Online Distance Learning for Professional Development
by Calvin Bruce & Urcel Fields *
The challenge facing residents who plan their Internal Medicine career is to stay clinically current and informed on health and business issues that impact the practice of medicine. A related goal is to take full advantage of opportunities for professional advancement. One means to achieve these goals is through Internet-based distance learning.
To illustrate the point, posted on The Informatics Review online is an interesting article entitled "All Bets On: Physicians are Using and Accepting the Internet!" The article, written in 1999, summarizes three industry surveys covering eleven countries that "strongly suggest that physicians may soon be obtaining online a significant portion of the information they utilize to practice medicine." That time is now.
Types of Online Distance Learning
Online Distance Learning (ODL) refers to a wide variety of educational programs and learning resources distributed through state-of-the-art communications technology, particularly the Internet. Instructional models include: online Continuing Medical Education (CME) courses; satellite teleconferencing; interactive, televised classes; Internet-based degree programs; virtual libraries and hospitals; and online peer discussions and career management resources.
Numerous hospitals sponsor Online Distance Learning centers. Internists working at such facilities are encouraged to avail themselves of the continuing education and professional-development options offered. If your employer does not sponsor a formal distance-learning program, you can develop your own. All you need to get started is a high-speed computer manufactured in the last three years, a low-volume Internet Service Provider, e-mail capability, a telephone and a fax machine.
Office-based Online Distance Learning
In the comfort and convenience of your home or hospital office, you can take advantage of a wide range of web-based educational offerings that are useful for professional development. The following web sites offer a plethora of medical information and learning resources upon which you can build a tailor-made self-enrichment program.
Online Continuing Medical Education - The premier web site for career-minded Internists is www.acponline.org. Sponsored by the ACP, the site offers an abundance of information related to Internal Medicine education, CMEs, clinical problem-solving and practice guidelines, professional meetings, "practice tools," license renewal, and government affairs and public policy. The resources are geared to medical students, residents and fellows. A relatively new Internet launch, www.medsn.com/medsn/index.htm presents online medical education content provided by renowned teachers from around the world. The site is designed to be an "e-learning platform" for medical students as well as other healthcare practitioners. At www.medscape.com, physicians can access a variety of interactive CME resources, including "full text clinical medicine articles" and next-day professional conference summaries. CME Unlimited (www.cmeunlimited.com/) offers, among other learning resources, live recordings of medical symposia, review courses and physician specialty meetings. Specifically, the site includes information on audio- and video-formatted Internal Medicine Board Review and recertification review courses. Another popular Internet site is www.webmd.com, which offers subscribers instant access to "comprehensive physician reference databases, medical encyclopedias, journals, dictionaries and directories," the PDR library and the National Library of Medicine databases. In addition, subscribers to WebMD.com have access to online CME courses such as The Cleveland Clinic "Internal Medicine Series."
Advanced Degree Programs - There are many options for pursuing an advanced degree online. Check out www.petersons.com for a comprehensive list of institutions and degree programs. One example: the University of Dallas Graduate School of Management offers an innovative program designed to prepare doctors and other healthcare professionals for managerial positions. In partnership with the Health & Sciences Television Network (www.hstn.com), the university offers a three-year MBA in Health Services Management that is 100% distance learning. At graduation, students meet one another and their professors for the first time at a big party!
Other Web-based Educational Resources - The National Laboratory Training Network (www.phppo.cdc.gov/nltn/default.asp) is sponsored by the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). NLTN makes available "laboratory training courses in clinical, environmental, and public health laboratory topics" through means such as computer-assisted instruction and satellite teleconferencing. It also awards Continuing Education Units (CEUs) to participants who successfully complete the training. Like CME credits, CEUs document bodies of knowledge acquired that is useful in practice management. The California Distance Learning Health Network (CDLHN) provides educational instruction through such means as downlinked satellite courses, interactive Internet instruction, and CD-ROM courses (www.cdlhn.com/). The medical content is especially helpful for physicians who "manage and work in immunization, communicable disease and/or infection control programs." Internists who work in government medical treatment facilities stateside or abroad can benefit from online access to the University of Iowa "Virtual Naval Hospital." This comprehensive site (www.vnh.org) offers information on common medical problems, occupational and environmental health, medical textbooks and journals, and continuing education links that include Internal Medicine. Another helpful site is the "Internet for the Family Physician" (www.lotusnet.org/it/reperio/eng/familymd.htm). It includes various primary care resources such as online journals, drug resources, family medicine organizations, medical literature databases, CME programs, clinical practice guidelines, and information on evidence based medicine.
As advancements in technology and medicine intersect, career-minded Internists are challenged to incorporate leading-edge technology into their practice management and professional development. Internet-based distance learning offers the educational content and communication tools to make this possible.
* Calvin Bruce serves as Senior Content Writer for Medcareers.com. Urcel Fields works as Content Manager for the company.
Page Updated: 10-31-03
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