Continued education is a vital component of any healthcare system. It allows providers and practitioners the chance to learn and improve on the patient care they deliver while staying up-to-date in an ever-changing career. So, when the pandemic presented obstacles to this critical learning tool, Lisa Clemens, MS, PA-C, provider simulation specialist, Parkview Mirro Center for Research & Innovation, and her team decided to take action. Find out more as Lisa answers our questions and shares the steps they took to make local continuing education courses a reality.
What are CME courses?
CME is the abbreviation for Continuing Medical Education. Typically, this consists of courses, classes or educational activities that help individuals maintain, develop or increase their knowledge base and skills.
How did your team identify a need for these classes?
During the Covid-19 pandemic, we noticed a need for local CME offerings for providers. We realized that many people could not travel outside of the area to attend these courses, so we were determined to find a solution.
How did you develop the curriculum?
Initially, we sent a survey out to providers to get a feel for what types of courses would interest the largest number of our clinicians here at Parkview Health. We then developed a schedule of course offerings based on their feedback. Then, we got in touch with subject matter experts to instruct the courses and worked with them to develop the curricula.
Who enrolled and took the classes?
There have been a variety of internal Parkview providers that attended the courses. We’ve also had some external providers from Indiana and Ohio and medical residents who enrolled and completed the courses.
What did these classes entail?
Our classes offer all participants a combination of didactic instruction paired with a hands-on learning component. Many of the courses also provide participants with psychomotor skill instruction focusing on commonly performed procedures encountered in clinical environments.
How does this training benefit the communities we serve?
This training allows our clinicians to refine their skills in a safe learning environment. So, when they perform procedures or encounter a problem clinically, they feel confident, prepared and well equipped to provide their patients with top-notch care.
How does Parkview use this type of unique training to stay ahead of healthcare changes?
When new technology becomes available, we are proud to have the capacity to provide training for clinicians here in the simulation lab rather than learning for the first time on patients. We are excited to have the opportunity to provide resources to our clinicians and foster lifelong learning.
What has the feedback been like from providers?
Thus far, the feedback from providers has been extremely positive. We met a need by offering local CME during COVID-19, and we hope to continue to provide quality CME courses well after the pandemic.