Medical education is a big part of what we do at CTC. But what does medical education really mean? What does it entail? When we use this term are we referring to the years and years of schooling that nurses, doctors, and other healthcare professionals (HCPs) must undergo to obtain their many degrees, or something more?
What is medical education?
When our team at CTC talks about medical education, we’re talking about further education for HCPs. The medical and healthcare landscapes are changing rapidly and constantly, and the learning truly never stops for professionals in these fields. The formalization of this learning is referred to as CME (continuing medical education). CTC uses both accredited CMEs and non-accredited educational programs to facilitate this.
Through accredited CMEs, you have the guarantee of credibility, ensuring your reputation as a trusted leader in the field of medical education is upheld. Non-accredited programs can be helpful, too, as they give you the chance to respond quickly and efficiently to emerging evidence and market opportunities in what is still an informed, educated manner.
CTC’s medical education work takes innovative strategies and educational excellence and combines them to enrich the learning experiences of HCPs. It is our team’s job to ensure that medical practitioners are up-to-date with their knowledge and practices and that they are well-equipped to provide their patients with the highest standard of care.
CTC and medical education
CTC approaches medical education in several ways. In the early stages of the development of a CME program, we always recommend the completion of a needs assessments. A needs assessment is just as it sounds — our team examines the healthcare landscape and determines what gaps HCPs may have in their training, thinking, or practice. After zeroing in on these exact gaps, we can work to craft an educational program to fill them.
Once the needs assessment is in place, we develop the core content of the medical education program. This may include the key data that inform clinical practice, and importantly, includes discussion topics surrounding the practical challenges a clinician may face. We like to consider our programs from a problem-based learning perspective, whereby clinicians not only learn the core content, but think through exactly how to apply their learnings into clinical practice. Case-based learning or experiential learning strategies are very effective at ensuring the educational program is applied for the management of real patients.
CTC also engages in medical education through post-congress updates. These are designed to provide information rapidly from conferences to HCPs, ensuring that all clinicians have seen the most recent data. Instead trying to determine if a conference had any valuable information presented, this type of medical education ensures HCPs are aware and then focus in on the most important topics covered at any conference.
A CTC roll-out
We have had many successful medical education campaigns at CTC. One of these case studies involves a biotech company supporting its sales representatives to effectively deliver an education program. This biotech company was new and amid its first product launch. The team decided to roll out a nationwide OLA (other learning activity) to support the launch and they needed logistical and administrative support to help their sales representatives deliver the OLA. Our team at CTC worked closely with this client and concluded they lacked the infrastructure to properly support their representatives in the OLA rollout.
We built the biotech company a field support portal that collected details on upcoming events, and through our team’s management, more than 100 events were scheduled with 50 different speakers. With CTC managing the logistics and administration behind these events, the client was able to focus on the execution of the rollout, giving them the best shot at success. In addition, this platform captures immensely valuable insights from the HCPs attending these events, which helps inform the strategy and the next tactic to be implemented.
Medical education can come in many forms, and because of this, you might not even be aware of what it can do for your company. That’s where CTC comes in. We can chat with you, evaluate your operation, and determine exactly what your team needs to take things to the next level. If you’re interested in finding out more, be sure to visit our website and get a quote today.
