Lifelong Learning in Medicine: Making CE Work for You

When you made the decision to enter a medical career, whether as a physician, RN, or LPN, you also accepted the role of being a "lifelong learner." Research is constantly expanding the base of medical knowledge, as well as reminding us how much we still have to learn. State mandated medical CE courses are designed to close the gap between what we know, and what we need to know, to perform at the highest level. Courses are often based on the most recent medical findings, or on the needs in a specific geographic area. Our job as medical professionals is to keep up with what’s going on in our general area of expertise through CE.

Continuing education comes in many forms: there are multi-day conferences that take us out of town, in-house training sessions or short conferences, and online courses, to name a few. Cost and time away from home are serious limiting considerations for the out of town CE conference. In-house courses avoid those problems, but they’re often set at inconvenient times. Some of the best online courses are reasonably priced, require no travel at all, and can be completed on YOUR schedule.

The CNA training is more well recognized. Even if people are working for an agency where employees go to patients' homes to take care of them, the individuals in the homes may ask to see credentials. The person is more likely to recognize the certified nursing assistant certification than they would be to recognize the home health aide certification. Additionally, if an agency helps medical facilities to keep up with their staffing needs, by law, they may require any staff members to have at least a CNA certification. You make the person more versatile with the CNA training since they're able to better assistant patients in more ways than just basic care.

Whether you’re an individual required to complete specific CE courses, or the person responsible for verifying the completion of CE for a group of medical professionals, online CE can simplify the process.

• For the Individual

Online offerings usually involve streamed videos, and are designed to meet specific state mandates. They have the added advantage of being accessible from anywhere, at any time, and allow you to work at your own pace.If you have time to spare, whether in small or large blocks, online learning is perfect for you. Log on when and where it’s convenient – at home, at lunch, in an airport – and you have an internet connection and a computer, iPad or iPhone. Nothing could be easier. Most state mandated medical CE courses provide 1 or 2 hours of continuing education credit, with instant certification when you complete the course.

• For the CE Manager

The online CE provider you select should ideally be your one-stop location for Continuing Education records.You should be able to design a course of study or curriculum involving several courses, or to assign specific courses to a specific group, as well as verify who has completed training and who hasn’t. It’s important that the state mandated medical CE courses

Lifelong learning is a key factor in your career growth, and the quality of care you provide. Continuing medical education is vital to both, so make sure your provider is among the best available!

Rahul is a renowned author and social media enthusiast.