Classes Available at the Thyroid Center of Santa Monica

Dr. Guttler offers a range of classes covering state of the art diagnostic and treatment options for thyroid patients. These classes range from one hour workshops focusing on specific skills to complete courses designed to give the student the background needed to become a certified master thyroidologist.

Workshops and Masters classes are open to endocrinologists. In addition, FNA physicians wanting further education may attend the FNA workshops.

Workshops

For those needing brushups on current methods, these workshops are a fast and inexpensive way to get the needed skills. The current workshops offered are:

1. FNA Physician Free Hand or Needle Guide Ultrasound Guided Needle Placement
2. FNA Physician Slide Preparation
3. On-site Quality Assessment of FNA Samples
4. Ultrasound Guided Cyst Drainage and Therapy with Ethanol (PEI). PEI for Cancer Lympth Nodes

Each workshop is one hour in length and covers the chosen topic in depth. Click here for more information.

Masters Classes

Masters classes give the student the necessary skills to start their own thyroid-specific practice. The classes are 3 or 5 days long or longer as desired.

The 3 day course covers topics and skills needed for an endocrinologist to have an emphasis on thyroid conditions while the 5 day course is for those who wish to specialize on thyroid patients.

Click here for more information.

Dr. Castro giving a I/123 pill to a patient for an uptake. He is doing his practical experience needed with Dr. Guttler in preparation for getting his license in thyroid nuclear medicine certification.

Current Best Practices Course

You can also attend a course which covers the current best practices in the thyroid field, covering the diagnosis and therapy options for the treatment of thyroid and parathyroid nodules. Read more about the course outline and prerequisites here. This class is tailored to the needs of the student, generally who is interested in enhancing their thyroid and parathyroid diagnostic skills but wants to maintain their current endocrinology practice.

Comments From attendees

1/25/2010

Re: the 1-week rotation at the Santa Monica Thyroid Center in December 2009

Dr. Guttler,

Thank you for allowing me to work for a week with you at the Santa Monica Thyroid Center this past December. I appreciated the opportunity to observe the inner workings of a thyroid only practice model. I found it very educational to review both benign and malignant thyroid pathology from your extenseive slide library. It was valuable to review the lectures from recent thyroid pathology conferences as well. I had ample time and the generously provided materials to practice slide preparation and to work with the thyroid biopsy phantom. Additionally, thyroid grand rounds at USC was a good educational experience.
Thank you for your hospitality, the time you took to teach and for allowing me to observe your practice for the week. I am grateful for the experience.

Sincerely,

Richard

I think it is very fine what you are doing with the thyroid mentoring
program and I hope many take you up on this. It is innovative and cutting edge in medical education. I have often thought that experienced clinicians like you are under-appreciated and that some of these academicians who write more than they have read often give bad advice in textboks. For me, it's probably too late but it sure sounds like fun.

Cordially,
Bill, MD, FACP, FACE

June 24, 2010

Dear Dr. Guttler,

Thank you for the opportunity to observe your thyroid practice first hand.  I had a wonderful learning experience over three days.  I appreciated learning about performance of thyroid uptake and scans, thyroid ultrasound identification of lymph nodes and parathyroid glands and different ways for preparation of slides for FNA, first look techniques for observation of FNA slides under the microscope and the longitudinal FNA approach.  Further, I really appreciated you taking the time to go over FNA cytology, billing issues regarding thyroid related procedures, and other didactic materials. I enjoyed the “thyroid only practice” atmosphere of your office and enjoyed interacting with your staff. 
As an endocrinologist in practice it is heartening to learn of alternate practice models like yours. 

Keep up the good work.

Best regards,

Dr. Richard Guttler's Masters Class in Clinical Thyroidology

Announces:
The First Master Graduate in Clinical Thyroidology

Kathleen Hands MD, FACE, ECNU

I am honored to have spent last week with Kathleen Hands, ACT member from San Antonio Texas. She was the first to be certified in endocrine neck ultrasound, ECNU by AACE.

She is the first 100% clinical thyroidologist I personally certify as a master. She worked on needle placement with Ace Needleme, smearing technique, PEI technique with the blue phantom, did two thyroid uptakes and imaging toward her practical experience toward nuclear certification. She learned nuclear safety protocols, on-site slide preparation for quality assessment, "first look" concepts to be able to look at the thyroid biopsy slides before the pathologist, reviewed all the Santa Monica Thyroid Centers protocols for treatment of cancer,cysts, goiters with RAI/131 and Ethanol. She obtained all codes needed to start a thyroid practice. She is opening a thyroid only practice in San Antonio after years of seeing thyroid patients at the university. She is the local expert on all things thyroid in that Texas city. She will be in private practice by September.

As a master class graduate she will be ask to submit her practice information to my webmaster to be included on my website, thyroid.com, where her paid practice announcement will be seen by millions surfing the web for thyroid information. I have only authorized addition to the website of true thyroid only clinicians who have spent at least a week with me. The website does not accept any other ads. The endocrinologists must be ECNU certified, and plan to have a CLIA thyroid lab, on-site quality assessment, "first look" concept with microscope, digital camera, and be certified in nuclear thyroidology by AACE. The goal is to be a self contained full service thyroid center. The week at my "store" will teach you the skills needed to have your dream come true. No night call, coverage, hospital patients, and free weekends to enjoy your family.

Congratulations to our ACT member Kathleen, as she is fulfilling her dream of becoming a clinical thyroidologist in Texas.

Dick

Dick,

"Congratulations to both you and Kathleen. A true specialty of Thyroidology is long overdue."

Jack Baskin, MD (retired)
Florida Thyroid Center

Wow...it was a great experience, Dick!

It's a wonderful sense of freedom to see patients and do things methodically and thoroughly from exam, lab, US, NM, FNA, stain, review for adequacy and then for the actual cytopath review to determine appropriate care for the patient..all in the same day!

No lines of frustrated patients waiting, multiple calls re med refills and x-ray requests, lost lab slips and rejections from insurance companies. Just patients and a comfortable relaxed pace. I am happy, rejuvenated and know, without a doubt, that this was the right decision for me.

Your course gave me the expertise and confidence to do it all myself (well.almost, I still need to go see Woody for NM certification).

I admit to being sheepish over getting a NM license, but you made it soooo easy to understand. And, to actually be able to perform tests in your office on your patients while taking the course was most beneficial. I can read a text like anyone but to have the hands on with nukes and to perform PEI in a real cyst (that 28cc cyst was awesome) makes all the difference in the world!

I can't thank you enough for the camaraderie, your expertise, your incredibly helpful staff, and your willingness to share your gift.

I will be forever in your debt. Thank you for opening my eyes to the good life!

With Warmest Regards,

Kathleen Hands, MD

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