If you’re a member of the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT), you already know you need to complete 24 continuing education credits every 2 years to keep your certification and registration in good standing. The ARRT's rationale behind this requirement is to have a “method of ensuring the medical community and the public that an individual is qualified with the knowledge and skills to practice within the profession.”
The “Pearls” of CE Requirements in Medical Imaging
Regulations aside, keeping up with CE credit requirements is good for your career. It demonstrates a commitment to personal growth and helps you develop more specialized skills and knowledge, making you more marketable and increasing your chances for promotion and higher pay.
However, from our point of view, the most important benefit of maintaining your CE requirements is how your education benefits your patients and your community. Continuing education helps you stay current with advances in the field and technology and keeps you abreast of best practices and protocols in your field—essential for reducing the risk of errors and providing the best possible patient care.
The “Pitfalls”
Staff Shortages, budget cuts, and a growing demand for medical imaging services – what’s a busy medical imaging professional to do?
Finding the time and the money to keep up with your CE requirements can be difficult. Many imaging departments are running short-handed, and there’s a greater demand for advanced imaging services than ever, with the aging Baby Boomer generation creating a “senior boom” in healthcare.
Couple that with the fact that hospitals and imaging centers are still reeling from post-pandemic inflation, escalating labor costs, and chronic underpayment from insurers, leaves little money left to invest in CE for their staff, making it difficult for imaging technologists to fulfill their CE requirements and keep abreast of what’s new and industry best practices.
Our Commitment to Supporting CE Opportunities 
Beekley Medical has always had a vested interest in supporting CE activities for our customers; after all, continuous learning is one of our core values as a company and an expectation of our Associates, too.
In addition to supporting National Conferences such as NCoBC, SBI, AHRA, AAMD, ASRT, RSNA, MTMI, etc., we have also supported more regional conferences with sponsored speakers or lunch-and-learn programs.
Giving Back with Low or No-Cost CE Programs
Of course, we realize that not everyone who needs CEs has the luxury of time to invest in attending an in-person conference. That is why, dating back to the days of VHS, Beekley has produced a number of self-study CE activities. These activities let you learn on your own schedule. Our current self-learning activities are Recall Reduction Through Skin Marking in DBT and Breast MRI, approved by the ASTRT for 1.5 Category A Credit, expiring 3/1/2028 , and Architectural Distortion from Surgical Scarring in 3D Mammography, approved by the ASRT for .75 Category A Credit, expiring 10/1/2026.
Another way we give back is through sponsored webinars that allow participants to register for free. We partnered with AHRA, Mammography Educators, and ICE, among others, to bring you CE credits. You may also receive an email notification or phone call on occasion from your Account Manager, letting you know about a free or low-cost webinar sponsored or presented by another company or organization that they feel you would find beneficial.
A New Joint Venture: The Breast Education Summit
More recently, we partnered with FujiFilm Healthcare Americas Corp. to present the first Breast Education Summit, which offered 6 complimentary category A credits and was presented live and via recorded webinar.
Attendees loved the relatability of the speakers and the balance of technical, interpersonal, and emerging technology topics, especially the case reviews, which helped "bridge theory with practice."
One technologist commented that the event "Restored my passion for Mammography. I've been doing this for 40 years and was feeling the burnout. Thank you!"
Another commented that "Segments of the webinar reinforced the importance of our roles in breast imaging. Even though it was a recorded live session, it kept me focused and engaged."
The reception to this event was so enthusiastic, our two companies have decided to make The Breast Imaging Summit an annual event.
So, Why is Beekley Medical So Invested in Your Continuing Education?
When it comes down to it, we are all patients at some point, and someday, we will need the services you provide. And when that day comes, we want you to be the very best at what you do.
To stay abreast of continuing education opportunities through Beekley Medical, visit our subscription center to begin receiving our newsletter and other updates today.
Mary Lang Pelton
Director of Marketing Communications
