BUILDING ON THE FOUNDATION OF THE PAST

By Margaret Mann, MD, FAAD, FAVLS and Steve Elias, MD, FACS, FAVLS, DABVLM • Co-Chairs of the Education Committee

Education remains one of the top career-enhancing assets the AVLS offers. The AVLS has positioned itself as the premier association for health professionals dedicated to diagnosing and treating venous and lymphatic disease. Our educational goal continues to enhance the resources we offer our members.

The AVLS has brought forth new learning experiences and enhanced our previous offerings. Our past efforts have focused on the quality of courses and webinars offered. This year, we expanded our vision to ensure access and availability to a broader selection of educational opportunities for our members and non-members alike.

THE LAUNCH OF AVLS’S VIRTUAL REALITY EDUCATIONAL COURSE

One of the highlights of the educational program was the introduction of AVLS’s virtual reality course – Immersive Sclerotherapy, VR 360, launched in May 2020. Virtual reality education was an opportunity for professionals to obtain CME credits in the safety of their homes or offices. According to overwhelming positive post-course surveys, the rollout of this course in this format was a success. The original course achieved forty-two registrations.

In 2022, we expanded the program with the Intro to Venous Insufficiency and updated the Immersive Sclerotherapy course. Thermal Ablation and Ultrasound courses are currently in development and will launch in November 2022.

ADAPTING REGIONAL COURSES TO CHANGING TIMES

Before 2020, the AVLS hosted a robust regional calendar of one-day courses across the country. While the format and delivery of the courses changed due to the pandemic, new technology a nd educational methods adapted during this time will continue to enhance our programs for years to come.

In the evolving world of education, AVLS must continue to meet new education delivery standards. Hybrid courses will remain a part of the AVLS educational curriculum.

The RPhS Review Course with Virtual Mock Exam offering began in March 2021 and continues to enroll attendees upwards of 30 + registrants per session offering. RPhS attendees have full access to over thirteen chapters of prerecorded didactics in preparation for the Mock Exam including close to 4 hours of rigorous interactive exam questions.

Our success continues with the Venous & Lymphatic Medicine Review Course (VLM) OnDemand with In-person Livestream Mock Exam to prepare participants to sit for the ABVLM Certification Examination or improve their expertise. Previously a two-day, in-person-only course known as the Phlebology Review Course, now participants receive a compilation of 10 hours of medical education content on-demand, alongside a live, full day of experienced faculty reviewing, discussing, and coaching during the intense mock exam.

ROLLOUT OF WEBINAR PROGRAM

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic upended the medical world. AVLS Members needed prompt information about how this affected vein practices. In response, the Society launched a free series of webinars as a part of the “Apart, Together” operation. Webinar topics included employment practices, telemedicine implementation, financial effects, marketing, and more.

The webinars attracted 1,149 registrants and produced non-member prospects for future membership recruitment.

Following the initial success of the “Apart, Together” webinar program, the AVLS continued to offer webinars on topics beyond the pandemic. We are hosting webinars about every other month, and subjects include medical education like lymphedema and pelvic venous disease.

To continue offering comprehensive, innovative education for practitioners who treat or anticipate treating patients with venous and lymphatic disease, we have identified several objectives to enhance the program. Those objectives are:

1. Increasing education across the full spectrum of practitioner experience.

2. Expanding methods of educational delivery.

3. Increasing the variety and accessibility of educational opportunities.

4. Increasing collaboration with other organizations to provide education and resources.

IMPROVING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF VENOUS CLASSIFICATION SYSTEMS

In May 2021, an international group spearheaded by the AVLS published the Symptoms-Varicies-Pathophysiology (SVP) classification of pelvic venous disorders. With this new venous classification system, there was a need to provide education for physicians to begin classifying their patients.

Learning to implement a classification system requires more than just reading or lectures. It requires practice. The Venous Classification Workbooks were the creative solution to provide this education. The Venous Classification digital workbooks present real patients to evaluate and simulate real patient diagnoses. Clinical cases range from basic to advanced classifications. Participants receive immediate feedback about their classification selection and the opportunity to improve their skills.

As the SVP Venous Classification Workbook came together, there was an opportunity to partner with the American Venous Forum and expand the program to include a CEAP (Clinical-Etiology-Anatomical-Pathophysiology) Venous Workbook.

BEYOND AVLS EDUCATION – ADDING JOINT PROVIDERSHIP

The AVLS has recently expanded its role in venous and lymphatic medical education by working with other educational providers to accredit their continuing medical education (CME) offerings. Working as Joint Provider allows the AVLS to expand venous and lymphatic medical education to include more quality, accredited CME.

Since beginning our Joint Providership, AVLS has provided continuing medical education for three conferences within the medical industry: Miami Vales, Strandness Symposium, and Pacific Northwest Endovascular (PNEC) with Behind the Scenes Medical Education (BTCME). In addition, we continue to collaborate with a host of other agencies to provide CME – collaborations include the CEAP Venous Classification Workbook with the American Venous Forum (AVF) and introductory webinars with Wilson Farris Consulting LLC.

Over the next year, our goals are to broaden our offerings in new and innovative educational methods and topics. We have implemented a subscriber base annual subscription to the AVLS eLibrary, which grants members access to recorded AVLS webinars and short courses to view at their convenience. As we add to the monthly catalog, subscribers will automatically receive access as an ePass holder. We recognize the advantage of rolling out more premier courses/webinars play in the ongoing development of our members.