By Beth Bales and Bryan Kay
As part of the Education Council (see related story, below), the Education Committee is breaking new ground in 2021. Now more than ever, members need a place to go where all the educational programming of the SVS is available for them on one convenient, searchable website, says committee chair Kellie Brown, MD.
Starting in January 2021, the SVS will launch an online education portal, containing links to educational content developed through the SVS. This will be a one-stop place to find content from live and online events, Continuing Medical Education (CME) programs, and a video repository of surgical techniques peer-reviewed and curated by SVS members.
The portal will include links to several other websites, including a separate video library offering members a wide variety of videos on surgical techniques; and an SVS OnDemand site (see stories below and on page 19). The mobile-friendly SVS OnDemand will be accessible via single sign-on using SVS login credentials. Members will be encouraged to submit video and educational programs for sharing. This platform will grow over time to be the place to go for quality, peer-reviewed vascular content on the web.
Education Council plans slew of advances—including new LMS
The Education Council—the umbrella for the Education, Leadership Development, Postgraduate Education, Resident and Student Outreach, VAM Program and VAM Video committees— has at least five goals for 2021, chair Rabih Chaer, MD, explains.
These include planning and designing the next comprehensive member needs assessment for evaluation of results in 2021. This will be an all-encompassing survey designed to guide the strategic focus on the SVS based on the top priorities of the membership.
The council also expects to release the inaugural version of the new learning management system (LMS), SVS OnDemand, to the membership, which is set to include repurposed VAM materials, hybrid education and a vascular atlas.
The LMS has been built by the hard work of the Education Committee with guidance from the Education Council. It will be a work in progress to enhance the vascular atlas, as well as the non-clinical sections, including leadership, wellness, and coding and billing. An editorial board for the new learning platform will be considered for maintenance and content update. This project is to launch this month (see news story on page 19).
There are also plans to develop a standardized methodology—as best practices—for the planning, development and implementation of skills courses, Chaer continues.
This is designed to ensure that the quality of the skills training remains high and reproducible. The council will oversee the effort of the SVS to implement skills courses, such as the peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and venous versions.
Chaer also drew reference to efforts being made to enhance educational platform offerings to include webinars and a virtual version of the PAD course. This will include webinars by highly sought-after experts on hot topics, and the virtual PAD course will be an abridged version of a future in-person course.
Finally, Chaer pointed to a multidisciplinary white paper of best practices in perioperative care—including vascular surgery, vascular medicine, anesthesia, SVS physician assistants and the Society for Vascular Nursing—that the council plans to release.
A draft of this document is in progress, and is designed to serve as a guide for practitioners on the perioperative care of different vascular pathologies and procedures. A mobile app version is also being developed and is aimed at acting as an easy reference resource.