Online and Blended Learning in Medicine - Continuing Medical Education

Online education has become an important component of mainstream education in recent years. Economic and time considerations have gradually lead prospective students to actively search for schools online and find combinations in blended education (a mix of traditional education methodology with online and technology aided learning) that fit their considerations the best.

In recent years professionals have likewise turned to online educational programs as a way of augmenting their knowledge base and capability in the workplace. Specialized training can easily be completed online with the minimal amount of time required for hands-on coursework while classes are conducted in a variety of ways through online portals and can easily be managed to fit individual schedules. The medical profession is one such profession that has embraced online and blended education in a big way.

Treatments, procedures and methodology as well as theory and practical application are all now taught online in various blended structures and while professionals go about their practice, they can now learn from the most brilliant minds in their respective fields at the same time, even if they are half way around the world.

Online CME for Professionals

CME stands for continuing medical education, that is, a form of continuing education through which medical professionals refresh their knowledge and learn about the new developments in their fields.

CME activities take place in the form of classroom/seminar events as well as through publications, online courses and other electronic media such as DVD, Video/audio presentations.

CME in North America

CME has become a necessity in many parts of the US, for instance, Arizona State requires 40 hours of CME study every two years in order for practitioners of medicine to maintain their licenses.

Within the US, CME for medical professionals is regulated by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and the American Osteopathic Association.

CME in Canada

400 credits of CME are required every five years, with at least 40 in each year. The certification is provided by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) and the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC). The RCPSC certifies its members, specialist physicians, through the Maintenance of Certification Programs.

Online CME

Types of instruction

* In online CME, professionals are most likely to encounter the following formats of instruction;
* Text and graphic journals (like reading a textbook)
* Slide-audio/video lectures (Like attending a seminar or lecture)
* Case-based online interactive learning (where students make decisions according to the case study and clinical presentation)
* Quiz questions and answers (computer programs ask questions and provide correct explanations and information in accordance with the answers)
* Correspondence courses (a group of doctors study similar modules and correspond with each other, sharing knowledge and experience).

Online CME Costs

Online CME is very affordable. This affordability is compounded by the fact that the usual benefits of online education, and the freedom it provides professionals, applies to online medical education as well and therefore reduces the overall cost of CME.

Common rates;

3500+ hours of CME conducted over the internet is free.
18000+ hours of online CME costs as low as - per hour.
A few specialist courses are more expensive than per hour due to the nature of the training.

References

1. Dr. Bernard Sklar, MD, MS (http://www.cmelist.com/list.htm)
2. Wikipedia

Resource Area

DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERAL OVERVIEW and may or may not reflect specific practices, courses and/or services associated with ANY ONE particular school(s) that is or is not advertised on SchoolsGalore.com.

Build a Solid Career by Continuing Education

Is earning a college degree not enough? Do you want to enhance your education and skills? Then, you can expand your knowledge and obtain additional credits by continuing education or post-secondary education. Most college graduates who undergo post-secondary education are nurses and teachers. They study to acquire a particular field based on their degree. Example, some nurse practitioners continue education by applying in special programs. Continuing education is beneficial to nurses because it enhances their understanding about nursing and more job opportunities can be offered. Their education level also increases; thus, allowing them to apply in special fields in medicine like pediatrics. With added learning, nurses are competent and patients are handled properly.

Enrollment for Continuing Education

College or university graduates have the opportunity to take post-secondary education.

You can acquire a course by taking seminars, online courses, and hands-on training. These programs vary in completion length. Most courses are completed in a span of weeks or months. Employees of some companies are given the chance to obtain funding for continuing education. They offer potential workers with additional trainings for a specific field of expertise. Proficient workers contribute to the growth of the business. In some parts of the world, professionals take a mandatory continuing education. This is required mostly to health care professionals. Professionals must cope up with modernization. New innovations and researches are learned by these professionals to provide the best service for clients. If you want to enroll in continuing education programs, you must first consult the university for available slots and courses. The most convenient way for busy people to enroll in courses is training online. Classes online offer flexibility. You can choose your own schedule to avoid conflicts. Students learn interactively with discussions, online teachers,and modules.

Your career affects your life especially if you have a family. Your family’s financial need is your responsibility. Reaching your goals will only be achieved by building a solid career. Plan a specific career you want. You can select one based from your passion. If you have passion for construction, then take an engineering course. Ensure that your skills will match the career you’ve chosen. It is important that you enjoy your profession no matter how difficult it is. Building your career is not instant. It is a process you should start from scratch. Extra credits by continuing education can build your career. Adapting to changes and enhancing your education are the factors to success. You don’t stop after graduating from college. Develop your profession by seeking updated and new skills. Biology students have the potential to be doctors. Nurses after a master’s degree can be clinical instructors. There is better pay with added credentials. Most employers are impressed with a job seeker who has a higher level of education. They feel assured that the employee can manage tasks easily. Successful people never stopped educating themselves. They keep on learning about their career and they never stop growing and maintaining professionalism. Educational opportunities can save yourself from unemployment.

Dental Continuing Education - To Do Or Not To?

Dental continuing education can be almost like continuing-on to college or university. Not because it is there, but because one wants to. Medical doctors may not want the sometimes-boring rounds of measles and chicken-pox, and so opt to be a specialist in various serious diseases. A general surgeon might want to specialize in hearts more closely, so trains-on to be a heart-surgeon.

There are equally as many paths a dentist can go down with further education. Learning how to educate people in aspects of the teeth is very important, now some heart-disease has been linked to bad teeth. Other problems of the body have also been tentatively linked to bad teeth.

Even to keep apace with the job they have, dentists need to attend dental seminars, and short training courses or some videos and lessons. Care changes almost everyday, as someone discovers a new test for some disease, or way of treating something else. One must keep-up with the latest in discovery or learning. People are not fools, and what was good even ten years ago is not suitable nowadays.

If one does not wish to progress further on the career ladder, then one has still to keep abreast of what is new, what is being frowned on, and what is being practiced differently. A new way of looking at an old problem can and does help one's patients. Drugs change, and are revamped, so learning about this is also necessary. It can depend on one's nature, or it can depend on one's ambition.

There are many colleges and universities around the world, who have courses in updating or increasing the level of one's knowledge or skill. Most have brochures or short on-line sections about what they are teaching next, and an enquiry will surely elicit what is required. Some also send out diaries with teaching programmes on them that can be enrolled in. This will require, usually, contacting the course-provider, and finding all relevant information.

Accreditation is a very important part of almost-all businesses and companies in this day and age. If one is not accredited, then one simply does not practice. Dentists and doctors must live under this law, the same as any tool factory. Dentistry is a business, the same as many others and the same rules apply.

Not only dentists themselves can be upgraded. Courses are also supplied for dental hygienists, oral health therapists and dental assistants, to name a few. A good start on the road to up-dating oneself is research about what is available. Check out the Internet, or phone or email various universities to find-out what is available. It can be for your own benefit, so a small investment of time can give big results.

Dental continuing education is important for the people who depend on one for health-care for their teeth. It usually leads to further improvements in the care given, and can also give the practitioner some encouragement. Dental therapy, like all health-provider jobs now, is a life-long learning process. Universities welcome new and old alike to their seminars and lectures. An investment of one or two days can improve one's practice to the next level.

Applying Your EA Continuing Education to Taxpayers with Vacation Homes

Passing the enrolled agent exam permits you to help taxpayers with a variety of tax issues. There's no shortage of potential clients with common situations that involve complex tax reporting. For example, after obtaining the enrolled agent designation you can market yourself as a tax expert to the many individuals with vacation homes.

Handling the deduction of expenses for a vacation property is fairly simple if it's a second home. The mortgage interest and real estate taxes are tax deductible just as with a primary residence. The trouble begins if the property is rented during part of the year.

That affects how to handle the deductible expenses.

People with vacation homes that they occasionally rent need to know about the valuable knowledge you possess from your enrolled agent course studies. Rental of a property for less than two weeks during the year is ignored for federal income tax purposes. The rent received is not taxed. But there are also no tax deductions, except mortgage interest and real estate taxes just as if the property was never rented.

Rental of a property used by the owner and also rented for more than 14 days triggers some detailed tax accounting.

This situation requires dividing the expenses into categories for the personal usage and rental usage periods. You can perform this exercise for taxpayers because it's addressed in your EA continuing education.

The calculation applies the number of rental days as a percentage of the entire year to determine deductions associated with rental activity. This creates a rental tax deduction for a portion of some normally nondeductible household expenditures – such as utilities and repairs. Of course, these deductions reduce the tax impact of the rental income.

Expenses during the percentage of each year that the property is personally used are not deductible – except for ordinarily allowed deductions on second homes. This includes mortgage interest and real estate taxes and casualty losses.

Another case where your EA CPE is deployed in figuring out a complicated tax matter is when the vacation home owner occupies the property for more than 14 days or 10 percent of the days it is rented, whichever is greater. In such circumstances, you can't permit the taxpayer to use the vacation home to create a loss for its second use as rental property. Expenses for the percentage of rental time are still deductible but only up to the amount of rental income. Excess rental period expenses are carried over to subsequent years.

There are fewer limitations on loss deductions for properties converted from personal use to rental activity during the year. In addition, these conversion events are when you want taxpayers to begin utilizing your enrolled agent expertise. When individuals start using  vacation homes for rental purposes, they need professional tax advice. Make sure they can find you for this important service.

IRS Circular 230 Disclosure

Pursuant to the requirements of the Internal Revenue Service Circular 230, we inform you that, to the extent any advice relating to a Federal tax issue is contained in this communication, including in any attachments, it was not written or intended to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (a) avoiding any tax related penalties that may be imposed on you or any other person under the Internal Revenue Code, or (b) promoting, marketing or recommending to another person any transaction or matter addressed in this communication.