Introduction:

Continuing Medical Education (CME) is a vital component of the healthcare industry, as it ensures that medical professionals remain current with the latest medical advances and patient care techniques. Moreover, associations that offer CME programs play a pivotal role in creating meaningful opportunities for ongoing learning and professional growth. In addition, an essential part of this process involves developing compelling course descriptions that capture attention and inspire participation. By doing so, associations can effectively engage healthcare providers and highlight the value of their educational offerings. To support this effort, this article presents ten ChatGPT prompts that medical associations can use to craft impactful CME course descriptions—ensuring they resonate with their target audience and clearly communicate each program’s benefits.

Use ChatGPT for Course Title and Overview:

Prompt: “Please provide a captivating course title and a brief overview of the CME course.”

A compelling course title is often the first thing that captures the attention of potential participants. The overview should succinctly highlight the key objectives and benefits of the course, emphasizing its relevance and value to healthcare professionals.

Learning Objectives can be Written using ChatGPT:

Prompt: “What are the specific learning objectives of this CME course? What should participants be able to do or understand after completing it?”

Clear learning objectives provide attendees with an understanding of what they will gain from the course. Use this prompt to describe the knowledge, skills, and insights participants can expect to acquire.

Target Audience:

Prompt: “Who is the ideal audience for this CME course? Please provide details about their medical specialization, experience level, and any other relevant characteristics.”

Understanding the intended audience helps potential participants assess whether the course is suitable for their professional needs. Be specific about the level of expertise and specialization the course caters to.

Curriculum Highlights:

Prompt: “List the key topics and modules that will be covered in the CME course. Provide a brief description of each.”

Highlighting the course content allows attendees to gauge the depth and relevance of the material. Describe the most important subjects and provide insight into the content of each module.

Expert Instructors:

Prompt: “Introduce the instructors or facilitators for the course. Share their credentials, experience, and why they are well-suited to teach this material.”

The credibility and expertise of the instructors can significantly influence the decision to enroll. Share details about the instructors’ qualifications and what makes them exceptional educators in the medical field.

Interactive Elements:

Prompt: “What interactive elements or teaching methods will be used in the course, such as case studies, group discussions, or practical exercises?”

Engagement is crucial for adult learning. Explain how the course will actively involve participants and enhance their learning experience through interactive elements.

Continuing Education Credits:

Prompt: “Detail the number of CME credits that participants can earn by completing this course. Are there any accreditation or approval details?”

Many healthcare professionals require CME credits to maintain their licenses. Provide clear information about the credits available, including any specific accreditation or approval details.

Testimonials and Past Success:

Prompt: “Share any success stories, testimonials, or feedback from previous participants of this CME course.

Feedback from past attendees can be a powerful promotional tool for the course. Include quotes or anecdotes that highlight the value and impact of the program.

Resources and Materials:

Prompt: “What materials, resources, or tools will be provided to participants during or after the course? Are there any supplementary reading materials or resources?”

Mention the resources participants will receive to enhance their learning experience, whether it’s course materials, reference materials, or online tools.

Registration and Contact Information:

Prompt: “Provide clear instructions on how to register for the course, including registration deadlines, fees, and any available discounts. Also, include contact information for inquiries.

The final prompt ensures that potential participants can easily take action. Include a step-by-step guide to registration and contact information for addressing any questions or concerns.

Conclusion:

The creation of engaging CME course descriptions is vital for medical associations seeking to attract healthcare professionals to their educational programs. By employing ChatGPT to generate responses to these ten prompts, medical associations can streamline the process and produce informative, compelling course descriptions. These descriptions not only communicate the value of the CME courses but also serve the educational needs of healthcare professionals in an ever-evolving medical landscape.

InReach can help you with all of your course creation needs.

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A nasal learner struggles with an odorless textbook.

Are Learning Styles a Myth?

At a recent conference I attended, a presenter committed blasphemy.  He suggested that learning styles were a MYTH.  There were audible gasps from the crowd.  I felt my blood pressure start to rise and decided to lead the rebellion against this wickedness.  After all, I know my learning style; I know the learning styles of my children, and I tutor law students respecting their learning styles. On a break at the conference, I volunteered to speak at the conference next year with a presentation to counter this sacrilege.

After I returned from the conference, I decided to see if there was ANY science behind this concept. With one Google search, I found there was A LOT of science behind this concept. How did I not know this?  Well, I’m not alone.

History of Learning Styles

The belief that people learn in different ways is a prevalent belief in American culture. The idea of learning styles is a century-old concept but grew in popularity in the 1950s and again in the 1970s. In the early 1990s, Neil Fleming developed the VARK questionnaire, 16 questions to establish someone’s learning style. VARK stands for “Visual, Auditory, Reading, and Kinesthetic.” While there were those that identified learning styles before Fleming, VARK is the most-used model today.

What the Experts Say

Some experts believe the ideas around learning styles spread as a result of the self-esteem movement. Teachers like to think they can reach every student. Students like to blame academic failures on a teacher that doesn’t adapt to their learning style. Today, one survey suggests that 90% of college students believe in learning styles, and likewise, 90% of teachers believe in learning styles.

However, scientists have debunked learning styles for some time. There is evidence that establishes people are not one type of learner. Students use multiple learning styles, but no single style resulted in better outcomes.

The Study of Learning Styles

Researchers Polly Hussman and Valerie Dean O’Louglin from Indiana University School of Medicine asked hundreds of college students to take the VARK questionnaire to determine what kind of learner the students were, and the students were then given study strategies that correlated to the identified learning style. The study concluded that not only did the students not study in ways that reflected their learning style, the students that adopted the strategies supporting their learning style didn’t do better on their tests. Further, the research established that students fall into certain study habits that, once formed were too hard to break.

Another study concludes that those that believe they are visual learners just like pictures more than words, and those that believe they are auditory learners just liked hearing words more. These preferences had no correlation to what the learners remembered. “…there’s evidence that people do try to treat tasks in accordance with what they believe to be their learning style, but it doesn’t help them,” says Daniel Willingham, a psychologist at the University of Virginia. “…learning styles have not panned out.”

Even the satirical-humor site, The Onion, has addressed learning styles. The headline of the article: “Parents of Nasal Learners Demand Odor-Based Curriculum.” A quote from the article:  “My 15-year-old daughter Chloe couldn’t sustain her interest in academics and, as a result, she would goof off with her friends and get in trouble,” said Michael Sweeney of Oswego, NY. “Now I realize that all those Ds and Fs did not represent any failure on my daughter’s part, but rather her school’s failure to provide an appropriate nasal-based curriculum.”  While ironic, this satire is not that far off.

Take Away

Cognitive science has identified varied techniques that support retaining knowledge:  spacing study sessions over time, experience the material in multiple modalities, and do practice tests.  Sounds like good, old-fashioned hard work to me.

What’s the takeaway for those that provide continuing education?  Present materials in multiple ways—use a balanced approach in presenting ideas.  Do not minimize a human’s ability to learn by identifying a single way to present information.  Use a potpourri of presentation approach, and you are bound to provide the balance every learner needs.

Resources

Parents of Nasal Learners Demand Odor Based Curriculum, The Onion, March 15, 2000

The Problem with ‘Learning Styles,’ Scientific American, May 29, 2018

‘Neuromyth’ or Helpful Model?, Inside Higher Ed, January 9, 2019

The Myth of ‘Learning Styles,’ The Atlantic, April 11, 2018

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Some of my responsibilities at InReach require me to do things I did not do as a continuing education director. I plan to write a few blogs and some newsletter articles on things I currently do that I should have done in my prior position.  Ironically, as I was trying to think of a blog topic for this month, this topic came to me. CE professionals, like many professionals, need to use blogs.

Promote Programming with CE Blogs

The most common use of blogs in continuing education is promoting programming. Tag your expert or speaker to draft a short blog.
The blog should address content featured in an upcoming program. Keep the blog personal and brief. Deliver one clear insight related to the upcoming topic. Include links to helpful resources when possible. Add links to on-demand programs that build basic skills. This helps registrants prepare before attending the program. Use images and video to strengthen your blog. Sometimes a single image tells the entire story. If you lack time or resources, contact InReach. We are always ready to help you.

Providing Information

Also, and on a larger scale, posts providing relevant information on a regular basis, can assist in meeting your overall business goals. If your family law section is providing relevant information through their discussion page or by using social media, your learner will learn to trust the section as a source and become loyal to that group. That means later, the learner will trust the value delivered in a program down the road.

Grabbing Learning Attention

Of course, drafting the blog is not enough. The blog needs to be disseminated where likely attendees will see it and then consider attending the program. Getting this information into a potential registrant’s view means using a lot of different channels:  your website, Facebook, Twitter, and emails. Request that your speakers post the blog to their own social media to promote the program they are in, and further, ask them to please tag other groups they belong to that might be interested in the content of the blog or program. If allowed, reference the blog and provide a link in your organization’s regular communications like monthly e-newsletters.

Social Media Buzz

The blog, and resulting comments on social media, can also add to the value of the program. A blog post can be a digital conversation starter, helping online learners prepare for the program or in general, master a task or improve their practice. Others can share comments and in no time, it is possible to have many tips and how-to comments generated from the promotion of your blog through social media.

Content Marketing with CE Blogs

Many of you have recognized that what I am describing is content marketing. In a nutshell, you give something away (a tidbit of knowledge) in return for receiving something (a registration). In using blogs as a content marketing tool, you are working to meet your business objectives, whether it be to spread professional knowledge, sell programming or both.

A Measure of Success

In addition to creating and distributing the content, it is important to measure the success of content-driven marketing. Use data and analytics to determine if you did contribute to the success of the identified objective, in this case the number of registrants attending a program compared to the number of “hits” or views you received on the blog.

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