Continuing Education Credits for Medical Publication Professionals: An Overview of ISMPP Programs

The International Society for Medical Publication Professionals (ISMPP) plays a crucial role in setting and maintaining high standards within the field of medical publications and communications. A key component of this mission is the provision of continuing education (CE) opportunities for Certified Medical Publication Professionals (CMPPs). This article will explore the various ways CMPPs can earn CE credits through ISMPP, highlighting the diverse resources and initiatives available to support their professional development.

ISMPP's Commitment to Continuing Education

The ISMPP Certification Program emphasizes ongoing learning and development. To this end, ISMPP offers expanded opportunities for CMPPs to earn continuing education (CE) credits. Many ISMPP members seek these opportunities to maintain their certification and stay current with industry best practices and evolving trends.

Self-Study Activities: Flexible Learning Options

ISMPP provides a wide array of online self-study activities for CE credit. These on-demand activities allow for flexibility, as the student and instructor are separated by time and location, or the student engages in a learning activity without an instructor. Participants can earn credit for completing self-study educational activities that have been reviewed and approved by the ISMPP Certification Program. Each activity is assigned a predetermined number of credit hours and a specific domain (credit category).

How to Access and Claim Credit for Self-Study Activities

Self-study activities can be found in LearningBuilder by clicking "Add Activity" in the recertification application and searching by Course Type: "Self-Study Activities" or "The Publication Plan Self-Study Activities". To earn credit, follow these steps:

Copy the link from the activity in LearningBuilder and paste it into your web browser to access the activity from SurveyMonkey.
Click on the link to the activity in Survey Monkey and complete the activity.
Return to SurveyMonkey and complete the survey relating to the activity to receive your authorization code.
Enter the authorization code in your recertification application in LearningBuilder (consider uploading a screenshot of the authorization code for your records).

ISMPP's Volunteer Committees: A Foundation of Educational Initiatives

ISMPP's mission is supported by volunteer committees, strategically structured into five pillars: Medical Communications, Medical Publications, Collaborations & Outreach, Education, and Credentialing. These pillars encompass dedicated committees that drive initiatives aligned with their unique objectives, many of which offer opportunities for continuing education and professional development.

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Medical Communications Pillar

This pillar focuses on innovation, engagement, and integrity in disseminating medical information.

Digital Engagement & Visual Communications Committee: This committee advances the field by embracing innovative approaches to digital and visual medical communications. It supports strategies that enhance engagement across digital platforms, including social media, and reimagines traditional forms of medical communications, such as video abstracts and infographics.
Metrics & Insights Committee: This committee defines quantitative and qualitative approaches to assess the value of medical communications and publications. By analyzing metrics and curating insights, the committee ensures that best practices are shaped by the evolving needs of stakeholders. It leverages data to demonstrate the critical role of medical communications professionals in disseminating scientific information.
MAP Newsletter Committee: This committee shapes ISMPP’s The MAP newsletter, providing insights, best practices, and innovations. The MAP serves as an online forum for the ISMPP community, offering content that reflects its interests and professional development needs.

Medical Publications Pillar

This pillar upholds integrity, transparency, and best practices in medical publishing.

Publications Practices Committee: This committee provides guidance on the core competencies and knowledge base required for medical publications. It maintains a comprehensive publications toolkit with guidelines, models, and templates for developing high-quality publications in compliance with legal standards.
Publications Ethics & Standards Committee: This committee ensures the ISMPP Code of Ethics reflects the latest guidelines and policies related to compliance and publication integrity. It also provides a Publications Primer for newer professionals and identifies emerging challenges in publication ethics.

Collaborations and Outreach Pillar

This pillar fosters global engagement and professional connections.

Asia Pacific & Intercontinental Regions Collaborations & Outreach Committee: This committee fosters engagement with professional organizations across the Asia Pacific region and other intercontinental regions, providing education on medical publications and communications.
Professional Collaborations & Outreach Committee: This committee fosters partnerships with professional organizations and medical societies across the United States and Europe.
Small Companies & New Professionals Collaborations & Outreach Committee: This committee fosters connections and engages professionals who work in or with biotech, small pharma, medical device, and diagnostics companies. It also serves as a resource for new professionals in the field.

Education Pillar

This pillar empowers medical publications and communications professionals with high-quality learning experiences.

Academy Program Committee: This committee develops educational programming for the ISMPP Academy.
Annual Meeting Program Committee: This committee shapes the educational content of ISMPP’s Annual Meeting.
Asia Pacific Education Committee: This committee develops content for ISMPP U webinars tailored to professionals in the Asia Pacific region.
European Meeting Program Committee: This committee shapes the educational content of ISMPP’s European Meeting.
ISMPP U Committee: This committee develops the content plan for ISMPP’s monthly webinar series, including MedComms Day.
On-Demand Education Committee: This committee shapes ISMPP’s on-demand educational offerings, including e-learning and podcasts, by creating relevant content.

Credentialing Pillar

Certification Board: An independent body responsible for the Certification Program policies, procedures, and activities. This committee identifies and evaluates ISMPP and non-ISMPP educational opportunities for recertification continuing education credits, ensuring alignment with CMPP certification content domains and Certification Board policies.

ISMPP U: A Novel Educational Series

The Education Committee developed ISMPP U, a monthly webinar series featuring cutting-edge topics for publication planning professionals. These interactive webinars are available to all ISMPP members at no charge. Sponsorship opportunities are available for organizations to showcase their value proposition during these sessions. Open University sessions often attract over 400 attendees, and special 90-minute open-to-the-public sessions are also offered.

CMPP Recertification Program

ISMPP updated the CMPP recertification policy to a three-year certification cycle with reduced CE credit requirements. The Certification Board identifies and evaluates educational opportunities for recertification continuing education credits, ensuring alignment with CMPP certification content domains and Certification Board policies.

The ISMPP CMPP Program

Launched in 2009, the ISMPP CMPP program is a voluntary professional certification that promotes adherence to high standards of integrity and transparency in medical publications. ISMPP offers two testing windows annually.

Additional Opportunities

The Certification Board has issued a call for volunteers for a new task force that will support the expansion of credit-earning opportunities for CMPP recertification through proactive identification of qualifying programs. The task force will first focus on identifying existing/available self-study activities for recertification credit consideration.

Considerations for Pharmacy CE Credit

Pharmacy CE credit can be claimed once for live credit and once for enduring credit. Evaluations for claiming live credit are activated on specific dates, and participants must complete session evaluations to claim credit.

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