How Do You Identify a Practice Gap for CME Activities

An essential skill for medical communicators involved in creating materials for continuing medical education (CME) activities is learning to identify a practice gap by conducting a gap analysis.

Making the Case for Writing Compelling Case Studies

This blog is based on content presented by Scott Kober, MBA, and Eve Wilson, PhD, ELS, FACEHP, at the AMWA Medical Writing & Communication Conference, as well as a panel discussion co‑hosted by AMWA’s Delaware Valley and Mid‑Atlantic chapters.

Crafting compelling case studies is a marketable skill for medical writers, especially those working in continuing medical education (CME). Demand is strong among medical education companies for freelance writers who can write brief screenplays for patient case simulations delivered via proprietary computer platforms.

Tips for Creating an Effective Needs Assessment

 This blog is based on an article written by Donald Harting, MA, ELS, CHCP, and Nathalie Turner, ELS, that was originally published in the AMWA Journal, and on content presented by Harting, Turner, and Katherine Molnar-Kimber, PhD, at the AMWA Medical Writing & Communication Conference.

Needs assessments are a critical step in the development of continuing education for health care professionals. Medical communicators working in this professional focus area are likely to participate in creating needs assessments.

Best Practices in Writing Test Items

This article is based on content presented by Lori L. Alexander, MTPW, ELS, MWC, at the AMWA Medical Writing & Communication Conference. It was originally published in the AMWA Journal.

Continuing medical education credits are often awarded based on answers to test questions, so it is essential that the questions be designed well.

Research shows, however, that “almost half of all test items have flaws,” said veteran continuing medical education writer and editor Lori Alexander. This problem is driving the need to develop better test items and is creating job opportunities for medical writers and editors. In this open session, she explained how to write test items using guidelines and best practices from the National Board of Medical Examiners and the American Board of Internal Medicine.