Dr Sidath Liyanage, Consultant Radiologist at Southend Hospital reflects on the benefits of attending a BIR “Hands-On” event.
In the current climate of significant workforce demands and tighter study leave budgets, finding time and money to attend courses to maintain ones knowledge and skills is becoming increasingly challenging without breaking the bank. Moreover with the plethora of courses and conferences available nowadays, course selection and getting value for money is vital. With this in mind, I’m increasingly moving towards case-based interactive courses to fill my CPD obligations.
Having reported many hundreds of MRI knees as a non-MSK fellowship-trained district general radiologist, I wanted a course that consolidated and enhanced my MRI interpretation and reporting skills. This one day course did just that and more.
Limited to 30 delegates each with their own iMac workstation, the day was divided into four sessions dealing with the anterior, lateral, medial knee and cruciate ligaments. Delegates were encouraged to use a systematic checklist provided for assessing cases in a highly methodical and focused manner. The course was extremely interactive, with a high tutor-delegate ratio. Delegates were given a few minutes to interpret each case themselves using a workbook provided followed by immediate feedback on the case for the whole group using a big screen from three fellowship-trained MSK consultant radiologists. The course was both challenging and comprehensive; over 70 cases were reviewed, covering the full range of topics one might encounter in everyday practice.
I ended the day with greater confidence having been able to hone my reporting skills, and picked up a few pearls from the experts. The venue in central London was easy to get to and the lunch buffet was very appetising. This course is pitched at exactly the right level for general radiologists and senior STs in radiology. So if you are looking for a stimulating and practical value for money course on knee MR, look no further!
Dr Sid Liyanage
BSc(Hons), MBBS(Hons), MRCS(Eng), DOHNS, FRCR, PG Cert(Cardiff)
Consultant Genitourinary and General Radiologist
Southend University Hospital
London
