Prioritizing Continuing Education for Allied Health Professionals

© 2023 HMP Global. All Rights Reserved.

Any views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and/or participants and do not necessarily reflect the views, policy, or position of EP Lab Digest or HMP Global, their employees, and affiliates. 

EP LAB DIGEST. 2023;23(9):18-19.

The field of cardiac electrophysiology (EP) is rapidly evolving. Lifelong learning for allied health professionals (AHPs) is a critical component for providing safe, efficient, and evidence-based patient care in this field. There are research advances, unique efficiency programs, and exciting changes happening in all our institutions. Health care providers benefit from implementing best practices, including those that may have been developed at other institutions. With increasing clinical demands, full schedules, and constant pressure to do more with less, continuing education (CE) can be overlooked, delayed, or even eliminated altogether, particularly for AHPs. While academic medical centers often provide continuing education for their trainees throughout the year, AHPs in those institutions or in private practice may not have easy access to this dedicated time for ongoing learning. Attending a conference also typically incurs a time commitment or travel costs, which can be a barrier for some.

The philosopher Herbert Spencer once said, “The great aim of education is not knowledge but action.” As clinicians, we desire and prioritize education, but are often challenged to identify the necessary infrastructure and network to support professional development and change practices. Michael Carlozzi, BSN, RN, recognized a vibrant potential network in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts, which has one of the highest concentrations of academic medical centers in the country. He often found local health care providers unable to share best practices with nearby colleagues outside his institution. In discussions with fellow AHPs practicing in the Longwood Medical Area, the missed opportunity for collaboration was identified. Out of this necessity, the concept of EPBOSTON was formed.

EPBOSTON is a new organization formed by clinicians from different institutions and clinical backgrounds in the Boston area with the goal of bringing together the EP community for networking, education, and the sharing of best practices. Our mission is to create an inclusive and supportive environment where all members of the EP allied health and advanced practice community can collaborate with and learn from their peers to advance EP care in the Boston area. The board of directors of EPBOSTON includes a registered nurse, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, radiologic technologist, and biomedical engineer. This membership reflects the multidisciplinary nature of EP. Furthermore, a partnership with industry vendors who regularly support EP departments was actively sought out and developed. Because EP patient care is complex, it requires that all personnel, from the medical team to the industry representatives, practice with the same up-to-date information and training.

Local engagement in the Greater Boston EP community was a top priority. An online survey was used to collect information on interest in the new organization and concept. Respondents were supportive and expressed interest in topics such as education, networking, process sharing, and growing programs at the individual institutional level. To meet these needs, the EPBOSTON platform sought to break down the silos of the great EP programs across the Greater Boston area by encouraging AHPs to meet new colleagues and feel comfortable sharing best practices. Creating an EP community network allows its members to share their voice across institutions.

Didactic CE was one of the top items where survey respondents showed the most interest. Although education in the health care setting occurs every day, the need to balance daily tasks and patient care can be challenging. Therefore, education became a cornerstone of the EPBOSTON platform.

EPBOSTON’s’s first CE program, entitled “Device Strategies for the Heart Failure Patient,” was held on February 1, 2023. Presentations covered the indications for and evolution of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) therapy, manufacturer-specific programing considerations, and current advances such a conduction system pacing and cardiac contractility modulation therapy. EPBOSTON partnered with a local university in a central location so that colleagues from around Boston could attend after work. In total, 78 people attended the first event. CE credits were awarded to radiation technologists who attended.

A secondary goal of EPBOSTON is to provide a supportive platform for new speakers; therefore, the use of novice presenters at our inaugural event was an important initiative. Many of our board members have presented locally and/or nationally, so we understand the need for practicing and refining these oral presentation skills. We hope that EPBOSTON events will become a natural springboard for AHPs looking to present at their home institution or national conferences.

Beyond providing education at this inaugural event, the event offered networking and idea sharing between providers across the city. After presentations concluded, a panel discussion was held, during which one audience participant asked about where to find resources and information on ICD support groups. Another audience participant shared that her institution had recently restarted such a group and was welcoming new members. We were able to connect these providers and share the invitation to the next meeting on social media for wider dissemination within the metro Boston community. Those kinds of connections are exactly what is made possible by bringing together a diverse group of people from many institutions. The goal is for future events to continue to have both formal programming as well as informal networking that leads to similar exchanges.

EPBOSTON’s first networking and education program was a success, and it was a joy to witness the EP AHP community come together. We look forward to growing our network both within Massachusetts as well as in other states. Furthermore, while we were only able to provide CEU credit for radiation technologists at this inaugural event, we are actively working on a pathway to providing nursing CEUs and AMA CME credits so that all our members can receive credit for attending educational events. Ultimately, we hope to offer grants and scholarships for research, abstract, and poster submissions.

Disclosure: The authors have completed and returned the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest. They report no conflicts of interest regarding the content herein. Mr Burke reports he is an administrative advisory board member for Biosense Webster.