All Branch Topic (ABT) What's your CME budget

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Perrotfish

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Since the military no longer has a CME budget, I was just curious what you guys are setting aside for CME out of your salary and what you're doing with it.

I was currently thinking of setting aside about $1400/year and investing in an annual Medstudy Qbank ($250), PedsRap Podcast ($400), a new textbook each year ($100), AAP Membership w/ Prep Qbank and Pediatrics Journal ($500), and journal subscriptions to NEJM, Journal of Perinatology, and Pediatric Hospitalist ($150). I could also splurge and add a 4 day driving distance Pediatric update conference to the schedule ($1000 including hotel) but honestly the conferences I've been to have mostly reminded me why I never went to class in medical school so I don't think its worth it if its my own money. Thoughts/opinions?

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That's pretty heavy. I do online journal reviews for the actual CME numbers. The med library generally has subscriptions to most of the journals I might be interested in reading. Textbooks are also available online, which I will occasional save as pdf and print. I look at CME as two separate issues: the hours and my professional development. I spent about $500/year on the former. The latter I seem to be able to do using the resources available to me. I did go to a board prep course before I took my boards, but the Army was still paying for it back then. The podcast is interesting. I'd probably go for that if I knew of a reliable one.
 
That's pretty heavy. I do online journal reviews for the actual CME numbers. The med library generally has subscriptions to most of the journals I might be interested in reading. Textbooks are also available online, which I will occasional save as pdf and print. I look at CME as two separate issues: the hours and my professional development. I spent about $500/year on the former. The latter I seem to be able to do using the resources available to me. I did go to a board prep course before I took my boards, but the Army was still paying for it back then. The podcast is interesting. I'd probably go for that if I knew of a reliable one.

HighPriest, ENT audiodigest is very good. I believe it is $450/yr for around 50 hours of CME. You can do everything from your iPhone. If you moonlight and have a PLLC, you can deduct it as a business expense so it really costs $450-$450(your tax bracket).

That's the way I did it on active duty. Everything now goes through my clinic P&L.
 
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We've gotten my command to pay for AudioDigest the last 2 years.... part of the sell is the "we can't go to conferences anymore, so at least pay for something". So far it's worked. Agree it's a solid and convenient app for CME. Would pay out of pocket for it if not funded.
 
Has anyone tried both audiodigest and a hippoed podcast like PedsRap? Thoughts on which one is better? They both seem to cost the same.
 
That's a lot of money. You don't really need much CME right out of residency. You can get an uptodate account and generate lots of cme on paper. I wouldn't do more than that and a journal watch type thing for a couple years.
 
Since the military no longer has a CME budget

military may not. your local command though likely does. I've slowly (SLOWLY) seen more and more conferences begin to get covered. you have to submit about 6 months in advance to negotiate the hoops, but if you apply early and have some reasonable justification other than "I want a free ski trip or tropical vacation" you can get it covered. I've personally seen national meetings attended and academic societies meetings as well. if you are presenting a poster or research or something, or can show that there is something "new" you can offer your local command if you go, your chances are even better.

now that the purse strings are slightly opened we have to pray the orthopods don't have some tailhook scandal.

--your friendly neighborhood don't ruin it for everyone caveman
 
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military may not. your local command though likely does. I've slowly (SLOWLY) seen more and more conferences begin to get covered. you have to submit about 6 months in advance to negotiate the hoops, but if you apply early and have some reasonable justification other than "I want a free ski trip or tropical vacation" you can get it covered. I've personally seen national meetings attended and academic societies meetings as well. if you are presenting a poster or research or something, or can show that there is something "new" you can offer your local command if you go, your chances are even better.

now that the purse strings are slightly opened we have to pray the orthopods don't have some tailhook scandal.

--your friendly neighborhood don't ruin it for everyone caveman

yeah, damn life long learning and need CMEs. Those are unimportant.
 
I go to one national or regional conference a year on my own dime. Obviously, I try to pick the ones in my region. I have two journal which offers monthly CME and I take advantage of them.
 
Are you guys paying for professional society membership? AAP membership is pretty expensive, and I'm not really sure what I am getting for it other than a journal I can already read through my command.
 
Are you guys paying for professional society membership? AAP membership is pretty expensive, and I'm not really sure what I am getting for it other than a journal I can already read through my command.

In my opinion membership in your specialty society is very important for a few reasons.

The number 1 reason to join is to give your specialty a voice at the table. Especially for Peds patients who can't advocate for themselves you have to take over that responsibility to make sure they have the best care they can get. In older patients it may be to ensure that your specialty gets to lead the discussion on standard of care or scope of practice. Ever wonder who decides what scope of care Nurse Practioners, PA's, optometrists, etc practice? Right now it's usually not the physician groups that are leading that discussion because the other lobbies are so much bigger and have more money. If we don't support our specialty societies we will eventually lose our seat at the table. (If we could just get an AMA that actually held the same standards as most physicians we could have an even bigger say)

The other reasons are that they help you when it comes to certification and recertification at times. I would bet the ACP had a pretty large role in the recent upheaval in the ABIM recert process. They also help with deciding how much you get paid for certain services. The associations usually have at least some role in the CMS/RVU process or at least advocate for your side.

Otherwise I feel you get out of it what you put in. If you just sit back, collect the mail, read a journal and that's it then you won't feel very connected or that it is worthwhile. If you go to the meetings, get involved in a committee or two, become involved in your regional or sub specialty group etc then you will likely find it much more worthwhile and interesting.
 
I think it's important, but not necessary. I know a lot of guys who did not join our academy until they were out of the military. I agree with backrow's assessment, especially for larger specialties. And just as a harrumph, I also agree that the AMA is a worthless uncle tom. It's like paying the milkman to nail your wife.
 
Are you guys paying for professional society membership? AAP membership is pretty expensive, and I'm not really sure what I am getting for it other than a journal I can already read through my command.
I'm a member of my specialty board, and I donate money to their PAC too. Someday I won't be in the Navy any more, and I want my options to be good ones then.


To be honest, it wouldn't save me any money not to be a member. I'd still need the CME they sell for maintenance of certification, and the non-member price hike is about as much as the associate/military membership fee.

(If one wants to maintain board cert through the American Board of Anesthesiology, one MUST buy a certain portion of CME materials from the American Society of Anesthesiologists. It's a racket.)
 
Are you guys paying for professional society membership? AAP membership is pretty expensive, and I'm not really sure what I am getting for it other than a journal I can already read through my command.

I am a paying member of two specialty societies. Its about $1000/yr for both. It's a tax write off. I do think there are benefits of being a member. My specialty societies were very instrumental in overhauling the racket of the MOC the ABIM tried to implement and I got up to the minute information about changes. It's been scaled down. We likely will go the route of Anesthesia and the RE-certification board exam will be scrapped for ongoing MOC after passing INITIAL board certification.

Same goes for congressional cuts to reimbursements. My member society actively lobbies in congress and provides information.

If you are tight on funds, you are right that if you are in a MEDCEN or larger MEDDAC you should have access to most journals through their library portal. Where I am currently stationed they have an awesome online library to 100s and 100s of journals and books across various specialties.
 
Worth Bumping this thread with the Schofer link below.

BLUF: Free Audiodigest (online CME) for active duty folk. Took 2 minutes to sign up. Works like a charm.


Have you seen his book chapters? Sounds a lot like a recruitment tool...
 
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