membership and Credentials looks into the following when evaluating whether a member is of good citizen status.
Participation in CME/ CPD Activities
| Attendance of PRA Annual Meeting | 16 points |
| Attendance of SIG Activities (6 per activity, minimum 3/year) | 18 points |
| CPD Activity Speaker | 3 points |
| CPD Activity Reactor/ Panelist | 2 points |
| CPD Activity Moderator | 1 point |
Participation in the PRA Committees/ Special Interest Groups
| Chair of PRA Committee or PRA SIG | 2 points |
| Chair of PSBR or Board of Accreditation | 2 points |
| Membership in a PRA Committee | 1 point |
| Membership in a PRA Special Interest Group | 1 point |
| Chair/ Member of any Comm with Completed Output | 2 points |
Other Avenues for Involvement/ Participation
| PRA Annual Meeting Organizer (includes Officer of the Day) | 4 points |
| SIG Activity Organizer | 2 points |
| Attendance in the Annual Business Meeting | 2 points |
| PRA Representative to a Meeting or Conference | 1 point |
| PRA Board of Trustees Member | 4 points |
| Chair or Training Officer of a Rheum Fellowship Program | 2 points |
| Local Activity to promote PRA | 1 point |
How to we obtain Good Citizen Status?
- A member must be up-to-date in paying the Association Annual Dues
- Obtained at least 18 points from attending PRA-initiated CPD activities
- Obtained at least 4 points through membership in a PRA Committee or Special Interest Group and through other avenues of involvement/ participation
A member of good standing doesn’t automatically mean s/he has good citizen status.
Dr. Sidney Erwin Manahan (Chair, Committee on Membership & Credentials 2018-2020)
Date of Effectivity: 17 February 2018
