The Importance of Continuing Education in Healthcare
Whether you’ve just landed your first full-time job as a doctor or you’ve got decades under your belt, you may have asked yourself more than once, “Why is continuing education important?”
Continuing medical education (CME) plays an integral role in the rest of your time in the field. With new and emerging medicines, technology, and treatments, the learning never truly stops.
Accordingly, the importance of continuing education in healthcare lies in its ability to help providers stay up-to-date with industry changes.
What Is CME?
Continuing education is a crucial part of healthcare professionals’ careers. In fact, it’s so vital that it’s a requirement to maintain licensure and certification.
CME helps providers enhance and expand their skills and knowledge to improve their performance. Many topics can pop up throughout continuing education materials, including:
- Clinical care skills
- Patient-provider communication
- Leadership and teamwork skills
- Technology advancements
- Compliance and regulations
- Speciality-focused information
To earn credits, the content must be provided by an organization with Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) accreditation.
Most physicians are required to earn a set number of AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ each year, depending upon their location and specialty. That said, other options for earning include AAP, AMA PRA Category 2 Credits™, and AAFP Prescribed Credits.
Why Is Continuing Education Necessary?
State medical boards, employers, and professional organizations require CME for more than licensure. The goal is to provide practitioners with opportunities to stay updated on the latest developments.
Between new treatments and medications, technological advancements, care techniques, and now AI, the healthcare field changes frequently. CME makes it easier to stay on top of these changes, practice or learn new skills, and ultimately provide better care.
Benefits of Continuing Medical Education
Continuing education offers other advantages that enhance its importance throughout a provider’s career. For example, CME can:
- Improve job satisfaction: By expanding your skillset and networking, you can feel more satisfied with your job. Some people also find new career opportunities thanks to CME.
- Enhance the patient experience: When supplied with the proper knowledge, providers can identify issues earlier and provide timely care. They can also place more emphasis on preventative actions, which could improve outcomes.
- Reduce hospitalizations and recovery times: Similarly, providers who engage in CME can often deliver comprehensive and effective care, which can lead to reduced hospitalizations or shorter recovery times.
- Increase care consistency: CME can help standardize patient-centered practices, promoting consistency between providers and regions.
The reason why CME is necessary becomes clear: to improve knowledge and enhance patient outcomes.
So, whether you need a refresher on best practices or want to learn more about the latest tech advances, continuing education can help. Browse in-person and virtual seminars today to find out more.
