Level up your needs assessment writing strategy.

You’ve heard that writing needs assessments is a great way to break into CME writing.

But you’ve never seen an example of a needs assessment (they’re often proprietary) and you don’t know where to start.
I'm ready to level up!

Take Next Level Needs Assessments to launch your CME writing journey!

By the end of this course, you’ll be able to:

  • Evaluate the anatomy of an effective needs assessment

  • Recognize the function of needs assessments in the CME/CE education planning cycle

  • Identify clinical practice gaps

  • Craft actionable learning objectives

  • Describe anticipated learning outcomes and behavior changes

  • Draft a needs assessment based on course materials

  • Refine your needs assessment as a portfolio sample

Meet Alex!

Alexandra Howson PhD

I share my deep expertise in health care and education with CME-curious medical writers—teaching you how to create education content for health professionals with confidence and build a sustainable CME/CE writing niche.

Initially trained as a Registered Nurse in Scotland, Alex served as faculty at the Universities of Edinburgh and Aberdeen and has banked years of deep expertise in teaching and applied research. She is a writer and qualitative researcher who helps education providers create and evaluate continuing healthcare education and has published her work on qualitative factors driving the effectiveness of educational interventions in peer-reviewed journals. Alex also teaches Fundamentals of Medical Writing Ethics on the Professional Certificate in Medical Writing and Editing at the University of Chicago.

Sneek peak at the curriculum

    1. 👋 Welcome!

    2. 🧭 How to Navigate the Course

    3. ✅ Course checklist

    4. 📆 Course Calendar

    5. 🗂️ Brief Course Overview

    6. 👋 Say Hello! in the Community Space

    7. 🤙🏽 Book your 1:1 Coaching Call

    8. 📊 Please complete baseline survey by April 7, 2023

    9. 📚 Background Reading

    10. 🧰 Needs Assessment Toolkit

    11. ▶️ Examples of Needs Assessments

    12. Assignment: Anatomy of a Needs Assessment

    13. Session 1 Summary and Replay

    1. Introduction

    2. 🪃 Select Your Needs Assessment Pathway

    3. A Brief History of CME in the USA

    4. What is CME?

    5. The Role and Function of a Needs Assessment

    6. Major Stakeholders in the CME/Needs Assessments Ecosystem

    7. Types of Need

    8. Quiz

    9. ▶️ Examples of Needs Assessments

    10. Assignment: Create a needs assessment outline

    1. Where do NAs fit in the education planning cycle?

    2. Planning Models in CME

    3. Examples of Grants and RFPs

    4. Templates

    5. Fair and Balanced Content

    6. Bowser A. AMWA Journal. 2022;37(3)- 11-15

    7. Project Start Up Pro Tips

    8. What are clinical practice gaps?

    9. Examples of Gap Tables

    10. The writer’s role in the gap analysis process

    11. How to identify clinical practice gaps

    12. How to use the recommended reading for your needs assessment

    13. Narrative Example: Practice creating gaps

    14. Best Practices for Writing CME Needs Assessments

    15. Worst Practices for Writing CME Needs Assessments

    16. Assignment: Build a gap table

    17. Session 3 Live Online Replay

    1. Policies and Standards in Accredited CME/CE

    2. Adult learning principles: A primer

    3. Learning Science Insights

    4. Tactics and Formats

    5. How to Craft Actionable Learning Objectives

    6. SMART Goals

    7. Learning Objective Resources

    8. Assignment: Learning Objective Practice

    9. Creating an Agenda

    10. Howson A. 2023 (AMWA J forthcoming). Practical strategies for creating CME/CE content: Insights from adult learning scholarship

    11. Module 4 Live Online Summary

    12. Module 4 Live Online Replay

    1. Introduction to Outcomes Assessment and Evaluation

    2. Defining Outcomes

    3. Measuring Outcomes

    4. Reporting Outcomes

    5. Components of Outcomes Reports

    6. Additional References

    7. Assignment: Describe anticipated outcomes

    8. Outcomes Standardization Project

    9. Session 5 Summary

    10. Session 5 Replay

    1. Addressing Pain Points: Writing Craft

    2. ACCME Standards for Integrity and Independence in CME

    3. Avoiding Bias and Ensuring Content Validity in Accredited Continuing Education

    4. Assignment: Draft Needs Assessment

    5. Session 6 Live Online Replay + Summary

Doors close April 1 (no joke)!

  • $497.00
  • You’ll learn how to write lean, agile needs assessments with the help of deliberate practice, peer-to-peer discussion, and expert feedback.

What Alumni Are Saying

Best Medical Writing Course

Tiffany

Alex's CME needs assessment course is the best medical writing course that I have taken so far. And I have taken a lot of them! She spends a lot of time giving you feedback on your writing. Take Alex's class before you take anything else.

Interactivity and Feedback

Claudia

I like that there are actual meetings because I feel like everyone nowadays wants to throw a webinar at you and they want you to pay a ton of money for it. But I just hate sitting there staring at people talking for hours on it. So I like the interactiveness. That and your feedback really helped. And I love it that you offer office hours.

I Used My Sample Needs Assessment to Win Business

Erin

I learned so much from Alex's Needs Assessment workshop! As a new medical writer, this workshop helped me understand the basics of Needs Assessments and gave me the confidence to pitch myself as a writer of this form. I used the work sample I produced in this class to get an agency contract too!

THE workshop for anyone aspiring to be a continuing medical education (CME) writer.

Rachna

The workshop exceeded my expectation. Alex’s expertise in CME writing reflects in the workshop content. The curriculum was clear, well-structured, and comprehensive. Resources and live sync sessions were extremely useful in creating a high-quality Needs Assessment (NA). The best part of the workshop was developing a NA sample, and here also Alex was completely involved with her valuable feedback and guidance. This is THE workshop for anyone aspiring to be a continuing medical education (CME) writer.

Course Format

  • Deliberate Practice

    Practice writing each step in the needs assessment process before you develop your own needs assessment.

  • Peer-to-Peer Discussion

    Review the course materials. Join your peers for weekly live online discussions and progress reviews.

  • Expert Feedback

    Submit your work at each step in the process to receive written constructive feedback.

  • Insider Insights

    Learn about the supporter perspective on the Independent Medical Education (IME) grant process, how IME departments manage the RFP process, and how needs assessment fit into IME education strategy and planning.

Bonus material

  • Toolkit

    A course-specific needs assessment toolkit includes everything you need to develop a needs assessment sample for your portfolio— references, a glossary, and templates.

  • 1:1 coaching

    2 coaching sessions during the course for expert feedback on your needs assessment. Include additional coaching after the course at a 20% discount.

  • WriteCME Pro

    Course alumni receive a 20% discount on WriteCME Pro membership—a community that provides skills, scaffolding, and support for CME writers.

Weekly Meetings Live Online

Mondays 10a.m. PST live online

✅ Course materials will be released at the beginning of each week. 

✅ We'll use weekly meetings to review examples of gap statements, education needs, and learning objectives, and discuss our work as we develop our own needs assessments.

✅ Participation is recommended. Graduating students say that the opportunity to talk about needs assessments and learn from their peers is a huge bonus.

✅ But life happens! So if you can't attend a meeting, the replay will be available, along with summary notes and key takeaways.  

FAQ

  • What kind of support will I get in this course?

    Our goal is to support you every step of the way. You'll receive group and 1:1 coaching, peer-to-peer discussion, and easy-to-access materials via a custom dashboard.

  • Where do weekly meetings take place?

    All meetings are live online via zoom. You'll receive invitations you can put on your calendar and reminders before each meeting.

  • Can I choose my own needs assessment topic?

    The course is structured around a specific topic. You'll receive access to reading materials, resources, and templates to support needs assessment development. You do have the option to choose your own topic. If you do this, you'll be responsible for identifying the supporting materials. Talk to me first if you have questions.

  • Where can I go for more information?

    You can contact me directly via email: [email protected]

  • How will I be able to talk with my class peers during the course?

    Discussion beyond live online meetings takes place in the course community

Ready to level up your needs assessment strategy?

Enroll today