See you in Orlando for the Alliance for CME (now Alliance for CEHP)

I'll see you in Orlando for the Alliance for Continuing Medical Education (CME), now the Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions (CEHP). This year, the focus is on "Improving Professional Competence, Provider Performance, and Patient Care." At this year's conference, I'll be speaking about the use of social media in continuing medical education.

This is the largest annual conference that draws professionals who work in the continuing medical education industry. The Alliance is a diverse community of professionals dedicated to accelerating excellence in health care performance through education, advocacy, and collaboration. Learn more about the Alliance here: http://www.acme-assn.org

I'm in Philadelphia attending the PACME conference #PACME11

I'm in Philadelphia attending the Pharmaceutical Alliance for Continuing Medical Education (PACME) conference.

PACME Spring Summit
May 12-13, 2011 | Sofitel® Philadelphia | Philadelphia, PA

The main purpose of the Pharmaceutical Alliance for Continuing Medical Education (PACME) Member Section is to provide a forum for Alliance members interested in advancing innovation in CME/CPD through collaboration and partnerships with providers of CME/CPD; allow for exchange and sharing of best practices (appropriately allowed within the law) between industry representatives actively engaged in the CME/CPD enterprise; provide mentorship and networking opportunities; offer educational programming that features thought leaders, researchers and innovators in CME/CPD.

2011 Annual CACHE Conference

The 2011 CACHE/ACEMC Annual Conference will be held in partnership with the National Continuing Competence Conference (NCCC)
at the Fairmont Banff SpringsHotel, Banff, Alberta, Canada, April 14-15.

Conference theme: Evolving Competence For Health Professions

For almost a decade, the annual meeting of the Alliance for Continuing Medical Education (held in various cities in the US) included a “Canada Day” that was developed by and for Canadian CHE professionals. Canadians appreciated the opportunity to learn and grow from other CHE professionals working in a similar environment. The day became so popular that the regular members of the Canadian contingent began to talk about moving “Canada Day” to Canadian soil. Around the same time that this idea was being born, Canadians became acutely aware of the fact that the presenters at the main ACME sessions were predominantly Canadian.

I'll be in San Francisco Jan 25-30

I'm heading out to San Francisco Jan 25-30 for a conference called the Alliance for CME. This is a conference for professionals working in the continuing medical education or CME industry. Attendees come from medical universities, publishing companies, specialty societies, medical education companies, disease foundations and non-profit groups, technology vendors, and a host of other types of organizations.

If you live in the San Fransisco area and you'd like to get together, send me an e-mail here.

A growing interest in medical writing and the CME industry

Last night, I attended the AMWA-DVC (American Medical Writers Association - Delaware Valley Chapter) meeting at the Radnor Hotel. The session focused around the CME industry and the panel discussion revolved around writing needs assessments for CME proposals. The panelists discussed topics like clinical gap analysis, educational needs, knowledge deficits, instructional design, and much more.

As I spoke with several people attending the meeting, I realized that there's definitely a growing interest in the CME industry among physicians who wish to leave clinical practice. One of the "entry points" into the medical writing industry is the CME needs assessment. How do you generate a really good needs assessment? Well, it depends on the therapeutic area and the types of resources you have at your disposal.

There are many physicians who have established successful careers as medical writers. You need to know how to start and the American Medical Writers Association is a great organization that can help you get started. To learn more about the CME industry, get involved with the Alliance for CME.

Counseling physicians who are thinking about leaving clinical medicine

How many physicians think about leaving clinical medicine?

I've personally had the opportunity to correspond with many physicians about this topic. When discussions revolving around health care reform were active, there were probably even more physicians actively thinking about leaving clinical practice.

Here are some common questions that repeatedly seem to come up:

• Does it make sense to leave a relatively "stable" career in clinical medicine to pursue a business career during a recession?
• How do I make the transition if I lack industry work experience?
• What type of salary could I expect to make if I leave clinical medicine to work for a company?
• How long will it take to find a non-clinical job?

The answer to all of these question is: "it depends."

So many factors impact the answers to these questions. Some of those factors include:

• Your age
• Your medical specialty
• Your ability/willingness to relocate
• Your skills outside of clinical medicine
• Your willingness to travel for work
• Your computer skills
• and so on...

You probably have what it takes to successfully leave clinical medicine, but you may need some guidance to make that transition efficiently. This last week while I was at the Alliance for CME meeting, I met quite a few physicians who had left the world of clinical medicine to work in the CME industry. I enjoyed hearing each of their stories about their career transitions. What's your story?

Met some interesting non-clinical physicians at the Alliance for CME meeting (#ACME10)

Here at the Alliance for CME meeting in New Orleans, I met several physicians who had left clinical practice to work in the medical education industry. Most hold a "medical director" role, but their roles and responsibilities vary tremendously because they are in different companies where the title "medical director" means different things.

I also met some physicians who are entrepreneurs and some who have been running their own companies in medical education, technology, consulting, etc. I look forward to maintaining these connections since they are valuable resources for other physicians who wish to learn more about leaving clinical medicine.

Attending the Alliance for CME meeting today #ACME2010

Today, I'm in New Orleans attending the annual Alliance for CME meeting. You can read more about the meeting here:

Preparing to attend the Alliance for CME meeting in New Orleans #ACME2010

Anyone who has a strong interest in developing a robust career in the world of certified CME (continuing medical education) should attend the Alliance for CME meeting. I'm eager to reconnect with colleagues and discuss all the recent proposed changes pertaining to the CME industry.

If you're following me (@DrJosephKim) on Twitter, you can follow this hashtag #ACME10 to keep up with all that's going on here in New Orleans. If you're attending the Alliance for CME meeting this year, swing by the NAAMECC (North American Association of Medical Education and Communication Companies, Inc.,) booth and say hello.

What is SACME?

Those who don't work in the CME (certified continuing medical education) industry may not be familiar with this acronym. SACME stands for the Society for Academic Continuing Medical Education and it's generally pronounced "sack-me." If you have many gray hairs on your head, then you may know this group as SMCDCME (I have no idea how that was pronounced).

SACME was established on April 2, 1976 as the Society of Medical College Directors of Continuing Medical Education (SMCDCME). On July 20, 1998, SMCDCME was re-named the Society for Academic Continuing Medical Education (SACME).

The mission of the Society for Academic Continuing Medical Education is to promote the research, scholarship, evaluation and development of CME/CPD (continuing medical education/continuing professional development) that helps to enhance the performance of physicians and other healthcare professionals practicing in the United States, Canada, and elsewhere for purposes of improving individual and population health.

So why am I mentioning SACME? I've had a chance to speak with quite a few of my readers about careers in the world of medical education. Although there are many jobs within private medical education and publishing companies, there are also academic positions (some of these are not faculty positions, but administrative roles) within the world of CME. So, it's important to expand your horizons when you're exploring career options in medical education. You may choose to work for a private company or you may end up in some type of academic institution where you are managing others within the CME department.

Careers in CME (continuing medical education)

CME = continuing medical education

The world of professional medical education continues to evolve and I've recently had some nice opportunities to share my personal experiences in the CME industry. If you're interested in exploring career options in the world of CME, do you know where to begin?

Let's start with medical writing. That's an easy place to start since writers often come from medical and scientific backgrounds (either as an MD, PharmD, PhD, etc.). Here are some organizations/groups/resources you'll want to research:

NAAMECC

How about a list of companies so that you can start your research? One nice place to get a list is the North American Association of Medical Education and Communication Companies, Inc., (NAAMECC). NAAMECC is a professional association dedicated to providing representation, advocacy, and education for its members. To see a list of member companies, click here.

ACCME

We can't forget about the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME). If you want to work in CME, you need to be familiar with the rules and regulations that govern the CME industry. The ACCME's Mission is the identification, development, and promotion of standards for quality continuing medical education (CME) utilized by physicians in their maintenance of competence and incorporation of new knowledge to improve quality medical care for patients and their communities. http://www.accme.org

The ACCME maintains a list of CME providers (which includes universities, societies, and private education companies). You can find that list here. You can sort alphabetically, by state, etc. Keep in mind that

AMWA

AMWA (American Medical Writers Association) is another great resource. Join and get listed in the Freelance Directory. Attend social and educational meetings related to regional chapters. http://www.amwa.org

NASW

The National Association of Science Writers (NASW) is another great resource for medical writers. http://www.nasw.org

The HittList

Emma Hitt, PhD, maintains a weekly newsletter of medical writing jobs. Subscribe to her free newsletter here. I've used it to find freelance medical writers, so I know it works.

The Alliance for CME

The Alliance for CME is an organization that pulls together CME professionals from different settings such as medical universities, professional medical societies and associations, private medical education/communication companies, and others. They hold an annual meeting each January and I'm always there for those meetings. To learn more about the Alliance, visit: http://www.acme-assn.org

NC-CME

If you want to get serious about CME, then become a certified CME professional or CCMEP. The National Commission for Certification of CME Professionals, Inc. (NC-CME) is a nonprofit organization founded in 2006 by an independent group of peers within the CME community for the purpose of establishing a definitive certification program for CME Professionals. http://www.nccme.org

AMA

The AMA holds a national meeting in October called the "National Task Force on CME Provider/Industry Collaboration." This is a great place to learn about the CME industry and to meet others who work in medical education.

LinkedIn

There are several great LinkedIn groups that I would highly recommend. They are:

• Continuing Medical Education
• Continuing Medical Education Buzz Group
• Professional Medical / Scientific Writers
• Medical Writing and Affairs Association
• Biotech & Pharma Professionals Network

Company Directories

Here are a few lists (some are outdated) of CME providers that include some private medical education companies:

• Directory on NAAMECC
• Directory on meetingsnet.com
• Directory on cpe-tracker.com
• Directory on vendors.pharma-mkting.com

Don't be surprised if many of the private CME companies no longer exist. Several closed in 2008 and even more closed in 2009.

So, should you get involved in the CME industry? What better way to answer that question than to speak with a CME professional? I invite you to contact me if you're interested in chatting more about this industry.

AMA - National Task Force on CME Provider/Industry Collaboration

The CME (continuing medical education) industry has its own set of rules and regulations that are governed primarily by the ACCME (Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education). How well do you know those rules? To learn more about the CME industry, you can attend some national meetings. There are many different conferences regarding the CME industry, but I generally attend two of them (I like to limit my travel).

• The first one is the AMA - National Task Force on CME Provider/Industry Collaboration. This meeting is in October and tends to stay in the Baltimore region.
  
• The second meeting is the Alliance for CME Annual Conference. This meeting is in January (this year, in New Orleans)
  

This year, AMA - National Task Force on CME Provider/Industry Collaboration will be in Baltimore, so it's not that far for all those living in the northeast:

Mark your calendars to attend the 20th Annual Conference of the National Task Force on CME Provider/Industry Collaboration, "Learning From the Past; Planning for the Future", to be held Oct. 14-16, 2009 in Baltimore! This conference will provide the opportunity to network and participate in dynamic sessions with leading industry experts.

For more information about AMA Task Force conference, read the program brochure.
I hope to see you in Baltimore next month.

Careers in CME (continuing medical education)

What's happening in the CME (continuing medical education) industry these days? Most physicians need CME for relicensure, so there will always be a need for CME. Pharmacists and nurses also need continuing education credits/units, but who pays for CME/CE when so much free CME/CE is readily available?

If you're interested in pursing a career in CME, you may wish to start by exploring some of the CME-related groups on LinkedIn. You may also want to explore the "CME Career Center" at the Alliance for CME (ACME) website, which can be found here: http://careers.acme-assn.org
(There aren't many jobs currently posted as of today)

For Employers: Target a focused audience of qualified CME professionals, post your jobs, search resumes or create a resume agent to get automatic email notification whenever a candidate matches your criteria.

For Job Seekers: Make your resume work for you 24 hours a day/7 days a week! Post your resume confidentially if you choose, search job listings and activate the job agent to have select jobs come to your inbox. And best of all, these services are free!

On a personal note, I'd like to add my 2 cents about industry-supported CME: I'm not sure that this is the best time to enter the CME industry. These are some turbulent times for medical education providers that primarily focus on industry-supported certified CME. Many proposals are floating around to change (or even eliminate) industry-supported CME. I don't think that industry-supported CME will ever disappear, but I do think we'll see some significant changes over the next few years. Stay tuned...

International Society for Medical Publication Professionals

Have you heard of International Society for Medical Publication Professionals (ISMPP) ? That's pronounced "Iz-Map"

They are having their 5th annual meeting in Philly. If you want to learn more about medical publishing and wish to network with others in this industry, then this might be a worthwhile meeting to attend. The ISMPP also offers distance learning via webinars through the ISMPP University for those who wish to learn more about the medical publishing industry.

The theme this year is: Defining Professionalism in Medical Publications: Transparency, Objectivity, and Ethics

The ISMPP also offers a certification program for those who wish to be a Certified Medical Publication Professional (CMPP). I wonder if that's where those in the CME industry came up with the Certified CME Professional (CCMEP).

Question re: opportunities in medical communications and CME

I got a question the other day re: opportunities in medical communications and CME

Here was my response:

Non-clinical opportunities tend to be regional. If you live in the northeast, you are surrounded by medical communications companies. They tend to cluster around pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, so you'll also find some in the west coast, Chicago, Kansas City, Indianapolis, and several other cities. This doesn't mean that you can't have a chance if you don't live in those areas.

Many people become very successful as freelance medical writers living anywhere in the country. A really useful resource for medical writing is the AMWA. You can join and get involved in many different ways. It's always hard to start as a freelancer, but if you're a strong writer, you'll find opportunities. To learn more about the CME industry, I'd encourage you to check out the Alliance for CME and NAAMECC.

National Faculty Education Initiative

Have you heard of the NFEI? Well, if you're not very connected in the world of certified CME, then you probably haven't.

The Alliance for CME and Society for Academic Continuing Medical Education (SACME), in collaboration with the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), and endorsed by AHME, launched the National Faculty Education Initiative (NFEI). This program provides online training on the differences between Certified CME and Promotional Activities. Sound basic? Well, you may be surprised to know that many clinicians don't really understand all the rules and regulations concerning certified CME or promotional education.

If you'd like to learn more, then take a look at the website:
http://www.nfeinitiative.org