Medical Imaging Knowledge With The CQR

Imagine your knowledge of medical imaging is a fortress. The foundation is safety and patient care. From there you build upon it the knowledge of your specific modality, including the procedures you run for scans. The flags flying at the top are indicators of the things you take pride in: your specialty, your institution, and yourself. But over the years of use, you have become relaxed about maintaining your fortress. While some areas are strong, others are less so. The walls, though they still stand, have a few weak points due to the mortar failing around certain bricks. Would you tear down the entire structure and start again? No. You are not asked to return to school and start over, just as you would not dismiss all the expertise you have gained through your career.Medical Imaging Knowledge With The CQR

The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) does not require a full recertification process in making you sit for the board exam again. Nor would you build a second wall around the first, strengthening all points without discrimination through general continuing education courses. Similarly, you would not ignore the faulty areas and only reinforce strong points, just as you should not take continuing education courses on things you already know very well. Instead, the proper approach is to address the integrity of the weak points specifically and reinforce the fortress as a whole. Much like an inspector coming in to evaluate the fortress, the continuing qualifications requirements (CQR) asks you to identify those weak points through the self-assessment tool, and then reinforce them with targeted continuing education courses. The CQR seeks to help technologists identify gaps in their knowledge and cognitive skills through formative assessment. The ARRT understands that technologists need to stay up to date on their abilities because there may be gaps that form through nonapplication. All medical imaging professionals are tasked with earning a minimum of 24 credits on continuing education every two years to ensure the appropriate maintenance is spent on their individual fortress of medical imaging knowledge.Medical Imaging Knowledge With The CQR