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.