Write Medicine Insider
The newsletter for medical writers breaking into CME. Get expert tips, smart tools, and podcast extras—delivered weekly. Join 2,000+ subscribers. Free.
Exploring best practices in creating content that connects with and educates health professionals.
Thanks for reading today.
Hey there Reader!
When was the last time you evaluated your competencies in CME/CE?
(And no, I am not referring to your ability to complete projects on time!)
Competency is about so much more than meeting the education activity brief…
It’s about combining the needed skills, knowledge, behavior, and attitudes to guide learners from points A to B through the content you've created.
As CME experts, we have fundamental competency areas that direct the way we approach every project we work on:
✅ Adapting to changes in the healthcare and CME/CPD landscape
✅ Facilitating effective adult learning
✅ Engaging in self-assessment lifelong learning
✅ Maintaining accreditation
To better serve your learning audience (and to improve your skills in the CME field), these core competencies should act as a guide. They can empower you to explore thoughtful and meaningful ways to improve your content creation and enhance the autonomous, engaging, and fulfilling learning experiences you facilitate.
And there isn’t “one way” to excel as a CME professional — but quality CME practitioners, including writers, understand the importance of regularly improving their core competencies.
With this concept in mind, I invite you to take some time to reflect.
📈 Build self-competence in CME
The July Write CME Pro event is coming up quickly — it’s time to learn from another leader in the CME space!
Join us on July 12th as Angelique Vinther leads an educational workshop about the best practices for developing outcome-based pre-and-post-test questions for adult learners.
This event is free for all WriteCME Pro members. Not a member? No problem. Join here and gain instant access to all the WriteCME Pro membership benefits.
Looking forward to seeing you there!
| Get access here! |
✏️ Tackle uncertainty along the way
On your journey to improved competency, you may find it difficult to quiet the voice of uncertainty in your mind. If this sounds familiar, don’t despair — even successful actors like Tom Hanks experience this struggle!
I found Billy Oppenheimer’s eye-opening breakdown of uncertainty and negative capacity to be an incredibly accurate account of how it can feel to tackle self-doubt in any creative medium.
Uncertainty can be discouraging — but it also is the starting point of many great ideas. To learn more about the significance of uncertainty and connection in medical practice, check out my interview with Jay Baruch, MD, on episode 57 of the Write Medicine podcast.
🤝 Connect with peers to strengthen your learning
Looking for ways to share your competence with your fellow CME peers?
Why not attend the Alliance Annual Conference to connect in person?
As a hub for leading innovation in continuing education for healthcare professionals, I highly recommend this conference for new or experienced CME writers. Connect with your peers, improve your skills, and enhance your writing competency — this conference is truly a win-win-win!
🎙️On the podcast
If content is King, learning culture must be Queen — otherwise, you run the risk of creating non-engaging content that doesn’t resonate with learners.
On episode #59 of the Write Medicine podcast, I spoke to Andrew Barry, CEO and founder of Curious Lion, a company focused on helping teams create cultures of continuous learning.
In our conversation, Andrew and I explore his four primary building blocks for building a thriving learning culture:
1️⃣ Shared vision
2️⃣ Collaborative peer learning
3️⃣ Personal mastery & individual accountability
4️⃣ Systems-based thinking
| Build a culture of continuous learning |
On episode #60, Dr. Deanna Heier, Ph.D., shares her thoughts on productivity metrics, mentorship, and the benefits of synchronous and asynchronous training opportunities.
As the Head of Education Strategy and Operations at Medality (which offers a practice development platform for radiologists), Deanna highlights the importance of creating productivity metrics that engage learners’ confidence, accuracy, and effectiveness throughout their training.
| Empower your audience with well-crafted productivity metrics |
In the spirit of learning,
🗄️ From the Archives
Episode 26 featured Dena Silva and a conversation on what CME professionals and providers need to know to address the healthcare needs of LGBTQA+ communities.
And here are some resources to support that process.
- Fenway Institute
- National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center
- Promoting Equitable and Inclusive Care: Healthcare Equality Index
- Health Professionals Advancing LBGTQ Equality
- Inclusive Language Playbook: Writing for LGBTQ+ Communities
| Straight Talk: CME/CE as an Ally for LGBTQIA+ Health |
Writer | Researcher | Educator | Podcast Host
Alexandra Howson Ph.D. is a writer, researcher, and podcaster who shares her deep expertise in health care and education with new-to-the-field or CME-curious medical writers—teaching you how to create educational content with confidence and build a sustainable CME writing niche.
She teaches Fundamentals of Writing and Research Ethics in the Professional Education Program in Medical Writing and Editing at the University of Chicago.
Connect with Alex on social | alex@alexhowson.com | 415.374.9757
Write Medicine Insider
The newsletter for medical writers breaking into CME. Get expert tips, smart tools, and podcast extras—delivered weekly. Join 2,000+ subscribers. Free.