CHANGES IN MEDICAL EDUCATION ACCREDITATION
The continuing medical education (CME) industry is going through a significant change under the lead of the Accreditation Council of Continuing Medical Education (ACCME). These changes are bringing about a paradigm shift in physician learning.
Surprisingly, this shift has been created unexpectedly for medical writers who are interested in entering the CME medical writing field specifically. Previously, writers found it very difficult to break into this highly specialized field. CME providers creating CME content chose to hire writers whom they had known such work, and who understood the first standing requirements and regulations first hand. There are few opportunities for formal CME medical writing training, so besides the job training at the side of another CME professional, writers eager to enter CME were in a circular bind. They needed to have experience in CME medical writing, but couldn’t get it because they were inexperienced Medical Condition.
Fortunately, as a result of the shake up in CME, even experienced writers are finding they need to learn new skills. The changes have been that fundamental! If you are interested in entering the field, it will be level as it will be. The demand for CME content is higher with the new requirements, and all medical writers have a chance not only to write CME, but to stand apart from professionals who have been in the industry for years.
THE ECONOMY AND MEDICAL WRITING TRAINING
The most recent BON for aspiring CME medical writers.
Along with many economic sectors, recession affected most freelance medical writers. I am good friends with someone who writes consumer health and patient education articles. She shared shared business with her has decreased forty percent. Like a lot of us, she chose the entrepreneur / route over steady employment so that she could have her own boss and had more control over her time and type of work she does. Now, she’s lucky to get enough new work to cover basic expenses. She spends her day combing the Internet, sending out her CV, reaching out to contacts, and making cold calls to strangers. Sound familiar? When we discussed what ELSE he was doing about it, he said, “Until things turn around, I could also use this time to learn statistics, so I can finally tell the ratio between the risk ratio and the odds ratio instead of faking it . ”
Using the slowdown in the market to learn another skill is a great opportunity, and many writers are taking advantage of this time. For example, in 2009, the American Medical Writer’s Association was offered over 100 educational sessions during their 3-day annual conference so members could “… gain areas of expertise that enhance their skills in the many facets of medical communication.” In addition, friends of mine who teach medical blogs have gotten record numbers of hits. The interest and demand are there.
WEB TECHNOLOGY AND THE ONLINE MEDICAL WRITING COURSE
Finally, the largest trend in physician education is the move from learning in situ meetings and conferences, to learning over the internet at the physician’s time and convenience. This trend is expected to increase.
“Interactive education, just-in-time learning, and increased opportunities for self-directed learning among future trends in CME”, according to Patrick Alguire, MD, director of the American College of Physicians, department of education and career development. (AAOS Now, March, 2010)
“If the current use of online education continues, 50% of continuing medical education (CME) will be delivered online in 2016. This would represent a dramatic increase over the 9% of CME delivered via the Internet. 2008. The issue in the Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions, 2010 changes in how practicing physicians obtain ongoing training could disrupt the multi-billion dollar CME industry in much the same way technological innovations. have disrupted other established industries. ” (The Medical News, March 11, 2010)
The same trend to offer online medical writing courses via the internet is reflective of what is happening in physician education, and should be happening so that CME medical writing training stays with the latest technology. In online medical writing training, we can now offer content in multiple media (written, audio, and video), interactive format (interaction between student and teacher), and at the convenience of the student (24 hours / day x 7 days / week x 365 days / year.)