​​If you’re a healthcare professional, you’re aware of what Continuing Medical Education (CME) educational events are. These events provide you the opportunity to expand your knowledge and skills so you can continue to provide exceptional care for your patients. There is also a mandatory number of CME credits healthcare professionals must have by the end of each cycle. 

While you can obtain CME credits through online events, you can also receive them through in-person events. Traveling to a CME is my preferred way to receive credits. As a physician assistant, I’m given the time and funding from my employer to attend. I enjoy meeting other healthcare providers, learning about new treatments and knowledge to care for my patients, and traveling with my family to spend time with them outside of the CME event’s hours. 

If you read my previous LinkedIn (Blog) article , you know that the idea to create The CME Spot was sparked by planning a trip to Hawaii. (If you missed the article, Why I started The CME Spot. My husband and I were using Google to search for a CME in Hawaii that fit the time we could take off work. The search ended up taking hours. After finally finding a CME that fit our schedule, I was intrigued and did extensive research to determine if other healthcare providers were having difficulty finding one to attend. 

The research showed that most healthcare providers use newsletters and professional organizations to find CMEs. An online central database like Google didn’t exist for CME searches. I decided to create The CME Spot, an online search tool, to help other healthcare providers who were frustrated with searching for CMEs just like I was.

This article will provide you with additional information on four benefits you can get from using The CME Spot. If you’re a doctor, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant who enjoys traveling and learning, keep reading to learn more!

I’m aware that other medical providers such as optometrists, pharmacists and dentists need to receive CME credits as well. While The CME Spot doesn’t provide a list of CMEs for all medical providers, we are hoping to provide this resource in the future.

1. Saves you time and provides convenience

We are busy. Not only are we busy taking care of our patients and doing other tasks for work, but we all have responsibilities outside of work. This can include taking care of our families and loved ones or hobbies. Our time is valuable. So spending hours trying to search for a CME that you need to attend can be frustrating.

The CME Spot is a tool that will allow you to search for a CME based on parameters such as:

• Location

• Date

• Specialty

• Subject

Lastly, The CME Spot will provide you with convenience. Just like Yelp is a search tool that you use to find restaurants, The CME Spot is a search engine to find your next CME. You’ll also be able to search for your CME using filters. 

If you’ve been spending too much time on Google, can’t find specific CME topics, or can’t find a credible CME, The CME Spot is your solution to provide you with a convenient way to search for your CME.

2. Helps you connect with healthcare professionals and build lasting relationships

After speaking with other healthcare providers, one thing they found lacking from their travel experiences for CME credits was networking opportunities. While this may differ depending on the CME you attend, I believe that frequently meeting other healthcare professionals is important for our professional and personal lives.

For example, I met an allergist at an Emergency Pediatrics CME Conference in Kauai whose talk was memorable. His name is Dr. John Kelso, and he works at Scripps. My son was born a few months after Dr. Kelso and I met. 

After my son was born, my husband and I found out that he has food allergies. I asked my son’s pediatrician to refer him to Dr. Kelso because I liked his progressive approach to childhood food allergies. When we met with Dr. Kelso, we talked about plans to desensitize certain foods and to avoid only foods that we are certain my son is allergic to. Thanks to Dr. Kelso, my son was able to outgrow his allergies. 

I’m grateful to have met Dr. Kelso at a CME, and I’ve met other health providers who I now consider friends through CMEs. You never know who you’ll meet and how they may impact your life one day! The CME Spot can provide you with a way to find a CME to attend so you can build lasting relationships.

3. Sources quality and trusted CME sources

While you may search for CMEs online, you cannot verify their quality and reliability. Some search results are outdated and don’t provide state requirements. 

As healthcare provider, I’ve personally sourced all the CMEs listed on our site. 

4. Provides a solution to healthcare provider burnout

This pandemic has amplified the health industry’s problems including healthcare provider burnout. Many of us work long hours and also need to take care of responsibilities outside of our work. Some of my colleagues have felt depleted emotionally, mentally, and physically and want to quit medicine altogether.

One way that I believe we can avoid healthcare provider burnout is by resting and recharging. This will look different for each of us. Resting and recharging for me is attending CMEs with my family. 

When I travel, my family comes with me. Before and after the CME, we explore the location where the CME is located. More articles to come about our adventures while traveling for CMEs. 

The CME Spot provides healthcare professionals like you a tool to search for your CMEs so that you can save time, connect with others in the health field, find quality CMEs, and prevent provider burnout. If you’re interested in using The CME Spot. If you have family members or friends who may be interested too, please share the link with them.

Thank you for your support!

Lillian Chi Pecache PA-C

Founder of The CME Spot