ASA May 2003 Newsletter

The ASA Self-Education and Evaluation (SEE) program continues to grow in popularity among ASA resident and active members, not only because it is a great value, but because it brings new knowledge and current research findings into their practices without having to leave home and work to attend out-of-town seminars or workshops. Growth in the number of SEE subscribers continues. More than 7,000 subscriptions are now sold annually.

This “emerging knowledge” program for continuing medical education (CME) provides subscribers with questions and discussions generated primarily from recently published journal articles. The editorial board members of the SEE program certainly deserve credit for the success of the SEE program. However, it is only with the contributions of the question writers, the small army of academic and private practice anesthesiologists who construct the first draft of each SEE item that the SEE program thrives. The efforts of these individuals are indispensable, and their expertise helps to identify the best literature and keep content and focus contemporary and relevant to clinical practice. The SEE editorial board wishes to acknowledge the efforts of the question writers.

In an ongoing effort to improve the product and enhance its usefulness to ASA members, the SEE editorial board always reviews subscriber feedback; this feedback indicates that the program continues to be very well-received. Requests for more editions of the same product and for additional subspecialty-related questions are common. Ways to upgrade and expand the SEE product continue to be evaluated.

Plans are being made now to develop a “sampler” CD with a limited number of actual SEE questions. This sampler will then be made available to ASA members so they can “test” the SEE product while testing their own current knowledge of anesthesiology. The SEE program also will be displayed prominently as part of the ASA Resource Center at the ASA Annual Meeting on October 11-15, 2003, in San Francisco, California. Additional advertisements are intended to recruit more subscribers. The SEE board firmly believes that a significant number of anesthesiologists simply are not aware of the SEE program and its value.

Last year, the addition of two new editorial positions helped to augment the expertise of the editorial board. Specialists in transplantation, cardiac, obstetric and pediatric anesthesia as well as specialists in pain medicine and intensive care have contributed their expertise to the SEE program. New editors as well as question writers are always being sought and recruited. Please contact the Editor-in-Chief, Peter L. Bailey, M.D., (peter_bailey@urmc.rochester.edu) if you are interested in helping to produce the SEE product.

We continue to explore ways to improve the CD-ROM version of the program. This electronic version includes the features currently contained within the printed program as well as an interactive format to increase subscribers’ interest and enjoyment of the program. Surely the future will bring a Web-based version, too, although demand for such a product is inadequate at the current time.

Another goal of the CD-ROM product is to enhance subscribers’ familiarity and ease with a computer-based technique such as that currently used by the American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA) for the ABA recertification examination. The SEE product also plays a role in helping ASA obtain certification from the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education. Current questions are indexed according to the ABA-ASA Joint Council on In-Training Examinations Content Outline as well as the ABA Recertification Content Outline so that review can be facilitated for specific topic areas. Copies of these outlines are provided to subscribers via the ASA Web site.

The SEE program is sold at a discounted rate to residency programs; it is hoped that introducing residents to a CME process early in their career will help them to develop a lifelong approach to medical education.

Each of the program’s two volumes is composed of 100 multiple-choice questions and is mailed in two installments. Questions are based on articles appearing in anesthesiology journals, other selected peer-reviewed medical publications and the ASA Annual Meeting Refresher Course Lectures book.

Subscribers will receive both SEE volumes, each containing a set of 100 questions, an answer/critique section, a list of references from related medical literature and a copy of the ASA 2002 Annual Meeting Refresher Course Lectures book. The CD-ROM version offers subscribers immediate feedback with each answer, or it can be completed choosing the “rapid-fire” method that gives an overall score upon completion. For CME credit, subscribers record answers on the “answer sheet” diskette that accompanies the CD-ROM, then return the diskette to ASA and keep the CD-ROM for future reference. The CD-ROM version requires no complicated installation and will run on Windows® or Macintosh® platforms.

The names of the SEE program participants and their scores remain anonymous. In the past, participants who submitted both answer sheets could claim 60 hours of category 1 CME credit and receive a Certificate of Participation in the program. ASA designates this CME program for 60 credit hours in category 1 of the Physician’s Recognition Award of the American Medical Association. In the near future, the SEE program will adhere to the new national requirements for CME credit to be given. Individuals will need to document the hours spent on any CME activity in order to obtain CME credit.

The first installment of the 2003 program, SEE Volume 19A, was distributed to subscribers in January 2003. The second installment, SEE Volume 19B, will be mailed to all subscribers in July 2003.

The cost of the 2003 SEE program is $200 for ASA members and $350 for nonmembers for either the booklet version or CD-ROM. Individual residents who supply a letter from their program director confirming their residency status may purchase the examination for $75. Group enrollment is available to residency programs for $35 per resident. Directors of residency programs have been sent information regarding the purchase of the program.

For more information or for an order form, contact the ASA Publications Department at (847) 825-5586 or by e-mail at <publications@ASAhq.org>.

Peter L. Bailey, M.D., is Professor of Anesthesiology and Director of Cardiac Anesthesia, University of Rochester, Strong Memorial Hospital, Rochester, New York.

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