June 2004

Company Profile

The wonders of online continuing education

by Dr. Patrece Frisbee, CEO of The Continuing Education University of Health Services

Sharon is a chiropractor who was in a bind because her chiropractic license was due and she needed four more hours for her continuing education credits. She had never taken a course online before, but her associate suggested that she go online and see what she could find. To her surprise, Sharon found a chiropractic continuing education website, registered herself and took a course that night. She was even able to renew her license online that same night!

The development of the Internet has opened the door to new learning more than we could have ever imagined.

Millions of web pages filled with information on everything ranging from health to home siding are only a click away. Web‑based training is now an $8 billion dollar business. The world's largest private university is a web‑based operation and does not have a physical campus. Experts predict that by 2005, online learning will be the single most used application on the worldwide web.

In the chiropractic universe, the same sharing of knowledge is now happening with online continuing education.

Whereas just a few years ago, DCs would either have to wait for the right course to be scheduled nearby or pay $1,000 to attend a seminar out of state, now chiropractors have access to a potpourri of course offerings from the comfort of their home or office.

More than 35 state chiropractic boards now accept online course work for at least part of their continuing education requirements. It makes good sense.

How many times have chiropractors attended weekend conventions but forgot to clock in the first time and lost a few precious CE credit hours? Rather than undergo the expense of attending yet another convention, many doctors are choosing to go online and make up those few missed credit hours. At only $25 per credit hour, it's less expensive and more convenient than attending another seminar ‑‑ and you don't have to leave your family for the weekend!

Many leading chiropractic educators are also turning to web‑based learning to better serve doctors in rural areas.

Dr. Dana Lawrence, Palmer researcher and former editor of the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, conducts an online chiropractic course on extravertebral techniques that incorporates 3‑D interactive models of the human body.

Dr. Mark Mandell, a renowned chiropractic mattress expert, wrote an online course for chiropractors on sleep health issues and mattress fittings for chiropractic patients. Rather than try to coordinate over a dozen seminars in as many states, Drs. Lawrence and Mandell opted to put their courses online and have been able to educate many more doctors than otherwise possible.

Not all courses, however, are easily adaptable to an online format. Some seminars, especially hands‑on techniques, will be better taught with a physical seminar. Yet, putting an introductory portion of the course online can help doctors to learn more about the technique's philosophy and physiology to decide whether it's right for them before committing to the full seminar. This kind of information sharing will only help to facilitate knowledge sharing across the profession.

With the bulk of DCs working alone in private practice, online knowledge sharing will be important to move the profession forward. A medium like the Internet can allow a chiropractor who has developed a new system of care or patient management to share that information with thousands of other chiropractors around the world.

The key to online continuing education is finding reputable online learning companies. Finding an online company that only offers courses approved by legitimate accrediting bodies is an important step to make sure that you are getting credible information, in the same way that you would only want to attend a seminar conducted by a reputable company. Often times, the most reputable online companies will attract premier faculty, offer a wide variety of courses ‑‑ sometimes 60 and more ‑‑ and are also affiliated with leading universities and associations.

To achieve state chiropractic board approval, the sites should also be secure for payment transactions, utilize password protection, offer timed sessions and incorporate a few test questions to check your reading of the material. If these features are not offered, then look elsewhere for a more credible site.

If you haven't yet taken advantage of an online learning course, then I encourage you to do so. You will be impressed with the ease and convenience of use, the variety of courses from which to choose and the high quality of the courses. If you are still unsure, then find a website that offers a free introductory course and see how great it can be!

(Dr. Patrece Frisbee is the CEO of The Continuing Education University of Health Services and is a graduate of Life University. She is also Acupuncture Certified by the University of Miami School of Medicine and by the State of Florida.)