Get Schooled: Smart SIR Tips

By Susan E. Sedory Holzer, MA, CAE

SIR Executive Director

Just as readying a daughter or son for a new school year takes more than new clothes and a shiny apple, so does preparing yourself for the rigors of treating patients in a health care environment that continually asks you to know more, do more and be more. How can you enhance your clinical practice skills? After hitting the stores for kids’ notebooks and pens, it’s a great time for you to take advantage of SIR’s valuable resources. 

1.     Register for SIR 2013: Your unique educational needs will be met—indeed exceeded—April 13–18 in the vibrant city of New Orleans at our Annual Scientific Meeting, which will feature a re-imagined up-close-and-personal format and collaborative theme of “IR Reaching Out.” Nearly 400 scientific presentations and posters covering the newest trends in IR research will be presented to more than 5,000 attendees—but we can’t provide research outcomes without you—so please consider submitting your original IR research.

2.     LEARN to keep PAD practice strong: This four-day course September 27–30 in Chicago is designed for physicians with training and experience in the fundamentals of vascular medicine, endovascular therapy and clinical management of PAD and AAA who seek to upgrade their knowledge and skill base.

3.     Find CLOTS: This perennial favorite is the most comprehensive stroke training course available worldwide. The five-day training course Oct. 21–25 in Dallas covers stroke pathophysiology, clinical neurological evaluation and the NIHSS, neurocritical care, multimodal neuroimaging, techniques of catheter-directed stroke care, patient-specific decision-making and more.

4.     Visit SIR Learning Center: Here’s where you can access educational activities on-demand. Current offerings include meeting proceedings, Webinars and JVIR CME tests. The site provides professional education on a wide array of clinical topics, including PAD, IO, stroke care, coding and billing and overall IR patient care. Register now for new IO, PAD and Venous Service Line Webinars.

5.      Get coding: Don’t forget that the 2012 Coding Update is available for free download to SIR members. Have coding questions? There’s also a convenient coding question form.

6.     Listen to JVIR podcasts: JVIR has launched audio (or video) podcast discussions with authors regarding current journal articles. These short, focused interviews delve into study rationale and design and implications of results for current practice and future research.

7.     Shop for you: The IR Store for everything to help you build and grow your clinical practice—from learning to set up and run an office-based clinical practice (with a sound business plan) to getting outfitted in the best back-to-school scrubs, caps and tees.

8.     Engage patients: Need to explain a treatment to a patient? SIR has easy-to-understand patient info brochures with detailed medical illustrations that give a good understanding of IR treatments and your special training. Add your business info to the back flap and market your practice.

9.     Get social: Don’t be anti-social: Tell us your successes and patient stories and/or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or LinkedIn.

10.   Volunteer: Giving your time helps to make SIR stronger! Nominations for elected and appointed positions are being accepted. Or, work on practice guidelines, assist with a new task force, recruit medical students or help with coding. We need your help.

11.   Make due(s): SIR develops and delivers programs and services that bring measureable value to you and your patients. Thank you for submitting your membership fees by July 1! If you haven’t, there’s still time so you can take advantage of all an SIR membership has to offer.

12.   Find change: Are you looking for different? Career HQ, SIR’s dedicated job center for IR professionals, provides access to our specialized niche for job seekers or employers (interventionalradiologyjobs.sirweb.org/home/).

SIR has something for everyone when you’re in the “back to school” spirit; visit our website to learn more.

Originally published in SIR's September/October IR News

Question

What SIR educational product or service best meets your clinical practice needs?