Medical Writing Events

Here are a a couple of events I found advertised on the Web (I can't assure whether they're good or not):


Webinar: Drug delivery systems for medical writers. Thursday, January 22, 2009 from 7-8 pm ETS.

EMWA Seminar: Writing Protocols – collaboration and compromise or conflict and confusion? 24 February at Novotel London Paddington.

Note About Posts and a Freelance Opportunity

The new year has started with great changes for my family. We're moving out of the state in early March and the planning has adsorbed my thoughts and my time. That's why I haven't been posting to the blog more often in the past few days.

Anyway, I found this medical writing freelance opportunity that you may want to check out.

Thanks for reading!

News Release: Continuing Medical Education (CME) Expert Launches Training Program for Medical Writers

MedicalWritingTraining.com has partnered with CME consultant, Johanna Lackner-Marx, MPH, MSW, to offer a training program that provides the knowledge, skills, and experience writers need to enter the continuing medical education (CME) industry.

“Writing for the highly regulated CME industry can be very lucrative,” Lackner-Marx says. “But few medical writers have knowledge of the specific requirements and guidelines set by the American Council on Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and the American Medical Association (AMA), putting writers with competency in CME in demand.”

The program, Become a CME Specialist: Training for Medical Writers, is offered at three levels: Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced. The basic and intermediate courses are designed to teach the fundamentals of CME with varying degrees of depth, allowing medical writers to determine if CME is right for them and adding to their professional tool box. The advanced course goes beyond this, providing one-to-one coaching and resources that will be helpful to those who want to start their own CME freelance business.

Ms. Lackner-Marx has also developed a pilot program that places participants of the advanced course with medical writing companies in an internship situation.

Karen Overstreet, EdD, RPh, FACME, CCMEP, president-elect of the National Commission for Certification of CME Professionals (NC-CME), says the internship program is an excellent idea. “It’s a win-win. I anticipate education companies will line up for this opportunity. They get extra help, and writers get real experience they can put on their resume and a chance to make connections in the industry.”

Become a CME Specialist is an online, interactive course that does not require prior CME experience. Course content details and enrollment information are available at www.MedicalWritingTraining.com/CME

As a CME consultant, Ms. Lackner-Marx has collaborated with thought leaders and medical experts to create over forty live and enduring CME programs. She also trains staffs of medical associations, hospitals, and specialty organizations to develop and implement CME that is compliant with ACCME standards and guidelines. She is the founder of InQuill Medical Communications, a medical writing and CME consultancy company. If you are a CME provider and would like to learn how to have an advanced student placed with your company through the internship program, please contact Ms. Lackner-Marx. johannalackner@inquill.com

MedicalWritingTraining.com is the leading online educational resource for medical and health writers.

CME Course Update

Earlier this week I was reviewing the first module of Johanna Lackner-Marx's course, Become a Continuing Medical Education (CME) Specialist. I can tell you that it has great insider information and practical advice. She has been working hard on offering a great course and has added some more lessons since our first announcement in last month's teleseminar. Here's an update.

The course contains now eight modules. The first five modules are available to all three levels (Basic, Intermediate, Advanced) of the course. The sixth, seventh and eighth modules are for students in the Advanced Level only. No prior CME experience or knowledge is required.

Module I - The Evolving Environment of CME
Introduction to CME
History of the Accrediting Council for Continuing Medical Education
Definition of CME - what qualifies and what doesn’t
Stakeholders and their roles
History of CME regulation
Current state of CME regulation


Module II - Adult Learning Theory
Learning styles
How physicians learn
Adult learning theories and CME Learning styles
Variables affecting adult learning
12 Principles for Effective CME Learning


Module III - Planning CME
Introduction to CME planning
Gap Analysis
How to write Needs Assessments
How to write Learning Objectives
How to write effective Evaluations
Measurable outcomes in CME


Module IV - CME Content
Introduction to CME content
Regulations regarding commercial support of CME programs
Regulations common to all content formats
Regulations for print content and online content
Ensuring content validity
Creating PowerPoint presentations
Collaborating with faculty


Module V - Promotional Materials
Common promotional formats
Required language for promotional pieces
Copyright law as it applies to CME documents and content


Module VI - Compelling CME (Advanced Level Only)
Elements of effective CME
Principles of information retention
From learning to behavior change
Creating integrated CME
Techniques for creating compelling CME


Module VII - Building Your CME Business (Advanced Level only)
Developing a business model
Self-promotion
Sources for finding clients
Protecting yourself from liability
Associations and networking
Staying organized


Module VIII - CME Internship (Advanced Level Only)
TBD

If you want more information about the course, click here.

Regulatory Writing Job

Manager Medical Writing -- Kendle International, Old Lyme, Connecticut

New Year Resolutions

Here's something I posted a year ago that may help you if you are thinking about some resolutions for 2009.

I want to encourage you to write your own medical writing resolutions for this year and to review them every once in a while. Below are some "sample resolutions" that you can fit to your needs.

• Publish 5-10 health-related articles in consumer health publications
• Attend the AMWA Annual Conference (or a chapter conference)
• Enroll in a medical writing certificate or graduate program
• Submit my CV to medical writing recruiters
• Write a book in my area of expertise (or collaborate with an expert)
• Increase my number of freelance clients by 20%
• Leave my job and become a freelancer (or vice versa)
• Create my own Web site and market my writing/editing services
• Start a blog on my area of expertise
• Go to medical school (not recommended for everyone!)
• Increase my rates (for freelancers)
• Obtain a salary raise (check out this article about getting a bigger raise)

If you are up to it, I suggest you add completion dates in advance to every goal and write down specific actions you need to take to accomplish them. Finally, share your goals with people that can help you achieve them. This will boost your success chances greatly.

Last year, I suggested a great book to help you with your personal goals, Jack Canfield's The Success Principles. An even better one that I'm reading right now is Utmost Living by Tim Storey.

Thanks for reading and happy new year!

Jobs for the New Year

• Medical Writing Team Leader, Medical Communications : ENGLAND North West
• Sr Manager Medical Writing -- Gilead Sciences, Inc. - Foster City, CA