Mt Baker - day 85 (CME)

For those who might not know, CME stands for continuing medical education. Physicians of the various specialties, such as surgery, require CME to maintain certifcation. Attending medical meetings and listenening to presentations for several days is one way to satisfy this requirement. Ergo, here we are in Las Vegas with my surgical colleagues. Many here have been attending these events for years. It's a time to catch up with their recent experiences, learn the latest gossip, and share in well-being of their families. My news is (surprise, surprise) my upcoming trip through glacier fields to the summit with a 50 pound pack on my back.

Here is the rub, however. How does one keep up a clinical practice, attend the meetings, make the three hours of daily commute and actually meet the one to two hours of physical training required to have necessary endurance to succeed? The answer is CME. One has to make time to meet requirements. You have to set CME as a priority, simplify your life, and say no to things that are not absolutely necessary. That is what I am trying to accomplish. CME for me, however, has a new definition and not limited to continuing medical education. Rather, CME to me now refers to (you guessed it) "consistant mountaineering exercise". Six days a week, one to two hours daily. Today, here at the meeting, it means up at 6 AM to hit the fitness center for aerobics. It means out of the meeting at 5 PM and back to the center for weights and strength training. Enough blog for today. Got to go. Time for more CME