Tue, 03/08/2022 - 11:24
by Kevin Kinback MD
So, you joined the Clinical TMS Society—Great! What’s your next step?
When joining Clinical TMS Society, one quickly recognizes the major benefits, with all the excitement of the annual meeting, member website access, access to Brain Stimulation articles, discounted PULSES course, etc. Not all Member benefits are as obvious, and there are many ways you can be more involved! Becoming more active in the TMS society will not only benefit you, but also help your peers and your patients!
I’ll list some bullet points for different benefits and ways to be more active:
- Complete your member profile on CTMSS website. There is a “find a provider” link for your logo, outgoing message, and several practice locations. These are all searchable by other members and visitors (patients)!
- Read the TMS Today blasts. These contain quick updates for pending activities and links to articles.
- Attend the New Member & Town Hall webinars, get to know the leaders and review all the benefits of being in the Society. Making friends and seeking advice and other networking is very valuable and doesn’t just happen at annual meetings.
- Member forums on the CTMSS website. There are many categories such as looking for advice, classified ads, research, etc.
- Webinars: These are monthly and usually for CME. There is also a slide deck, that you may use for presentations after completion. You can watch recorded webinars as well.
- Affinity groups: meet virtually to discuss common interests, such as ketamine, EEG’s, research, practice management. Our current Affinity groups are:
- TMS and Addiction
- TMS and Sleep Disorders
- TMS and Autism
- TMS and Data Collection
- TMS and Ketamine
- Private Practice TMS: Clinical and Business
- TMS Mechanisms
- TMS and Sex Differences
- TMS Treatment in Adolescents
- TMS and Pain
- Ask for a Mentor. Feel free to reach out to other members and ask for help. Annual meetings and the groups above are great places to network and learn from experienced providers.
- Take the PULSES course. If you are new and especially trying to decide which device is right for you, there is exposure to many experts for 2 days straight—a wealth of information. There are five scholarships awarded, each course for residents, trainees, or those internationally starting out. The “hands on” day is a great intro to compare TMS devices all in one place. Useful information is provided, even to the more experienced provider/technician. This is another good place to network with other providers!
- Present a poster or two. You can submit 2 posters per year for the Annual Meeting 2 hour poster session. Your device maker likely has consultants who can help you set up studies or analyze data. Poster abstracts are screened and those accepted are automatically published in the Brain Stimulation Journal. The top 4 are invited to present their findings in a short lecture. This would look great on your CV.
- Do you have a special interest, expertise or an interesting story? Write an article! The admin staff and TMS Today editors are always looking for new and exciting content. This is a great way to get your name out for others in case you want to join committees or the Board of Directors! Please share your knowledge or keep us updated on articles you have published and where we can find them!
- Join a committee! You don’t need special expertise or experience to work on a committee or subcommittee (sometimes called a “task force,” etc). This could be by special invitation, but you can also apply yourself to any committee. Current committees include: Research, Insurance, Clinical Standards, Outreach, Education, Legal-Business & Ethics, Membership, and Annual Meeting. Application forms are available on the website or by emailing the Society at: info@clinicaltmssociety.org. You can also email the committee Chairs to express interest and you should then be given an invitation to “sit in” on a committee meeting. The Chairs will approve new committee members on an ongoing basis, so you can always apply after that. I have personally served on many committees, which is a great way to make friends, and learn that your opinions are in fact important!
- Run for the Board of Directors. Each year 8-9 spots on the board are usually open to all General Members. You can self-nominate, and submit your bio and information, then all voting Society members select the new Board Members in an annual general election.
- Recruit other members. Reach out to students, residents, and colleagues to join our Society and share their interest and expertise as well. Please help grow our membership and advance our cause of promoting education about TMS and its usefulness in a variety of disorders.
- Make your opinions count. One great way is to join a dynamic or powerful committee that is creating new policies or struggling with highly controversial issues! One great example is the Legal, Business & Ethics Committee (LBE). Many founding members and even former officers and presidents sit on this dynamic committee. This group is highly regarded and trusted by the Board to review cutting-edge issues, and nearly every other committee has at one time asked us to comment on or help resolve a complaint, question about bylaws, or to update policies & procedures. We propose positive changes in areas such as inclusivity and respond to complaints, so LBE recommendations are taken seriously by Society leaders.
You deserve to be involved in a very exciting and fun committee, so please join us as my personal guest at our next meeting! The LBE Committee meets for one hour, on the 4th Thursday of every month at 8:00pm ET/5:00pm PT, and I look forward to seeing you there.
Please email info@clinicaltmssociety.org for your invitation!