Practical Considerations to Setting Up a Radiology CME Conference

The authors describe our experience in planning, organizing, and running a radiology CME conference at a hotel (rather than at a stand-alone conference or convention center). Much of the information described should also be useful for other medical and nonmedical conferences. This experience should provide new conference organizers with useful information to ensure a more efficient and successful conference, so there are fewer “If I knew then what I know now” moments over the years.

We describe our experience in planning, organizing, and running a radiology CME (continuing medical education) conference at a hotel (rather than at a stand-alone conference or convention center). Much of the information described should also be useful for other medical and nonmedical conferences. We hope this provides new conference organizers useful information to ensure a more efficient and successful conference, so there are fewer “If I knew then what I know now” moments over the years.

Readers seeking useful, practical information on how to get started often desire real world numbers and expenses. We include some typical values and prices encountered over the past few years, running conferences in Seattle, Washington. Please be aware that prices may vary significantly by region, type/class of hotel, taxes, and so on.

Planning committee

It is helpful to have a planning committee to provide a variety of input about the planning process and to help with the many details entailed in organizing and running a conference. Most of the committee members should include people who are interested in and committed to the educational process. In addition, committee members should have expertise in the subject material being presented, as they will help select appropriate topics and speakers. It may also be helpful to have at least one member who represents your target audience, to ensure that the course offerings meet the target audience’s requirements rather than the expert speaker’s preferences.

Planning for a conference of more than a day or two in length should begin at least 9 to 12 months before the conference. Arranging the venue is usually the most important initial component of the process, as it determines the dates and location. For larger conferences with 500 or more attendees, additional lead-time (up to 24 months) will provide more options and flexibility in scheduling.

Planning the conference

When developing a new conference, it is important to define your target audience. Is the conference targeted to general radiologists or to subspecialty radiologists; to attendings or residents/fellows or medical students? Is the coverage and presentation broad enough to be relevant to nonradiologists? While expanding coverage may increase your potential audience, the content of presentations has to be adjusted accordingly to ensure education of all levels of participants. This may decrease the value of the conference for more experienced attendees. If other participants, such as advanced registered nurse practitioners or radiology technologists, are targeted, is it worth the expense and effort to provide specific credit for them, especially if they make up only a small number of the attendees?

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CME credits

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Logistics and negotiations for conference facilities and housing

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Conference brochures and syllabi

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Running the conference

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Conference evaluations

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Summary

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References

1. Naeger D.M., Phelps A., Kohi M., et. al.: Cross-specialty integrated resident conferences: an educational approach to bridging the gap. Acad Radiol 2012; 19: pp. 1029-1034.
2. Muroff L.R.: The anatomy of an outstanding CME meeting. J Am Coll Radiol 2005; 2: pp. 534-540.
3. Yablon C.M., Wu J.S., Slanetz P.J., et. al.: A report on the current status of grand rounds in radiology residency programs in the United States. Acad Radio 2011; 18: pp. 1593-1597.
4. Nicholson B.T., Bassignani M.J.: Radiologist/educator knowledge of the audience response system and limitations to its use. Acad Radiol 2009; 16: pp. 1555-1560.
5. Rubio E.I., Bassignani M.J., White M.A., et. al.: Effect of an audience response system on resident learning and retention of lecture material. AJR Am J Roentgenol 2008; 190: pp. W319-W322.
6. Collins J.: Audience response systems: technology to engage learners. J Am Coll Radiol 2008; 5: pp. 993-1000.
7. Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education home page. Available at: http://www.accme.org . Accessed May 21, 2012.

Practical Considerations to Setting Up a Radiology CME Conference

Planning committee

Planning the conference

CME credits

Logistics and negotiations for conference facilities and housing

Conference brochures and syllabi

Running the conference

Conference evaluations

Summary

References

Further Reading

A Web Based Foundations of Radiological Physics for Diagnostic Radiology Residents

Educational Curriculum, Assessment, Research and Outcomes

Fourth-Year Medical Student Opinions and Basic Knowledge Regarding the Field of Radiology