To CME or not to CME - that is the question

The other day, I was speaking with a physician about job opportunities in the CME (continuing medical education) industry. There are fewer jobs in CME compared to 5 or even 3 years ago. Why?

Last year, quite a few medical education companies got out of the CME industry. Some of them simply closed doors and went out of business while others shifted their focus to non-certified education (such as promotional education, consumer health education, etc.).

I know many physicians currently working in the CME industry. They are "CME professionals" and some even have the designation of being a "Certified CME Professional" or CCMEP. 

The CME community is getting smaller each year, so that has its share of advantages and disadvantages. CME will never go away, but the traditional model of industry-supported CME is evolving and it's hard to know what CME will look like in 10 years. The AMA has been pushing for point-of-care (POC) CME and also performance improvement (PI) CME. These are very different from your traditional didactic lectures or clinical case exercises.

I still enjoy the challenges associated with the CME industry, so that's one of the main reasons why I continue to stay in the CME industry. I also have the opportunity to leverage technology to improve education and I find it fascinating to stay current on the latest clinical developments in the world of biomedical research and clinical science. If you enjoy the science of medicine but you're thinking about leaving the world of clinical medicine, the CME industry could be a right fit. However, it's also important to stay adaptable in this ever-changing environment of CME.