Sound Advice

Online Learning for Professional Development

Continuing education (CE) delivered via the web provides a versatile learning opportunity for healthcare professionals.  Tens of thousands have taken advantage of the Philips Online Learning Center’s wide breadth of educational content.  Find out how you too can enrich your career with this flexible, innovative tool.

 

The Online Learning Center
Constantly evolving technology and techniques make continuing education critical to the working radiologic technologist.  Five years ago Philips Medical Systems saw a need to deliver education to busy imaging professionals, and the Online Learning Center (OLC) was born.  Its goal was to produce targeted content that was:

 

• Simple to understand
• Easy to use
• Easy to access, and
• Developed in a supportive environment

 

Today the OLC has grown to serve over 40,000 professionals. And with the recent inclusion of the American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT), that number jumps to over 150,000.  Courses have been added for nurses, emergency medical technicians and biomedical engineers, with new content continually being developed.

 

Many students enroll in the OLC to maintain their basic certification through accredited CE.  But there is a new trend toward professional enrichment – a desire to gain knowledge beyond the mandatory recertification requirements. 

 

The Right Tool at the Right Time
In a recent survey, the ASRT found that its members were very likely to continue to seek continuing education even if it wasn’t a requirement for recertification.  The OLC is ready to meet that need with content that is uniquely industry focused – written by healthcare professionals for healthcare professionals.

 

And the wide variety of participatory opportunities for authors and students alike makes the OLC engaging to use.  It’s this kind of versatility and content strength that has enabled industry organizations, such as the American College of Radiology, the Hospital for Special Surgery and now the ASRT, to deliver specialized online education – education considered vital to their members.

 

Continually Changing
The Online Learning Center is positioned to evolve along with the educational needs of its customers.  Three areas of growth make it an indispensable CE resource for the medical imaging industry now and into the future:

 

• Content – Relationships with leading industry organizations like the ASRT bring fresh healthcare content
• Reach – Global boundaries fall away and enrollment grows as content is developed for healthcare professionals worldwide
• Technology – New features like the synchronous meeting and real-time training center, or ‘SMART’ Center maximize interactive capability

 

A Logical Choice
Online CE is a cost-effective, viable alternative for busy imaging professionals.  It offers career building opportunities.  And it keeps professionals in step with the increasing complex world of medical imaging technology.

 

For specific examples and a more in-depth discussion of the value of online learning, read - The Value of Online Learning for Professional Development: A Healthcare Perspective

 

And be sure to visit the Online Learning Center.