How to claim MOC credits for tweetorials
By Dr. Neil Maharaj, FRCPC
Despite our different scopes of practice, COVID-19 has united all clinicians in a common challenge: how to keep up with the rapidly increasing news and publication cycles. I recently discovered how “tweetorials” could help me stay on top of the swiftly changing science, policies and protocols.
Tweetorials are essentially a series of tweets written by an expert to form a mini-lecture. (This American website has a good definition.)
Tweetorials are up-to-date, easy-to-digest and eligible for Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Program credit. You can submit your learning from tweetorials in two places under Section 2 (self-learning):
- as an internet searching activity for half a credit per activity, and
- as a Personal Learning Project (PLP) for two credits per hour if the tweetorial helped you answer a clinical question or prompted you to do additional research on a specific topic.
I’ve been active on social media for a little while but I’m just starting to tap into the continuing professional development potential that it offers. Let me share a couple of examples of how tweetorials have impacted my own practice in Respirology:
- My own asthma tweetorial helped shape a provincial COVID-19 guidance document
I recently wrote a tweetorial about the risk of COVID-19 transmission to patients with well-controlled mild asthma. Another provincial college’s guidance document previously stated that these patients should be off work and isolated to avoid transmission. However, my tweetorial presented the current evidence, which suggests the risk of acquiring COVID-19 in this population is probably closer to that of the general population. I tagged the provincial college and in response, they reframed this as an evolving issue and modified their recommendation on off-work notes.
- An expert’s tweetorial enhanced my knowledge of COVID-19 vaccines for my patients
I read Dr. Florian Krammer’s amazing tweetorial on the current vaccine candidates for SARS-COV-2 in real time as he was publishing it. This tweetorial gave me a great understanding of the complexity of the vaccine development process, how it has changed with COVID-19 and the current front-running candidates. My patients are asking about these vaccines, so the experience helped me speak more knowledgeably about them. It also prompted me to do additional learning, so I will be claiming the time spent as a Personal Learning Project in Section 2 of the MOC Program for two credits per hour.
In conclusion, I’ve learned two important things about tweetorials:
- If you write one, you can make an impact in your field.
- If you read one, it can improve your relationship with your patients.
Please join me on this journey. If you haven’t already, create a social media presence and begin exploring the value that tweetorials can bring to your practice and your continuing professional development.
Neil Maharaj, MD, FRCPC, is a respirologist practising in Niagara Falls, Ont. He is an adjunct professor with the Faculty of Medicine at McMaster University and the chair of the Section of Respiratory Disease for the Ontario Medical Association.
Emmanuel Maicas | November 19, 2020
