Earning Continuing Education Credits FromAnesthesia Progress

Abstract

Obtaining continuing education on a regular basis is mandatory for maintaining and updating the practices of all healthcare professionals. Because the delivery of all types of anxiety and pain control involves the potential for causing catastrophic consequences, continuing education in anesthesia is even more important than perhaps any other area of dentistry. Dental practitioners receive their anesthesia continuing education from a wide variety of sources, such as scientific journals and attendance at study clubs, courses, and professional meetings. Although the American Dental Society of Anesthesiology (ADSA) was originally founded to advance the art and science of anesthesia in dentistry and to eventually develop a specialty of dental anesthesiology, in recent times it has focused its attention to providing continuing dental education in anxiety and pain control at all levels, including nonpharmacological approaches, local anesthesia, anxiolysis, conscious sedation, deep sedation, and general anesthesia. It supports continuing education meetings at the state component level in addition to sponsoring courses and national meetings where valuable, approved continuing education credits are earned for relicensure. The ADSA also publishes Anesthesia Progress to provide additional anesthesia continuing education (CE) as a member benefit. In the past, this form of CE did not generate official credit, but we are pleased to inform you that every new issue will now have a review article concerning some aspect of anxiety and pain control from which officially approved CE credit may be obtained. All one needs to do is simply read the designated article, fill out the continuing education credit form, including the comprehension quiz, and mail it with a check for the appropriate member or non-member fee to the ADSA central office. If a passing grade is made on the quiz, the ADSA will provide the designated amount of CE credit. Although we anticipate that this venture will be revenue neutral, we hope that it will be viewed as a simple, valuable, inexpensive and quality supplement to your education, and a ‘‘thank you’’ for your continued support. In the next few months, other changes will occur at Anesthesia Progress. We will soon transition into accepting original research articles, review articles, abstracts, and case reports via online electronic submission, and eventually multiple paper copies will no longer be routinely accepted (although there may be exceptions for a few ‘‘old-timers’’). Also, this same system will permit our peer reviewers online access to review and critique submitted articles, and send suggested changes back to the editor. This will not only save a few trees, but will also speed up the review process so that your submissions are published more expeditiously. We also hope to eventually be able to have current as well as past issues of Anesthesia Progress available online to members and subscribers. The journal will still be available in hard copy for the near future, but the online feature will permit greater access and will permit efficient searches for articles. All of these new innovations will be possible because of your collective support of Anesthesia Progress through ADSA member dues and nonmember subscriptions. We still hope to see you at our state and national meetings and courses, as that type of personalized continuing education offers benefits far beyond the official CE credits earned. On the other hand, we hope that you will also take full advantage of the CE credits offered through Anesthesia Progress. We anticipate that you will judge the articles to be superb and a pleasure to read and absorb the information. It would still be a bargain at twice the price, and permits you to obtain professional education in the comfort of your own home or office at a time that is convenient for you.