Linda Solis, M.A., manager of the Teleconference Network of Texas (TNT), shows a map of the many locations health professionals are participating in the TNT continuing education webinars and audioconferences. Click on photo for larger image.
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The UT Health Science Center San Antonio’s Teleconference Network of Texas (TNT) is now offering most of its continuing-education seminar series as webinars. The new format offers economical continuing education opportunities for health professionals in smaller hospitals, rural areas, such as South Texas, and international locations.

“We already have some health professionals in Canada and at an Air Force Base in Korea taking some of our classes,” said Linda Solis, M.A., manager of TNT.

Part of Academic Technology Services, TNT will celebrate 40 years of offering educational seminars in February 2011.

Expert faculty speakers from across North America
Sixteen seminar series are offered now, the majority of them 12-part series focusing on the allied health professions. They include such titles as “Blood Banking,” “Clinical Chemistry & Toxicology,” “Spiritual Dimensions of Chaplaincy in Health Care,” “Current Care and Management of Diabetes” and “End of Life Issues.” The seminars feature faculty experts from leading institutions across the United States and Canada, including the UT Health Science Center San Antonio, the Mayo Clinic, Harvard and UCLA.

Economical training close to home
Linda Smith, Ph.D., professor and chair of clinical laboratory sciences in the School of Health Professions, has been involved with TNT for more than a decade as a presenter and faculty adviser. “I consider it a service to other clinical laboratory scientists — an opportunity to provide continuing education to those who might not be able to travel to state or national meetings due to budget cuts or staff shortages,” she said.

Until January, all the seminars were offered as audioconferences. “With audioconferences, we were limited by 28 phone lines, and to make it cost-effective we had to have at least five people registered at each site. With webinars, we have a lot more flexibility and can offer the courses to individuals in remote locations who might not have the money to attend continuing education conferences in person, or to smaller institutions that have fewer employees,” Solis explained.

Current topics
TNT is continually seeking hot topics and experts to present them. “About one-tenth of our presenters are from the Health Science Center. We also have a number of faculty advisers here and at other institutions who are on the lookout for new ideas and presenters,” Solis said. “That way, we keep our seminar series fresh and up-to-date from year to year. We encourage Health Science Center faculty members to become involved in TNT.”

Value to presenting faculty members
George Kudolo, Ph.D., professor of clinical laboratory sciences, has been both a speaker and a faculty adviser for nearly 15 years. “This presents an opportunity to speak to audiences without travel, saving on expenses and time off from work. As a teacher, it is usually not possible for me to take time off during the semester because I am teaching two to three courses. Invariably I am in class every day,” he said.

Dr. Smith added, “I am active in my professional organization both statewide and nationally and I have the opportunity to hear speakers from all over who have new information or great ideas to share. I am delighted to be able to suggest these speakers so that many people can learn from them. In talking with colleagues at the meetings I also learn about other speakers who might be willing to provide a session.”

The seminars are recognized for continuing education credit by leading professional associations, and are offered at a more reasonable price than those offered by commercial enterprises, Solis said. “We also like to think that our seminars are better received. While we do not offer large honorariums to our speakers, we often feature leading faculty members from prestigious institutions who would otherwise charge thousands of dollars to speak. I think they like to work with us because of our long history of offering quality programs and because TNT is associated with an academic health science center rather than a for-profit organization,” she said.

For more information about TNT, visit http://tnt.uthscsa.edu/index.aspx or call (210) 567-2700.