Confused by all the terminology in continuing education for health professionals?

Do you know the difference between CME, CE, CPD, and lifelong learning?

Understanding the distinctions is key to navigating the world of accredited education and critical for delivering patient care based on the latest clinical evidence.

These terms are like a variety of dishes at a buffet.

CME is like a specially crafted, formal meal designed for licensed physicians, complete with specific flavors and presentations.

CE, on the other hand, is the all-you-can-eat buffet, offering a wide range of options tailored to the entire healthcare team, from the savory entrees for physicians to the sweet desserts for nurses, pharmacists, and physician assistants.

Meanwhile, CPD is like a cooking class that teaches not just recipes, but also the skills and techniques needed to become a versatile and accomplished chef, incorporating a mix of culinary, business, and professional development competencies.

Just as lifelong learning is a continuous process of exploring new culinary delights, learning new skills, and combining different ingredients to create a fulfilling professional journey.

Write Medicine’s introductory primer breaks down the terminology in simple terms. Tune in to get clarity on continuing medical education once and for all.

1. Explore. Get to know the continuing medical education world. Chart Your CME Writing Path is a great place to start.

2. Engage. Connect with your CME peers. You can do that in WriteCME Pro.

3. Educate. Learn how to create learner-centric formats and deliverables.

4. Evaluate. Make sure your skills are market-ready. Get your CME competency score now.

5. Elevate. Share your expertise with others.

One of the concerns that I hear from clinicians, academics, and researchers interested in becoming CME writers is they feel they are starting completely over.

Yes and no.

Your current knowledge and expertise are valid and valuable.

Whatever your previous profession, you have incredible breadth and depth of expertise that can enhance your competence in medical writing.

You might be in a new space with lots to learn.

You might be feeling a little lost.

And I know from my own experience that there is sadness attached to leaving one profession for another venture.

It might feel as though you are shedding an identity.

(You are. It’s important to honor and acknowledge that.)

But while your identity evolves, you don’t lose the knowledge and expertise you've acquired and achieved.

You were a clinician, an academic, or another type of professional. Now you’re becoming a CME writer. And your incredible expertise is relevant to this field.

It’s relevant because you have clinical context. You know what it’s like to care for patients.

It's relevant because you know how challenging it is to translate knowledge into practice.

Do you need to earn new skills?

Absolutely.

How will you do that?

Through practice. Step-by-step.

Create your own inventory now with Chart Your CME Writing Path.

And WriteCME Pro is here with a roadmap.

The field of CME writing is waiting for you.

It’s common for new-to-the-field CME writers to be daunted by the breadth and depth of this community. Recognize the expertise and skills that you bring from your professional life to date and explore how they might translate to what CME education providers need from writers. Being clear about your skills and services will help you to get your foot in the door.

A good starting point is to identify strengths and weaknesses and pinpoint areas to highlight and those that need work. Consider questions such as:

✅ What am I good at?

✅ What do people compliment me on?

✅ What do people ask me for help with?

After compiling your list initially, ask family, friends, colleagues, or a mentor for their input. Alternatively, you can utilize online templates or tools such as the CliftonStrengths Assessment or a SWOT Analysis to identify your strengths.

The challenge of learning the rules of a new game is the same for breaking into a new field. You need the experience to get experience!

Create samples for your portfolio to take ownership of building this experience. In addition, showcase your skill set with a couple of pieces of work to give potential clients confidence in your ability to deliver.

Great question! Here's a quick breakdown of how writers collaborate with different CME clients.

Medical education companies. Medical education companies are essential in providing CME activities that meet accreditation standards. You can collaborate with them on educational activities, needs assessments, and other CME materials.

Publishing companies. Publishing companies create their own education materials and often collaborate with accredited CME providers to distribute educational materials. They work with CME writers to develop these education materials.

Hospitals and health systems. Hospitals and health systems partner with CME providers to enhance their educational activities. Or, they may partner directly with you, the CME writer.

Medical specialty societies. Medical specialty societies create education materials for live and online events. They often work with writers via medical education and publishing companies to create those materials.