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Hi Reader!
If you’ve ever struggled to find qualified CME writers—or if you’re a writer looking to strengthen your skills in this specialized field—this week’s episode of Write Medicine reveals the competencies that matter most.
The Research Behind the Roadmap
I recently sat down with medical writers Haifa Kassis and Don Harting, who conducted a groundbreaking study to identify the essential competencies for CME writers. Using the Delphi method, they assembled a panel of 20 industry experts who reached consensus on the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that define excellence in this field.
The 4 Core Competencies You Need to Know
After three rounds of expert feedback, four key competencies emerged as essential:
1. Instructional Design Knowledge: Understanding instructional design and adult learning principles is fundamental. This knowledge enables writers to structure content that drives learning and behavior change with the goal of improving patient outcomes.
2. Literature Search Expertise: The ability to search, evaluate, and synthesize peer-reviewed medical literature emerged as critical—and the area where writers struggle most. Don explained:
“Finding authoritative sources, knowing when to cite them, knowing how to cite them… that’s an area where I think writers definitely struggle.”
3. Ethical Content Development: A commitment to creating ethically valid and compliant content is an essential attitude. This means producing balanced educational materials free from commercial bias that adhere to accreditation standards.
4. Needs Assessment Development: Perhaps most importantly, the ability to create compelling, evidence-based needs assessments emerged as the key deliverable every CME writer must master. We talk about this a lot on the Write Medicine podcast (see episodes 28, 73, 124, 127, 133).
What Didn’t Make the Cut?
Surprisingly, up-to-date knowledge in specific therapeutic areas did not reach the consensus threshold for inclusion in the model. As Don shared:
“The people who were arguing most in favor of therapeutic knowledge were the executives… But that viewpoint lost out. More people on the panel said that a competent medical writer needs to be able to come up to speed quickly and write on virtually any medical topic.”
Evolution of the Field
The research also revealed fascinating insights about emerging and vanishing competencies:
- Emerging: Outcomes reporting is gaining importance as stakeholders demand measurable impact data
- Vanishing: Print monographs and certified journal articles are becoming less relevant as the field moves toward micro-learning formats
Your Next Steps
If you’re looking to develop these essential competencies, or train your in-house writers, I have good news. WriteCME Accelerator is specifically designed to help you master these four core skills through structured modules, expert mentorship, and hands-on practice.
Learn More About WriteCME Accelerator →
🎧 Listen to the episode. This email only scratches the surface of our rich discussion. In the full episode, you’ll discover:
- Candid insights about project timelines and writer flexibility
- Practical approaches to bridge knowledge and skill gaps
- Resources for developing each competency
- Next steps for the profession
Have questions about CME writer competencies or WriteCME Accelerator? Hit reply to this email—I’d love to hear from you.
Until next time,