Continuing Professional Education: Have We Got It Right?

Participants: Joshua Cleland, PT, DPT, PhD, OCS, FAAOMPT, Carole B Lewis, PT, PhD, OCS, and Stanley V Paris, PT, PhD, FAPTA. Moderator: Christopher Maher, PT, PhD, PTJ Editorial Board member

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• Discussion Podcast - In their January 2009 article, lead author Joshua Cleland and colleagues examined whether the addition of a one-to-one, follow-up education session to a traditional continuing education course led to improved outcomes for patients with neck pain. Moderator Christopher Maher calls the article “an interesting and important study that provides a starting point for important research in this area.” Cleland joins 2 experts on continuing education, Dr Carole Lewis and Dr Stanley Paris, to discuss the study’s implications and the state of continuing education. They discuss whether online learning or other technology can be a more effective way of providing continuing education than traditional didactic learning.

  “A longitudinal approach to education…might be what is most beneficial for improving patient outcomes.”

  “If you tied continuing education to the license, people will do it. I think the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy … has the power to do it.”

  “I’m a strong supporter of residencies and fellowships as the only way that we can do continuing education in an economical manner.”

  “I think when we look back, we will see that this study is actually a landmark study.”

  Running time: 25:02 (11,743 KB)