Visions of Johanna by Steve Elias
Visions of Johanna
“Aint it just the night to play tricks
when you’re trying to be so quiet?
We sit here stranded
though we’re all doing our best to deny it.”
Education takes cooperation. In this edition the article by Steven Zimmet, MD , from the American Board of Phlebology, illustrates where we are heading: a consensus of core content when teaching others about venous disease. Not an easy task, and it takes cooperation.
For the past 10 years, there have been attempts to identify core content by disparate groups, but inter and intragroup cooperation was hard to come by at times. For whatever reasons (and there are many), we now don’t have to sit here stranded, doing our best to deny it. The group of physicians that have had input into the ABPh and Dr. Zimmet’s initial outline come from all the specialties that manage venous disease. From an educational perspective, this cooperation and consensus gives everyone an idea as to what should be covered at the many societal meetings, private courses and ultimately, into the curriculum of physician trainees’ education (medical students, residents and fellows).
The sooner the better for our future.
Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again
“Oh the ragman draws circles
up and down the block
I’d ask him what the matter
was but I know that he don’t talk”
What the matter was in the distant past was that no one was talking to one another. The last few years have brought about the cross-pollination of societies, meetings and education by a core group of speakers and faculty. These individuals have spent some time out of their “comfort zone,” attending meetings that were not always geared to their core constituency. For example, we have AV F members speaking at an AC P meeting. And vice versa. The specialists understood that we cannot live in our own little worlds.
The venous world had expanded. The universal support of industry at most meetings further continued this integration of thought lenders. A realization occurred that everyone was trying to achieve the same educational goals, and each society thought leader and presenter brought an area of expertise that could contribute to the universal goal of venous education.
Thunder on the Mountain
“Thunder on the mountain,
and there’s fire on the moon
A ruckus in the alley
and the sun will be here soon.
What’s happening? Strange things. This year the American Venous Forum will include a session on sclerotherapy, and this year the American College of Phlebology will include a session on big veins (iliac, cava, DVT , etc.). Almost all educational venues now include most of the core content material. This has not been an accident, rather a natural evolution of what we have learned over the last 10 years. We are beginning to get the big picture. Education must be inclusive. Societies must be inclusive. Vein specialists, no matter what their specialty, must be inclusive.
The current vein specialist’s knowledge of venous disease must include all areas addressed in the core content document. It doesn’t necessarily mean that every vein specialist must care for all aspects of venous disease, but he should have knowledge about all aspects. This document should be the basis of future education and the future of venous disease treatment by our future vein specialists.
