Continuing medical education ensures staff continues to receive industry training over the course of their careers. After all, the medical field undergoes constant updates regarding policy, compliance, patient confidentiality, etc. Learning via traditional brick-and-mortar classrooms isn’t always practical for full-time staff. With e-learning, though, staff have readily access to federal or internationally-approved training – right at their fingertips. Learn about the latest CME developments and how they tie into e-learning.
Why continuing medical education matters
Health professionals need to be adaptable as the industry undergoes updates. Changes may be spurred by advancements in science, technology, and research findings from peer-reviewed journals. Updates may include:
- Changes in HIPAA compliance
- Medical practice procedures at the federal, county, or company level
- Patient confidentiality practices
- Procedures regarding prescription write-up or equipment use
CME isn’t merely beneficial, it’s required in many instances. Organisations like the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Association (ACCME) even provide accreditation to institutions providing CME. Furthermore, governing bodies like the Biomedical Alliance represent varying smaller institutions actively involved in CME and have formed the CME Experts Committee to oversee industry educational development.
Depending on the location of practice, some jurisdictions mandate that professionals acquire a number of CME credits to maintain their medical licenses. CME credits are earned for the completion of approved courses.
Backed by research
One meta-analysis that examined over 68,000 citations and nine systematic reviews concluded that CME was effective in achieving learned objectives. Another study in 2010 found that physicians who partook in remote CME learning were more efficient in making evidence-based clinical decisions compared to non-CME course takers.
How does e-learning play a role?
Where does e-learning fit into all of this? The average workweek for a US physician is between 40 and 60 hours, according to one study. Between their professional responsibilities and personal commitments, full-time medical personnel may not have the schedule flexibility for traditional learning environments. E-learning provides remote learning accessible via a personal device, and most courses can be completed at a place and time of the student’s choosing. At the same time, HRs can set up live webinars where students have live access to an instructor and can attend virtual lectures in real-time.
CME benefits
There are other incentives associated with CME for incoming and seasoned medical personnel alike. Consider these advantages:
- Boost staff confidence with knowledge- and evidence-based learning
- Increase the clinic’s reputation by showcasing your commitment to higher education
- Stay current on the latest industry trends
- Members can acquire accreditation, in turn paving the way for future advancements and growth opportunities
Continuing medical education best practices
Here are insider trends and opportunities for organising and structuring CME courses for your medical staff/personnel.
Leverage existing courses with GXP-Training
At GXP-Training, we gathered the best quality assurance experts to build an online catalog of certified regulatory trainings designed for highly regulated industries. Select courses based on your clinic’s area of practice.
Design your own CME
More clinics, including private practices, are designing their own courses to fulfil specific company-level needs. Use existing courses to build a foundation, and then include custom-made courses to fill in existing gaps in training. More healthcare HRs are building their own courses thanks to learning management systems (LMS) that make it simple to devise comprehensive lessons from scratch using a number of SaaS automation tools. At Dokeos LMS, we provide you the best LMS on the market to ensure the development of your teams skills, by creating customised training paths.
Diversify the learning methodologies
Learning solely from a textbook is inefficient because it’s unengaging and leads to little retention. If you create your own course, utilize varying media, such as:
- Live webinars
- Recordings from past educational conferences or workshops
- Interactive videos
- Infographics with colourful charts and graphs
- Quizzes, surveys, and questionnaires
- Gamification, digital prizes, and scoreboards
All of the above can be archived and reused for future incoming staff.
Form an educational department
This likely isn’t applicable for private practices. However, larger clinics with more than 100 employees may benefit from having an educational department. This team can handle the day-to-day duties associated with staff education and knowledge-building. Their job role may include:
- Selecting CME courses from existing lesson providers
- Devising in-company courses
- Analysing course report cards
- Counselling staff who fail or don’t complete the courses
- cross-checking with regulating bodies to ensure the clinic’s practices satisfy county/federal requirements
Divide lessons into modules
Create multiple small modules, with the ability to save and pick up where you left off. This makes it easy for members to complete the course in small increments and pockets of time. They can complete a portion during their break, another portion on the weekend, and perhaps a small bit before bed.
CME course creation made easy with Dokeos LMS
Digital health solutions start with having an organised game plan for your CME initiatives. With continuing healthcare challenges come new problem-solving strategies. Make education the forefront of your team’s higher learning. With Dokeos LMS, streamline the course-creation process with automated solutions fully customized to your members’ needs. Sign up for a free trial today!
Ready to start building effective, easy-to-use training programs in order to improve employee experience in your firm ? At Dokeos, we can help you design, create, and run in-house training that is tailored to your unique needs. With Dokeos, you can transform your healthcare professionals into knowledgeable, engaged, ever-learning employees.
