How to Build Core Competencies as a Medical Writer
Transitioning into the CME/CE (continuing medical education/continuing education) field can make writers feel like they’re starting from scratch — there are a lot of skills to master, especially for someone who does not come from a medical background. On the flip side, it is a real challenge for clients looking to hire writers for CME-related work to find people with the skills, training, and expertise in writing for this field. Competencies provide common ground to bridge this gap between CME/CE writers and clients.
In this article, we explore how competencies are used in CME writing, their vital role in managing expectations and requirements for both writers and clients, as well as which core competencies you need to become better equipped as a CME writer.
Special thanks to Donald Harting MA, MS, ELS, CHCP of Harting Communications LLC, whose insights on the changing landscape of competencies for CME/CE writers inspired this article. Don’s episode on the Write Medicine podcast has even more tips for CME writers looking to brush up on this topic.
What Are Competencies in CME Writing?
CME/CEHP is a competency-based field. The emphasis is on developing what learners can do rather than what they know. The same is true for CME/CEHP writers! Medical education today broadly focuses on evaluating learners on their ability to independently perform specific tasks. This focus is called competency-based education and features heavily in the field of continuing education.
This system can be applied to CME writing too. We can think of competencies in CME writing as the knowledge, behaviors, and attitudes that underpin your ability to complete relevant tasks. For instance, problem-solving is a competency.
Competencies are closely related to skills in CME writing, which refers to the specific learned and applied abilities you use to fulfill tasks. It takes skill to identify and describe clinical and performance practice gaps.
To become better CME/CE writers, we need to nurture the essential competencies clients are seeking while simultaneously honing the necessary skills.
The Realities of Core Competencies for CME Writers
The Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions (ACEHP) The American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) has set out national learning competencies for CME and CPD providers under the medical writing competency model. Educating the Educator curriculum.
This is a great start for anyone working in the CME field, especially as it offers guidance on the core knowledge needed to create CME content such as the healthcare landscape, adult learning principles, educational design, and accreditation.
However, these competencies do not explicitly address the needs of writers tasked with creating the content for educational activities in CME and CEHP. CME writers are vital in maintaining standards of integrity and independence to ensure content validity and often grapple with questions without clear-cut answers.
What kinds of sources are permissible to support content? How should evidence be presented, and at what level of detail? What is the best way to navigate fair and balanced content when financial support for CME activities often comes from parties with vested commercial interests in the therapeutic area being discussed?
While standards are designed to protect CME content and medical communication from industry influence and bias, these standards have typically been more descriptive than prescriptive. At the same time, the absence of clearly defined competencies for CME writers poses a challenge to both clients and writers in being able to set and meet expectations for CME activities. As a result, CME writers are left with considerable latitude to use their own best judgment in how they apply these standards in their work.
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What Competencies and Skills Do CME Writers Need to Have?
Although competencies have emerged as a vital part of being a CME writer, currently, there is little available training for CME writers beyond workshops offered at the annual American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) meeting. As such, CME writers are often left to determine best practices for themselves and, sometimes, for their clients.
However, the competency landscape is changing. The competencies CME writers need to have are also being defined by ongoing research. Efforts are being made to consult with a panel of experts using the Delphi method to determine relevant and essential standards and competencies for CME writers.
When this research reports its consensus-based findings, it’s likely we’ll see an emphasis on skills and competencies ranging from general medical writing (e.g., literature search and synthesis, analyzing information) to CME-specific competencies such as crafting actionable learning objectives, identifying and describing clinical practice gaps, and interviewing and collaborating with clinical experts.
As CME writers, we can expect that there will be a constant evolution of these competencies and a move towards more rigorous guidelines in the future. The curriculum I create for my CME courses is aligned with this consensus framework and is designed to fill a critical training gap for CME writers.
Competencies also include being able to tailor CME/CE content for health professionals according to specialty and professional designation and combine text, images, and storytelling techniques in multiple ways to create different formats and deliverables. While certain continuing medical education (CME) activities may have specific requirements, broadly speaking, common deliverables, from a medical writer's perspective, include:
MCQs
Slide decks
Patient cases
Video scripts
White papers
Podcast scripts
Outcomes reports
Roundtable reports
Needs assessments
Evaluation questions
Performance reports
Case-based vignettes
Pre/post-test questions
Patient education materials
Conference/poster abstracts
Quality improvement reports
Build Your Competencies as a CME Writer
Being able to meet key competencies is only one aspect of being an effective CME writer. To build a successful career as a CME writer and create a standout portfolio, you’ll also need resources and mentorship. Are you interested in breaking into CME/CE Writing? Take this 4-minute quiz to find out your strengths and weaknesses.
→ Join WriteCME Pro, a CME-specific, skills-based membership for CME writers who are ready to create CME content with confidence.
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