“Who is paying for your EMS continuing education?” was the question Jim Hoffman, the EMS Professional asked his listeners earlier this week. You can listen to the full broadcast in this Blog Talk Radio Player.
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Jim make a lot of great points during the broadcast about the importance of continuing education and different methods to acquire CE – also known as con ed. These are my Everyday EMS Tips for acquiring and making the most of continuing education.
1. Medical director approval can make virtually anything count as continuing education. If you attend a seminar, listen to a podcast, or read an article and want CE credit for your effort present the information you learned, the objectives of the program, and the number of hours to your medical director for approval. Draft a letter or memo for the medical director so all they have to do is sign the form after ensuring you learned something.
2. Decide if you are trying to refresh knowledge you already have or learn new content. Then choose learning opportunities to help you meet your goal. Conference sessions are particularly troublesome in that they often promise new content but spend much of the time reviewing information that you learned in EMT or Paramedic school.
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3. Try something different for CE. If you have always used magazine articles try an online course. If you have always attended conference session ask your medical director to help you connect with a physician you could round with. Going to a nursing CEU session. You will likely learn a lot about a routinely encountered medical problem when you look at it from the perspective of another healthcare provider.
4. Track your CE progress. Jim discussed this in the radio show. If you are tracking your progress you will know where you stand during your renewal cycle and will be less likely to be scheduling all your CE during the last 30 days of your renewal.
In a post next week I will tell you how I keep my knowledge up-to-date with CE. Meanwhile check out Jim’s Turbo Medic program.
