The Importance Of Continuing Your Medical Education
Continuing your medical education, even if you’re at a point in your career where it’s not required, is one of the most important decisions you can make as a member of the radiology community. Our industry is constantly evolving, and the ones who refuse to grow and adapt along with it are the ones who inevitably get left behind.
When the International Society for Computed Tomography (ISCT) was founded 20 years ago, our mission was to encourage scientific collaboration and the dissemination of newly introduced technology through annual symposiums. Today, that mission remains the same, but our reach has grown well beyond expected. Why? Because we recognized that learning in the field of medicine is a never-ending process, and we’ve purposed our organization to continually meet the evolving standards of your personal and professional lives.
ISCT vice-president Dr. Cynthia McCollough is at the forefront of encouraging the importance of continued medical education, just as she promoted it during her time at the Mayo Clinic by advocating for CT certifications and the sharing of knowledge between CT specialties in an effort to improve the overall quality of the radiology department.
There is no limit to how much we can learn, and the importance of what we learn is what sets us apart. The most successful men and women in our industry are the ones who understand that your education doesn’t end when you graduate and start your professional career, that the path to enlightenment and self-growth is one you’ll walk forever. That’s why continued medical education is so important, and that’s why we’ve dedicated our life’s work to providing CME-accredited educational content to all members of the CT community.
We know that you — the radiologists, medical physicists, radiology technologists, cardiologists, and healthcare administrators — have a will to learn matched only by a desire for more free time, therefore, ease of access is very important. Our annual international symposium for CT covers hundreds of CT-specific topics over the course of a few days. This content is later packaged and released as CME accredited courses available through ISCT’s Education On-Demand site, which contains access to hundreds of innovative talks given by industry leaders and radiology experts from around the country. The full content from our 2018 symposium will be launching soon, and is accredited for up to 18.50 credit hours.
Online learning has evolved as a game changer for many in the healthcare industry, where busy schedules and long hours make it difficult to find the time to slip away to an educational conference. Our on-demand content is a flexible learning option that allows members of the radiology community to continue their medical education on a timeline that works for their specific needs.
There is no doubt that continuing your medical education is key to establishing yourself as a relevant, valuable member of the radiology community, and finding the time to advance your professional knowledge is essential. Whether that means heading to an educational conference like ISCT’s annual CT symposium or utilizing on-demand radiology CME courses that allow for a more flexible learning experience, the important thing is that you find some way to stay on top of changes in the industry.