Continuing Medical Education in the Post COVID-19 Pandemic Era

Debra Blomberg; Christopher Stephenson; Teresa Atkinson; Anissa Blanshan; Daniel Cabrera; John T Ratelle; Arya B Mohabbat

doi:10.2196/49825

Continuing Medical Education in the Post COVID-19 Pandemic Era

JMIR Med Educ. 2023 Nov 15:9:e49825. doi: 10.2196/49825.

Authors

Debra Blomberg¹, Christopher Stephenson¹, Teresa Atkinson², Anissa Blanshan³, Daniel Cabrera⁴, John T Ratelle⁵, Arya B Mohabbat¹

Affiliations

¹ General Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States.
² Department of Cardiovascular Disease, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States.
³ Marketing, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States.
⁴ School of Continuous Professional Development, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States.
⁵ Department of Hospital Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States.

PMID: 37966881
PMCID: PMC10687685
DOI: 10.2196/49825

Abstract

Continuing medical education (CME) is a requirement for medical professionals to stay current in their ever-changing fields. The recent significant changes that have occurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic have significantly impacted the process of providing and obtaining CME. In this paper, an updated approach to successfully creating and administering CME is offered. Recommendations regarding various aspects of CME development are covered, including competitive assessment, marketing, budgeting, property sourcing, program development, and speaker and topic selection. Strategies for traditional and hybrid CME formats are also explored. Readers and institutions interested in developing CME, especially in the setting of the ongoing pandemic, will be able to use these strategies as a solid framework for producing CME. The recommendations and strategies presented within this paper are based on the authors' opinions, expert opinions, and experiences over 13 years of creating CME events and challenges brought about due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: accreditation; assessment; audience; budgeting; collaboration; competitive assessment; content development; continuing education; continuing medical education; development; education; evaluation and outcomes; framework; marketing; medical education; post COVID-19 pandemic.

©Debra Blomberg, Christopher Stephenson, Teresa Atkinson, Anissa Blanshan, Daniel Cabrera, John T Ratelle, Arya B Mohabbat. Originally published in JMIR Medical Education (https://mededu.jmir.org), 15.11.2023.