RSNA News - November 2004

RSNA Board of Directors Report

Robert R. Hattery, M.D.

Chairman, 2004 RSNA Board of Directors

As RSNA and many of our members prepare for the Society's 90th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting in Chicago, RSNA committees and staff are already discussing ways to improve the annual meeting educational experience and to help members create educational plans customized for their needs in maintenance of certification (MOC).

MOC and Continuing Medical Education

RSNA is working with the American College of Radiology (ACR) and some other radiology organizations to launch a continuing medical education (CME) gateway. This gateway provides members with a single point to access all of the CME credits they have earned through the participating organizations.

The gateway will be available by the end of 2004. Members are urged to access the gateway as an online tool for keeping professional CME data.

Meanwhile, RSNA members have direct access to the RSNA CME Repository at rsna.org/cme. The RSNA CME Repository allows members to keep track of their CME credits earned through RSNA. Members will also be able to create records of their MOC activity, including a customized educational plan based on their professional profile. These records can be used to gauge progress toward meeting MOC requirements.

MOC and Peer Groups

Networking with imaging professionals who have similar practices and educational needs is an important educational experience itself.

RSNA is working with John Parboosingh, M.D., an internationally known leader in developing enhanced learning activities for physicians. Dr. Parboosingh will help RSNA develop new CME programs and reorganize existing ones to meet and exceed the professional needs of RSNA members.

MOC and Self-Assessment

The RSNA Board has approved a proposal to create a general self-assessment module (SAM). A SAM is a tool that can help members assess their knowledge in various general categories or subspecialty areas. By identifying their strengths and weaknesses, members can further customize their professional development plans to meet MOC requirements.

RSNA 2004

As it has throughout RSNA meetings in the past, state-of-the-art technology will help enhance the educational experience at RSNA 2004. In addition to electronic exhibits and posters, audience response systems will help tailor course material to the audience knowledge level for CME. A pilot is being done using radiofrequency identification to track attendance at case-based review courses.

The RSNA Board has hired an outside firm to analyze how attendees spend their time at the meeting so that the Society can better understand attendees' needs and how to meet them.

Attendee feedback will also be important.

Membership Directory Online

The RSNA Membership Directory will soon be available online at rsna.org/directory. Members can log in using their member ID. They will then be able to customize their search for other RSNA members by name, institution or geographic area.

The online directory will always be up to date.

Members who still want a printed copy of the directory can request one. A postcard will be mailed this month with specific instructions. Requests will be taken until January 7, 2005, by phone, fax, mail, e-mail or online at rsna.org/requestdirectory.

R&E Foundation

As the RSNA Research & Education Foundation celebrates its 20th anniversary, the RSNA Board, Foundation Trustees and RSNA staff are developing plans to increase the impact of the Foundation.

One way will be to increase the amount of grant money the Foundation is able to award each year.

The Foundation will announce some new programs at RSNA 2004 that will help achieve this goal.

Other Board Action

• RSNA will jointly administer and finance an effort to identify a research agenda for imaging, along with the Academy of Radiology Research, American College of Radiology and American Roentgen Ray Society.
• RSNA is working with the Society of Nuclear Medicine on a molecular imaging summit.
• RSNA is collaborating with the Society for Computer Applications in Radiology on collaborative educational programs on digitizing your practice.
• RSNA will participate in the fourth Biomedical Imaging Research Opportunities Workshop, designed to integrate the findings of the first three workshops.
• Three members of the RSNA Electronic Communications Committee will participate in the ACR Image Quality Taskforce.
• The 2005 RSNA media briefing will focus on neuroradiology.

Robert R. Hattery, M.D.
Chairman, 2004 RSNA Board of Directors

Note: In our continuing efforts to keep RSNA members informed, the chair of the RSNA Board of Directors will provide a brief report in RSNA News following each board meeting. The next RSNA Board Meeting is in December.