RSNA Support for Lifelong Learning

In this issue, Dr Jannette Collins provides an excellent, in-depth discussion of lifelong learning and its increasing emphasis in the professional lives of physicians (^,1). Most physicians are already engaged in lifelong learning but have not necessarily looked at the process from this perspective. The current discussion about the importance of lifelong learning may result in heightened self-awareness by physicians and may facilitate an ongoing learning process, which can, in turn, make it easier to document those processes in the manner required by the American Board of Radiology (ABR) Maintenance of Certification (MOC).

RSNA^® (Radiological Society of North America) has numerous programs and products intended to assist physicians in their lifelong learning process, regardless of whether or not the physician is officially participating in MOC. The most obvious offerings are the many types of continuing medical education (CME) activities available through RadioGraphics, the RSNA Annual Meeting, various workshops (offered throughout the year), and those that are continuously accessible online at www.rsna.org/education. Learners may use the content codes associated with each course, article, or program to find the CME opportunities that are most relevant to their interests, educational needs, and clinical practice. Physicians can also keep tabs on their CME history by accessing the CME gateway at www.cmegateway.org.

Physicians may wish to develop and periodically update a more organized plan for their education and training. If so, a newly developed online tool takes learners through a process of self-reflection, analysis, and planning that results in a roadmap for future learning. Accessible at www.rsna.org/education/MOC, My Professional Learning Map can be completed and confidentially stored online or printed as a PDF.

Self-assessment modules (SAMs) combine CME with an assessment of learning. Incorporating a mix of RadioGraphics articles, electronic refresher courses, and cases of the day, RSNA SAMs are free to members. Even for physicians not engaged in a formal MOC process, use of SAMs can consolidate learning by providing users with an immediate appraisal of their learning. These tools will also provide feedback about their performance relative to that of peers. In-person SAMs can be completed at the RSNA Annual Meeting, and online SAMs are available at www.rsna.org/education/MOC.

There is also an increasing emphasis on moving past what physicians know to what physicians do in their daily practice. This focus on performance can be demonstrated through participation in individual or group quality improvement projects. Participants in the ABR MOC are required to engage in Performance Quality Improvement (PQI) activities throughout the certification cycle. All physicians can learn from measuring what they do, developing a strategy for improvement, and then measuring whether improvement has been achieved. Basic information about how to do quality improvement projects is available on the RSNA Web site at www.rsna.org/quality. Readers should also be alert for articles on quality improvement topics in RadioGraphics (new articles in the series, coordinated by Jonathan Kruskal, MD, PhD, appear online ahead of print issues at radiographics.rsnajnls.org).

In the near future, a number of additional resources in the area of quality improvement, developed by the RSNA Quality Improvement Committee, will be accessible on the RSNA Web site. These resources will include a Quality Improvement Starter Kit, designed to provide simple directions for planning one’s first quality improvement project. RSNA is also working to develop a series of quality improvement “turnkey” projects. The series will offer learners a selection of projects in various subspecialty areas that can be implemented in their practices. The first of these projects has been qualified by the ABR, and more are in the works. Each will be accessible at www.rsna.org/quality.

Finally, learners can reexperience the most recent RSNA Annual Meeting and Scientific Assembly online. For authors who consent to make them available, electronic education exhibits and scientific posters from the meeting are available to RSNA members and meeting attendees for 1 year after the meeting. They can be accessed through the RSNA Virtual Meeting at www.rsna.org/education.

The approach to maintaining knowledge and skills as a physician is evolving. RSNA wants to partner with our radiology colleagues so that members continue to get the support, guidance, and resources they need to optimize their lifelong learning. Let us know how we are doing and what else we can do to help by e-mailing us at [email protected].