Medical education agency

Last updated

Medical education agencies are a specialty subset of advertising agencies that develop educational content for the Healthcare, Life Science and Biotechnology industries. Medical education agencies are divided into two categories:

Biotechnology Use of living systems and organisms to develop or make useful products

Biotechnology is the broad area of biology involving living systems and organisms to develop or make products, or "any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use". Depending on the tools and applications, it often overlaps with the (related) fields of molecular biology, bio-engineering, biomedical engineering, biomanufacturing, molecular engineering, etc.

Contents

CME

Medical education agencies that develop Continuing medical education (most commonly referred to as CME) programs in the United States, do so within the strict guidelines set forth by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and the Society for Academic Continuing Medical Education (SACME). Those who wish to offer CME courses, and thus employ the services of a medical education agency, must receive accreditation from the ACCME. Accreditation allows organizations, such as the American Nursing Certification Center (ANCC) to develop educational course content that physicians and other professional medical staff may use to satisfy annual CME requirements.

To avoid the risk of undue bias from commercial sponsorship, all accredited organizations must follow the commercial disclosure rules set out by the ACCME. Medical education agencies must familiarize themselves with these regulations in order to receive CME accreditation from one or more ACCME accredited organizations.

Non-CME

Medical education agencies that develop Non-CME, also referred to as Promotional education, programs specialize in developing content whose commercial sponsorship is clearly outlined, and course content focuses on specific products or therapies in which the sponsoring organization has a financial interest.

Delivery Mechanisms

The majority of content developed by medical education agencies supports one of two types of delivery mechanism: Instructor Led Training (ILT) and Self Directed Training (SDT).

Instructor Led Training

Instructor led training, ILT, is the practice of face-to-face delivery of information and learning material between an instructor and learners. Instructor lead training can take the form of didactic training, laboratory demonstration and/or clinical application.

Hospitals, Universities, Pharmaceutical and Medical device manufacturers may employ medical education agencies to develop specific content, or to apply Instructional Design principles to existing content to make it more readily understood by an instructor led audience. This will include developing informational structures to follow learning theories, targeting content toward a specific audience or set of audiences and

Learning theory (education) conceptual frameworks in which knowledge is absorbed, processed, and retained during learning

Learning Theory describe how students absorb, process, and retain knowledge during learning. Cognitive, emotional, and environmental influences, as well as prior experience, all play a part in how understanding, or a world view, is acquired or changed and knowledge and skills retained.

Self Directed Training

Self Directed Training, is the practice of gaining information from learning materials without an instructor present. Self-directed training takes many forms, including deployed eLearning content, textbooks, searchable databases of information and viewing of training presentations at one's own pace. Self-directed training often takes place through a web portal, a SCORM compliant Learning Management System (LMS) or a webcast engine.

Hospitals, Universities, Pharmaceutical and Medical device manufacturers may employ medical education agencies to develop specific content, or to apply Instructional Design principles to existing content, to make a product, technology or concept more readily understood by a self-directed audience. Medical education agencies also help learners to better understand complex content through interactivity, animation and virtual simulations of training content.

Related Research Articles

Situated learning is a theory on how individuals acquire professional skills, extending research on apprenticeship into how legitimate peripheral participation leads to membership in a community of practice. Situated learning "takes as its focus the relationship between learning and the social situation in which it occurs".

Problem-based learning student-centered pedagogy in which students learn about a subject through the experience of problem solving

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a student-centered pedagogy in which students learn about a subject through the experience of solving an open-ended problem found in trigger material. The PBL process does not focus on problem solving with a defined solution, but it allows for the development of other desirable skills and attributes. This includes knowledge acquisition, enhanced group collaboration and communication. The PBL process was developed for medical education and has since been broadened in applications for other programs of learning. The process allows for learners to develop skills used for their future practice. It enhances critical appraisal, literature retrieval and encourages ongoing learning within a team environment.

Lifelong learning is the "ongoing, voluntary, and self-motivated" pursuit of knowledge for either personal or professional reasons. Therefore, it not only enhances social inclusion, active citizenship, and personal development, but also self-sustainability, as well as competitiveness and employability.

Andragogy refers to methods and principles used in adult education. The word comes from the Greek ἀνδρ- andr-, meaning "man", and ἀγωγός agogos, meaning "leader of"; it literally means "leading man", whereas "pedagogy" literally means "leading children".

Driving Standards Agency executive agency of the UK Department for Transport

The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) was an executive agency of the UK Department for Transport (DfT).

Medical education

Medical education is education related to the practice of being a medical practitioner; either the initial training to become a physician, or additional training thereafter.

A medical writer, working with doctors, scientists, and other subject matter experts, creates documents that effectively and clearly describe research results, product use, and other medical information. The medical writers also ensures that their documents comply with regulatory, journal, or other guidelines in terms of content, format, and structure.

In the US, the acronym ILT typically stands for Instructor-led training and is commonly used to distinguish training delivered by a live instructor from self-paced, pre-recorded content such as e-learning

Professional certifications in computer technology are non-degree awards made to those who have achieved qualifications specified by a certifying authority. Depending on the particular certification, qualifications may include completing a course of study, proof of professional accomplishments, achieving a specified grade on an examination. The intention is to establish that an individual holding a certification is technically qualified to hold certain types of position within the field.

Instructor-led training, or ILT, is the practice of training and learning material between an instructor and learners, either individuals or groups. Instructors can also be referred to as a facilitator, who may be knowledgeable and experienced in the learning material, but can also be used more for their facilitation skills and ability to deliver material to learners.

The American College for Advancement in Medicine (ACAM) is a not-for-profit, membership-based association of integrative medicine physicians based in Bozeman, Montana. ACAM is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. In addition to providing medical education, ACAM operates a referral network of physicians who provide integrative medicine therapies. ACAM also conducts an annual meeting each year, typically in November.

Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs,, is an agency of accreditation for the accredits postsecondary education programs in 28 health science fields.

The United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology, abbreviated USCAP, is the largest North American organization of pathologists. USCAP has been the most prestigious provider of continuing medical education (CME) for pathologists globally for more than a century, superbly integrating CME into the process for improving professional practice and patient outcomes by reducing the gap between evidence-based practices and adoption of those practices into clinical care. Although many pathologists do not see patients directly, they unquestionably provide effective patient care. Therefore, while USCAP is not a health care delivery institution, it provides scalpel-edge educational information and the new results of translational research literally as they happen, as well as information and educational activities addressing best practice standards for pathology.

EthosCE

EthosCE is a learning management system for the administration of continuing medical education in nursing, pharmacy and other healthcare-related programs. Developed by DLC Solutions, it provides interfaces for organizations to produce and manage continuing education websites. Distribution is provided as a software-as-a-service web application.

Diving instructor Person who trains and assesses underwater divers

A diving instructor is a person who trains underwater divers. This includes free-divers, recreational divers including the subcategory technical divers, and professional divers which includes military, commercial, public safety and scientific divers.

The American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM) is a medical society for the medical subspecialty of neuromuscular and electrodiagnostic medicine based in the United States. Members are primarily neurologists and physiatrists—as well as allied health professionals and PhD Researchers.


Northwestern International University was one of the first colleges to offer self-directed online programs, which were based on review of prior-earned college credits, professional life-experiences, practical knowledge, research, portfolio work, and the passage of comprehensive examinations *Cite. N.I.U. was a member of the Long Distance Learning Council *Cite. Their admissions process consisted of the initial registration process, student selection, and the review of student work and experience. Students had to show proof of passing content specific exams before being considered for school admission. They were also required to pass comprehensive exams at the completion of their respective program. Furthermore, students were expected to complete a Practicum Learning Portfolio Log. The time-requirement for portfolio hours varied by subject matter. Lastly, students had to successfully complete and present research, before N.I.U. would issue their degree *Cite(Northwestern International University Registration Catalog).

References