he Self-Education and Evaluation (SEE) Program is not just the best buy in CME credits for ASA members (60 credits each year for only $220), it’s also the best source available for emerging knowledge of our specialty. Try this simple 10-question test. Before today, did you know:

• That dolphins are the best animal model for the study of awareness monitors?

• That a little ketamine can go a long way in mitigating postoperative pain?

• That magnet therapy doesn’t work in the PACU, but acupuncture does?

• That blood transfusion may be bad for ICU patients?

• That continuous local anesthetic wound infiltration provides excellent pain relief?

• That xenon has fewer cardiovascular side effects than isoflurane?

• That iontophoric administration of fentanyl is now FDA-approved?

• That women have anaphylactic reactions more often than men?

• That there is a difference between incidence, risk and prevalence of a disease?

• That six-sigma methodology is the latest approach to improving O.R. efficiency?

If you answered “yes” to all 10 questions, then you are either the diligent reader of more than 50 scientific journals a month ... or a subscriber to the SEE! Focused on “emerging knowledge,” the SEE Editorial Board reviews the breadth of the anesthesia and general medical literature each month (more than 500 articles a year) to create the 200 questions and detailed critiques that make up each annual edition. In addition to xenon, volume 24 of the SEE covered other new pharmaceuticals — such as pregabalin, aprepitant, nesiritide, sugammadex and factor VIIa — that will shape our practice in years to come and also addressed many of the major controversies of our profession: the role of awareness monitoring, appropriate prophylaxis for postoperative nausea and vomiting, cost-effective operating room management, the use of ultrasound for central line and regional anesthesia catheter placement, and mitigation strategies for perioperative cognitive dysfunction. There is no better way to stay current with the specialty.

Unlike the Anesthesiology Continuing Education (ACE) program, which is based on existing knowledge from textbooks, the SEE puts an emphasis on new and original human studies. SEE questions are generated by one of 30 volunteer question writers, each of whom is an experienced and practicing anesthesiologist. Each of the 100 questions and answers sent to subscribers each six months is followed by a short discussion of the cited article designed to explain the answers and highlight the “cutting edge” knowledge from the original article. Questions and discussions are supported with tables and figures, textbook references and indexing to the American Board of Anesthesiology in-training examination content outline codes.

All SEE material is reviewed and refined by the board of editors. The editors are also practicing anesthesiologists selected for their deep knowledge of the specialty, their writing skills and their willingness to serve the profession. Members of the board currently include recognized national experts in statistics and epidemiology, neuroanesthesia, regional and ambulatory anesthesia, trauma, critical care, obstetrics, pediatrics, anesthesia education, military medicine, pharmacology, pain management, cardiac anesthesia and business management. The editors ensure that the methodology and conclusions of each cited study are valid and appropriate and that the questions and discussions are well written and practical.

The SEE is offered in paper and electronic versions at a cost of $220 annually for ASA members ($800 for non-members), with discounts available for residents and academic groups. A year’s subscription includes two mailings of 100 questions each, with each worth up to 30 category I CME credits. Ordering, scoring and awarding of credits is all handled online through the ASA Web site at see.asahq.org/see/web.

Maintenance of certification is a requirement for all of us, and the SEE is a fun and easy way to stay current. Why not sign up today?

Richard P. Dutton, M.D., M.B.A., is Associate Professor of Anesthesiology, and Director of Trauma Anesthesiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, University of Maryland Medical System, Baltimore.