A Long-Term Relationship With CME

After weeks and weeks of being up in to my neck with piles after piles of work, I finally found the time to search the Internet about maintenance of certification programs. No medical sub-specialty in particular, just general MOC. It was only then that it hit me: medical professionals should have a long-term relationship with CME!

For those who are still in the dark, CME or Continuing Medical Education is a process by which medical professionals continue learning and re-learning even after medical school. Learning new things is not new to us doctors because we know for a fact that medicine is an ever-changing science; and if we want to perform at our best, we need to keep up with those changes. Re-learning is basically reviewing what we already know from medical school. It can include a simple recall or additional inputs of recent updates on a given topic. 

So why do I say that we should have a long-term relationship with CME in relation to our maintenance of certification? The answer is simple: because CME is required to finish MOC. More than that, however, I noticed that MOC and CME weave through the same path; and without the other, one will fail. Think of it this way, MOC was designed to make sure that all diplomates continue to have the edge and equipment to practice their professions; and CME is the indispensable tool for the MOC program to achieve its goal. On the other hand, if MOC programs do not require CME credits, medical professionals may not be as motivated to join CME activities as they are now. 

I guess, what I am trying to say is that wherever we go, no matter how far we have come along our medical professions, there is no escaping CME. Actually, we should actually be chasing after it. It does not only help us technically (by aiding us in the completion of our subspecialty’s MOC program) it also molds us to become the doctors that we should be – competent and up to date. 

Visit John Hopkins Medicine, Mayo School of Continuous Professional Development, and Apollo AudioBooks for countless CME resources and activities. 

Spicing-up a Resume with Online Continuing Education Courses

In this day and age, it is ever more important to always stay at the top of your game. The competitive nature of the world we are living in right now makes it almost a necessity to continually climb up the career ladder; you need to update your knowledge and skills 24 hours a day, seven days a week if you want to get and stay ahead. For that very reason, online continuing education courses have become increasingly popular. The flexible nature of this program, as well as the ease in which these courses can be fulfilled, makes continuing education within reach to physicians with even the busiest of schedules.

There is a wide-array of learning, skills, certificates, and CME credits that can be earned from now less than the comforts of your own home. This kind of flexibility permits you to stop worrying about outside stressors – the long commute to school, the long hours at work, family commitment, etc. – and just focus on your studies.

The best thing about continuing education courses, regardless if they are taken online or not, is that they will definitely spice up your resume. It will give you the much-needed edge over your competitors. It spells the difference between you and the next person who gets the job. Having the necessary skills, knowledge, and certification in your resume will boost your capability to land a job in so many ways. Think of it this way, would you prefer, a chocolate sundae or a chocolate sundae with whip cream and cherry on top for the same price?

If you want your resume to look as polished as possible, apply for continuing education courses - one of the best ways to get ahead in this industry.

Online Continuing Education: The Beauty of the Internet

The Internet, as they say, is the biggest human milestone since the discovery of fire. Why wouldn’t it? Most of the things we need to function in our day-to-day lives are online – travel itinerary, communicating with our boss and friends, and saving files among many others. As a professional, however, I have found that the best thing that the Internet has to offer is online continuing education. If you have not heard of it, you better start climbing out of the rock you have been living under and take advantage of this wonderful opportunity.

Online continuing education started basically ten years ago when the World Wide Web became stable enough to handle web classrooms. In a few words, online continuing education is a classroom setting transferred on the Internet. That means everything you can learn and do in the classroom can be learned and done in the comfort of your own home or anywhere that has an Internet connection. If you think that is just a sassy way to go around studying, think again.

We all know how hectic our schedules can become these days – operations here and there, conference calls, patient rounds; there are just so much to be done and so little time. There are also times when the course we want to take up is only given in a university thousands of miles away. Think of the Internet as a portable and flexible professor who can work with you whenever and wherever.

Before you go about enrolling in every online continuing education program you see, consider these two things first:

1. Is the online continuing education provider accredited? Accreditation is key if you want to get great value for your money and honest-to-goodness CME credits. If the online CME provider is not accredited, chances are the entire program did not pass the standards set by accrediting bodies. More importantly, the course does not qualify you to get CME credits which are highly necessary if you are in a Maintenance of Certification program. You can Google it, ask around, or even ask the online continuing education provider directly if they are accredited.

2. How much time do you need to spend in on-campus activities? I could safely assume that the reason why you even engaged in online CME is because you do not have the time or the faculties to go on-campus to get your continuing education classes. However, there are some online continuing education courses that will require you to spend several hours for on-campus lectures or laboratory time. You need to know how much time you need to spend for this and when and where this will take place.

Those are only two of the most important things you need to know before you sign-up for an online continuing education course. Do not stop here though because there are still so much to learn. Check more online continuing education resources in CME-Linker.com.

Next Vacation Destination – CME Conference

A friend and I were just talking about how silly our schedules are as medical professionals when I happened to stumble upon something that gives us an opportunity to have fun while working; not that saving lives and curing diseases is no fun at all. I am talking about CME conferences that are offered during a cruise. Yes, you heard me right – instead of having lectures in a plain old conference hall, you can soak under the Caribbean sun while gathering CME credits.

Their conferences usually run for a week or two, depending on the extent of the topics that will be covered during one schedule. It is held in a cruise ship that sets sail from different parts of the world – France, United States, etc. – and tours around the Caribbean seas. Naturally, you will need to sit on lectures and listen to experts discuss about the topics being covered by the conference; however, you can use the rest of the day toiling around the elegant cruise ship. You can catch up on some sleep in their luxurious bed or go for a dip in their swimming pool – it does not matter what you do, what matters is that you can take a breather from all the pressures within the hospital. The University at the Sea offers conferences that give up to 14 Category 1 CME credits; that cover almost half of the annual CME credits requirements of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.

What I like most about this concept, aside from the fact that I gain CME credits while working on my tan, is the fact that I can bring my family with me on this trip. It is honestly like hitting several birds with a single stone. Now, you would not have to feel guilty about not spending too much time with your family.

The cruise ship conferences are expectedly more expensive than regular CME activities. They are, however, definitely worth it. The joy of spending time with your loved ones while working on your CME credits is definitely priceless.

CME and Skin Care: How Can Continuing Medical Education Help Give Patients Better Skin?

As I have said in my previous blog post, we are now in the day and age where perfection means everything. When we were still in high school, we either strive to do well with our grades to go to the best colleges; or we go the other way and invest on our looks to kick-start a Hollywood or modelling career. Whichever path you choose to take, the key is perfection. As we grow older, being the best, being number one is still our priority – the best family life, the best career, and most importantly, aging gracefully. As dermatologists, it is one of our unofficial responsibilities to contribute to this world of perfection by giving our patients the best possible skin without resulting to cosmetic surgery.

You must be wondering how all these talk about becoming the best relate to CME. Dermatologists are some of the very few medical health professionals directly related to beauty. Since we cannot surgically increase someone’s IQ, we settle for the next best thing by maintaining flawless skin; a skin made for goddesses. Because all these and so much more are expected from dermatologists, they need to make sure that their knowledge and skills are at par with that of the best. Like I said – perfection is everything. CME is the best way for all members of the medical health team to get the latest updates, technologies, and new knowledge regarding your profession.

CME can come in many different forms – published journals, conventions, seminars, workshops, courses, and even audiobooks. Any one of these can definitely help you stay abreast with the most recent information on your field. Find excellent CME resources at practicalreviews.org or CMElist.com.

Feeling “Unpretty”? CME and Its Effects on Your Patient’s Decision-Making Process!

Day in and day out, psychologists and plastic surgeons are faced with people who have countless insecurities about their bodies. “My nose is too big!” and “My hips are not wide enough!” are only few of the complaints we hear every day from our patients. I guess we can’t blame them because we now live in a society where physical appearance means everything; and I mean everything! That is also the reason why there is an increasing number of people who would run to plastic surgeons the minute they see something “wrong” about their bodies; and they are getting younger and younger too.

Just recently, I read in a news article that FDA warned people with silicone breast implants that they may actually opt to have the implants removed within ten years. Almost 20 years ago, FDA already banned the use of silicone as breast implants because of the growing number of concern that it may cause cancer. A few years later, they released it back to the market saying that no substantial research can clearly prove silicone’s linkage to cancer.

What I am trying to get at here is that as members of the medical health team, it is our responsibility to make sure that our patients make sound and informed decisions; that is, after all, the entire concept of informed consents. CME plays a vital role in this process because we cannot help our patients make a decision if we, ourselves, do not have up-to-date knowledge about the matter. We need to constantly soak our brains with new information and updates on things pertaining to our practice.

Time and time again, I have pushed and tried to prove the importance of CME to everyone; and for very good reasons. Let us just say that CME helps us not look stupid in front of our patients. Yes, I know that we have learned a lot in medical school and our clinical practice but there is still so much to learn. Every day, someone somewhere discovers something new; something that helps us become better medical health professionals.

You can also get more CME resources from Apollo Audiobooks, LLC.

Continuing Medical Education: Collaboration is Essential

For the past five decades or so, primary care boards worked independently. However, with the constant desire to perform better, for the sake of continuing medical education, and the rise of Maintenance of Certification (MOC) programs, the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM), the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM), and the American Board of Pediatrics begun to collaborate to continually raise the quality of service offered by their diplomates. The collaboration of these three boards is a huge step as they represent almost half of all the board-certified physicians in America.

Since then, the three boards had a collective goal of using each other’s knowledge to come up with wider range and better tools that medical professionals can use to maintain their certification and enhance the quality of health care provided to patients through certification. Needless to say, their collaboration made it a lot easier for physicians to work together and get their hands on tools that can help them with continuing medical education and their certification.

Now, when we were in college we were always taught that in the world of medicine, we all work as a team. Physicians cannot function efficiently without nurses, and nurses are the same towards physicians. There are decisions and procedures that are definitely easier done when we all work together as a team. Clearly, this is not only true in the clinical area as collaboration evidently did its wonders with continuing medical education and MOC too.

To get the latest updates on CME, visit CME-linker.com.

How Important is Continuing Medical Education

When I was still in college, my professors and clinical instructors kept telling us that continuing medical education is extremely important. At first I thought, “Now, that is just unacceptable!” First, I go through hell in college, and when I manage to get out, I would have to review for the Nursing Licensure Exam. After months of tirelessly cramming up four years’ worth of knowledge for two days of exam, you sweat and stress about the actual test days. When I become a licensed nurse, you expect me to go through everything – school, review materials, seminars, and exams – all over again?! That, for me, was disheartening.

It was only when I started practicing my profession that I realized that my professors are actually correct. I submitted my resume to several institutions and I was extremely confident that at least half of those hospitals would contact me within a few days. Days, however, became weeks and before weeks turned in to months I decided to do something about it. I revisited those hospitals and spoke with their human resource specialists; they all told me one thing – I do not have enough training to be hired. How come? – I asked! I graduated from one of the best schools that cater to medical-related courses, I did not graduate with honors but my grades are pretty high, and I got excellent recommendations from my professors. Each of them explained that I need to attend IV therapy workshop to get certified and I need to attend this and that seminar too.

My heart was crashed to say the least but it was only then that it hit me – continuing medical education is really important. I realized then that it will not only give me and edge during job applications, it will give me an edge as a professional; end of story. There is a good reason why hospitals require continuing medical education to some degree and that is because they want to make sure that their personnel are equipped with all the latest and up-and-coming advancements in their specific fields.

I did as I was told and joined mini-courses, seminars, workshops, and practically anything that is related to my line of work. I was stunned to realize that four years of college and even years in clinical practice are not enough; and it will never be enough. With my achievements now, I can still honestly say that I can learn more.

Learning, indeed, is a continuous process. It will stop the moment your heart stops beating too; unless, of course, you deliberately lose interest in learning new things. Regardless if you are a nurse or not, you will definitely benefit from continuing medical education. You can visit Apollo Audiobooks for resources on CME for different fields.

Continuing Education Online

Last week I talked about the role of continuing education online, or more generally the internet, in our lives as medical professionals. I am an internet buff and I spend most of my free time online. Fortunately, I came across this continuing education online program called “iScience 2011”.

iScience is an all-inclusive digital library that holds all topics, learning materials, and knowledge presented at American College of Cardiology (ACC) 11 and i2 summit. Even if you missed the ACC summit, you can now hear top-of-the-line cardiology experts talk about various topics relevant to our profession. Each presentation you will get with the iScience package includes the speaker’s slides synchronized with an accompanying audio.

Like all other continuing education online activities, the objective of iScience is to keep you up to date on the most recent happenings and discoveries on cardiovascular science, apply all information you gained from the program to your day to day clinical activities, and help you improve patient care. The video resolution of iScience 2011 is better than ever before and it now has a more efficient search capabilities.

I think that this is one of the best examples of the benefits of continuing education online. I know that a lot of cardiologists, advance practice nurses, and all other medical professionals who work with patients in this department wanted to join the ACC 11 and i2 Summit; however, some of their schedules did not allow them to hear experts talk about a variety of cardiology topics. Now, however, you can listen to the exact same presentation at home, while in the clinic, or even when you are on a trip. That, my friend, is the beauty of continuing education online.

To learn more about iScience 2011 you can visit the ACC site. Visit Apollo Audibooks and see many different choices of CME audiobooks.  

Juggling Between Work and CME? Try Continuing Education Online!

The internet has opened a whole new realm of possibilities for us. Not only does the internet make the world smaller by bringing people from the other side of the planet closer to you, the internet also allows us to simplify our work; and CME is not exempted.

CME or Continuing Medical Education is a way for medical professionals to continually grow in their field. With CME, all members of the medical health team can stay up to date with the recent developments in the medical science. This can be attained by attending seminars, workshops, and even small-group discussions directly related to one’s profession. You may also enrol in courses that will give you more knowledge and in-depth understanding of your work. However, most (if not all) of us already have our hands tied at work; the hectic schedule, the long nights, and other responsibilities. That is why it can be extremely difficult to make time for CME.

Not anymore! With the birth of continuing education online, you can now juggle between work and CME by just turning on your computer. Continuing education online gives you the edge by allowing you to control your schedule; you can “go back to school” when you want it, where you want it. You can participate in your CME course even when you are sent to Kathmandu for a special assignment (or anywhere with an internet connection for that matter).

Even with the advantage provided by the internet, it is still possible to get side-tracked every now and then: the little household chores it takes forever to finish, and of course, Facebook, twitter, and the NBA play-offs. Here are some tips you can follow to make sure you can focus on your CME:

1. Put CME at the top of your priorities! Okay, you can put it next to your work and family, but it should at least be on your top five priorities.

2. Learn to delegate. Small household chores can be delegated to your partner or the kids. If you are living alone, consider paying a teenager a few dollars to clean your house once a week.

3. Stay away from Facebook, Twitter, and all other destracting websites. One disadvantage of studying online is the fact that the internet is home to a lot of addictive social networking sites; I am guilty as charged! I can spend hours and hours in front of the computer and not finish anything; then I realize I spent all those hours on Facebook. Although it is important that you unwind and relax from time to time, try to put it to a minimum. Cut your Facebook usage to half an hour per day or less; you’d be surprised how much you can finish without social networking sites.

Check out some of your other alternatives to traditional CME Courses here like audiobooks, DVDs, CDs, and Online CME courses. You can stay up-to-date with CME News here.

Patients Helping Doctors with CME: A Web-Based Solution?

For many physicians, continuing medical education (CME) is a way to stay up-to-date to all the latest improvement in our field so that that in return, we can help their patients more efficiently. Doctors do this by attending seminars, lectures, conferences, or even as simple as reading recently published research. What not many doctors know is that patients can actually help us with our CME.

Sometimes, a lack of motivation or the supreme belief in oneself stops a doctor from pursuing actively CME. That is why, as a Continuing Medical Education Content Consultant, I think it is best that patients take an active part in pushing doctors or health care professionals, in general, to learn new things and explore new technologies. It is true that most physicians do not want to be placed in a situation where an unanswered question from a patient can ruin an otherwise reputation. However, these tough questions from patients can be just the impetus a physician needs to get a little "continuing education," whether formal CME credits are offered, or not.

Medical professionals encounter this exact situation the clinics. There's a tough question. Then the MD flips through a familiar reference or even asks professor Google.

Where am I really heading with this? Well, in my mind I am picturing an environment where individual patients can ask questions casually to several doctors; and the doctors and patients need not be in the same place at the same time. What good is the Internet if we cannot use it to our advantage, right?

So my proposition is this – why can't doctors and all other health care professionals participate in CME by maintaining a website wherein patients can ask doctors questions and the doctors will answer free of charge? At the same time, the physicians would earn CME credit for their service. Think of it this way: when you are given a challenging question (something your years of experience have not taught you), you will dive into extensive research and you won’t stop until that question is answered. Aside from the fact that you learn something new, you will learn or re-learn a lot of other things in the process of finding the answer.

I know this is an unconventional approach to CME, but it seems a reasonable avenue to explore. Why not earn CME credits for answering online questions? The problem is that the system would have to appropriately accredited - this is exceedingly difficult but not impossible. Coming across a question any of us have never heard before, forces all of us go out and "educate" ourselves. Why not formalize it in a web-based system and ear some continuing medical education credits along the way?

For more conventional ways to Earn CME Credits in your specialty, visit our CME Page at ApolloAudiobooks.com. Here you can compare hundreds of Board Reviews and CME Programs in over 40 specialties.

The Changing Face of American Continuing Medical Education

As physicians we are all aware of the changing face of American Continuing Medical Education. It was only a few years ago, around 2003 that spouses could attend some pharmaceutical education programs (i.e. dinners). Soon thereafter invitations to CME dinners were changed to "healthcare professionals only." And in recent year, pharmaceutical sales people have almost lost the ability to provide CME dinners altogether.

In a similar vein, I can remember a rural family physician several boxes of shotgun shells in the closet of his medical office. They all had little "Pfizer" stickers on them. When I inquired as to why the MD has "Pfizer" stickers on his shotgun shells, he reported "because the Pfizer guy knows I like to hunt." Well, as go the shotgun shells, so went the education.

In 2011 I attended a most interesting "CME" meeting, if it can be called such. It definitely was Continuing Medical Education in that I received some of the best surgical training I had every received at a CME meeting. However, there were no CME credits offered. Why? Because Continuing Medical Education guidelines dictate that no CME credit can be offered for "off label use" of any device or drug. The meeting organizer, Dr. Bobby Osher, realized that cutting edge medicine is not dictated by federal government regulations, but is created through individual innovation which may require some "off label use" or even "compassionate use" of certain pharmaceuticals or surgical devices. Thus, he decided to create a meeting that would truly "educate" physicians whether or not federally approved CME credits were offered.

The strangest thing is this. Of any continuing medical education meeting I ever attended (excluding resident grand rounds presentations), this was the least biased meeting I had ever been to. It was about surgeons sharing surgical techniques and experiences, rather than some forced contrivance trying to make pharmaceutical marketing appear as though it were "education." The meeting was sponsored by several surgical and pharmaceutical companies, though. So, why so unbiased? The truth is that Bobby Osher, by throwing off the chains of "Big CME" (similar to "Big Oil" or "Big Government" or "Big (insert your least favorite industry here)") created an anything goes atmosphere where physicians could feel free to teach and to learn without constantly looking over their shoulders wondering if they had broken some written or unwritten law of a credit offering CME conference.

So - Hat's off to Bobby Osher!

In an effort to find Continuing Medical Education activities that are relatively free of bias, I would suggest the following:

1. Go to a resident presentation (i.e. grand rounds). Their main sponsor is their spouse or parents. 
2. Attend a Board Review course in your specialty. These tend to be aimed at residents and are relatively free of bias. 
3. Purchase a Board Review course on DVD and watch at your leisure. 
4. If you are looking for true "education" you might attend a "CME" meeting like Dr. Osher's which offers no CME credit. Ironic isn't it. 

Additionally you can find a list of 1000's of hours of CME programs in over 40 specialties on the continuing medical education compare page of ApolloAudiobooks.  Finally the most comprehensive list of CME I have found on the web is at CMElist.com.