Many states have approved online chiropractic CE courses. Ride the Internet wave to see whether this is right for you

You are in the midst of a continuing education (CE) lecture on nutrition. You have a question for the lecturer regarding one of your patients, but it is getting late. Rather than waiting until the end of the course, you submit an email. An email? That’s right. Welcome to the world of online continuing education.

The face of CE is changing drastically. The development of the Internet with its millions of Web pages has opened the door to new learning more than we could have ever imagined. With the advent of Web-based learning, chiropractors can now choose from more than 100 CE courses online in the comfort of their own homes and sign up for a fraction of the cost of attending a seminar. Thirty-six states now allow online courses to meet CE requirements (Figure 1). The PACE proposals, the pending system that establishes a single CE accrediting body for all states, also includes provisions for online courses.

Figure 1. Online CE courses.

Online learning may be relatively new to the chiropractic profession, but corporations and other professionals have been using it for several years. Web-based training is now an $8 billion business, according to the Web-Based Training Information Center. An estimated 35% of health care professionals are taking courses online, and most Fortune 500 corporations conduct their training programs on the Web. According to the Gartner Group, a global Internet research firm, online learning will be the single most used application on the Web by 2005.

Web-based classes, especially those with question-and-answer features, can be much more interactive and stimulating than the typical seminar lecture. One study by Think Equity Partners indicated that Web-based learning can produce a 60% faster learning curve than traditional instruction. Another study by KnowledgeBank indicated higher satisfaction with online learning than traditional lecture formats.

The chiropractic profession is now recognizing this trend. Whereas only a few years ago, DCs would either have to wait for the right course to be scheduled nearby or pay a thousand dollars to fly out and attend a seminar overnight, they now have access to a potpourri of course offerings from the comfort of their home or office. Many popular chiropractic course instructors have converted their courses into online presentations.

Dana Lawrence, DC, Palmer Chiropractic College researcher and former editor of the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, now conducts an online chiropractic course on extravertebral techniques that incorporates 3-D interactive models of the human body. The courses are available in a variety of formats, including streaming audio and video, 3-D imaging, chats and conferences, digital documents and graphics, and animation.

A number of state chiropractic associations have embraced this new opportunity of online CE. Nearly one third of the state chiropractic associations in states that allow online CE have already partnered with an online CE provider.

“We know that a number of our doctors want the convenience of taking their [CE] courses online, so partnering made a lot of sense,” explains Mark Elfman, DC, chairman of the Massachusetts Chiropractic Society Education Committee.

Deb Mortenseon, executive director of South Dakota Chiropractic Association also notes, “With online CE access, many of our doctors who live in very remote areas can now access top-quality education without having to make a long trip.”

Some chiropractic state leaders have needlessly feared that access to online CE courses will decrease attendance at their conventions. Seminars and state conventions have historically helped more than 96% of the chiropractic profession get their CE credits each year. However, with some states requiring 30 to 50 CE credit hours each year, attending three or more weekend seminars each year can be costly in terms of dollars and time away from the practice and family.

Some state groups are considering hybrid weekend seminars that offer a mixture of lectures at the convention that are supplemented with access to hours of online content. Doctors can attend 16 hours of seminars at the convention and then access another 4 hours online at their convenience.

State groups are using the extra time in their conventions to offer more social events at their conventions instead of cramming courses to maximize the seminar hours. Since DCs rarely get the time to network with one another directly at traditional conventions, the hybrid system looks very promising as a way to get the best of both worlds.

Some chiropractic educational experts think that online CE will significantly broaden the spread of knowledge across the profession and help newer ideas gain faster adoption.

“The whole point of online [CE] programs is to provide chiropractors with greater access to a more diverse offering of material,” explains Patrece Frisbee, DC, CEO and cofounder of The Continuing Education University of Health Sciences. “Doctors from anywhere in the world, can take any course, about any subject, at any time.”

The only limitation to Web-based learning is the lack of hands-on demonstration. While photos and videos can illustrate certain techniques, there are some chiropractic procedures that can be mastered only through actual physical contact. Some technique groups are putting some introductory materials from their seminars online to allow more time in their physical seminars for the hands-on sessions.

There are about a dozen providers of online chiropractic CE, including Web-based learning companies such as Bright Course, CEUHS.com, Cevantive, Chirocredit.com, DC Online, and Online Chiro Credits, and chiropractic college postgraduate departments, such as Cleveland CC, New York CC, Northwestern HSU, Palmer CC, and Parker CC. Course topics offered are chiropractic technique, risk management, diagnosis, treatment principles, rehabilitation, radiography, HIV/AIDS, research, HIPAA compliance, and chiropractic philosophy.

The cost for most courses ranges from $20 to $30 per credit hour, so a 4-hour course would cost $80 to $120. Most of the large Web-based learning companies offer a free sample course so you can experience an online seminar.

There are several keys to help you choose the right online CE company. First, find an online company that offers courses approved by legitimate accrediting bodies 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. Second, be sure the company has attracted qualified, premier faculty and offers a wide variety of courses in subjects within your fields of interest. Third, the online company needs to verify that you took the course using password protection, timed pages, questions at the end of each module, and an electronic affirmation of authenticity. The company should also provide you with a certificate as proof that you took the course. Finally, look for companies that are also affiliated with leading universities and professional associations, some of which may offer discounts to association members.

If you have not already logged into a Web site for CE courses, then I recommend that you check one out. Read through the course offerings online, try a sample course and determine if Web-based learning is right for you. Similar to attending seminars, you should not try to cram all the required hours for 2 or 3 years into a marathon session. With a bit of planning, online CE seminars can even be broken into short sessions and completed during lunch breaks.

Mark Mandell, DC, MBA, is the founder of BrainStorm Group, a marketing and regulatory strategy consulting firm for chiropractic and health care product companies, which has advised Fortune 1000 companies and start-ups worldwide. He is a third-generation chiropractor, developed a prototype chiropractic clinic for a Veterans Affairs facility, and a CP editorial advisory board member. Mandell can be reached at: brainstormgroup@hotmail.com  or (732) 257-2463.