title: How the medical practice employee can get more from continuing education programs.
abstract: Continuing education can be a win-win situation for the medical practice employee and for the practice. However, in order education programs must become informed consumers of such programs. They must know how to select the right educational programs for their needs and maximize their own participation. Employees who attend continuing education programs without preparation may not get the full benefit from their experiences. This article suggests benchmarks to help determine whether a continuing education program is worthwhile and offers advice for calculating the actual cost of any continuing education program. It provides a how-to checklist for medical practice employees so they know how to get the most out of their continuing education experience before, during, and after the program. This article also suggests using a study partner system to double educational efforts among employees and offers 10 practical tips for taking and using notes at a continuing education program. Finally, this article outlines the benefits of becoming a regular student and offers three practical tips for maximizing the employee's exhibit hall experience.
authors.affiliation: merlegerle@aol.com
authors.forename: Laura Sachs
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Hills
mesh_terms: D004496:Education, Continuing; D006801:Humans; D011216:Practice Management, Medical / Q000458:organization & administration; D013192:Staff Development / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014481:United States