While physicians in this country can pretty much go where they please to get their CME, it's good to remember that not all docs are so fortunate. Still, the Iraqi doctors in this article think it's worth driving more than 300 miles through military checkpoints to get to Kuwait to attend the Baby Lifeline conference.
On one of the conference feedback forms, an Iraqi consultant obstetrician described her life under Saddam's rule as like living in a cage.
She wrote: "It is my wish to encourage a young generation of doctors and nurses to communicate with the outside world and to equip themselves with more knowledge.
"These young doctors and nurses have been born and have lived in a cage in Iraq.
"We need to open the door of that cage to enjoy trying to see the rest of the world."
Think about that the next time someone says they can't come to a conference because of hassles with security lines at the airport, or take too much time away from their practice. We all have difficulties, but learning is too important to take for granted.
