We’ve heard it countless times over the past three years - the term “new normal”. Companies around the world are using it to describe new telecommuting policies, social events are shrinking, and brick and mortar stores are closing in favor of web markets, all due in-part to the COVID-19 era of recent history. But when it comes to your continuing medical education, are hours spent isolated behind your computer screen the new normal? KSUCPM recently polled podiatric physicians and surgeons nationwide to find out.
While it may have been the catalyst for change three years ago, it seems that the initial reason for the switch to primarily virtual CME has diminished in concern. Only sixteen percent of the population named COVID-19 as a deciding factor in whether they plan to attend in-person meetings this year. However, under threat of pandemic or not, professionals across all industries have grown fond of the comfort and convenience of lessons behind the screen. According to our audience, less time out of the office and fewer days traveling away from family to meet CME requirements are among the top motivators for continuing to seek out webinars in 2023.
However, even those that prefer the ease of the online classroom admit that there are benefits of an in-person meeting that you just can’t replicate virtually. Of those surveyed, nearly half on team webinar admit that they could still be persuaded to come out for a meeting in a tourist destination offering 25 or more credits. Also listed in the top incentives for physical meetings were networking opportunities, exhibitor interaction, and the variety of succinct lectures as compared to the one-topic-focus that a webinar typically provides.
So is there a new normal in continuing education delivery? We can confidently report that though webinars are still trendy, the physical meeting is alive and well. Dean Dr. Allan Boike reports that that certainly rings true for KSUCPM, “There’s just something about the energy of a physical conference that you can’t recreate. Since we returned to our schedule of three physical meetings each year, our alumni have been so happy to be together in the classroom again. It’s as if their spark for education has returned. It certainly serves to remind me why I love our profession so much.”
The College picked up where it left off hosting conferences in 2021 with the return of the North Coast Foot & Ankle Symposium at the College in August, followed by the Southeast National Conference in Walt Disney World that November. The Foot & Ankle Renaissance in Florence, Italy saw record attendance for its return in May of last year seemingly echoing the consensus of the survey. “As long as we can do so safely, I think it’s so important that we continue to gather together. For the sake of education, our profession and the simple camaraderie that leads to such meaningful and lasting connections,” Boike says.
The College’s popular three-conference roster starts over again in May of this year with credits wherever you want them. The Foot & Ankle Renaissance in Florence, Italy guarantees adventure both in and out of the classroom. You’re sure to learn something new between the roster of international speakers and the rich culture just steps outside the classroom. As the last remaining fully in-person conference in Northeast Ohio, the North Coast Foot & Ankle Symposium is the perfect way to reconnect with the college and your classmates for just $49, you’ll knock out 25+ CECH. If a family getaway is on your to-do list, the Southeast National Conference is in the perfect setting at Walt Disney World in November, just in time for the holidays and to wrap up another 25+ CECH before the year ends.