Introduction
Lifetime learning is a commitment that must be made to ensure medical professionals remain competent. To serve this function both at distance and at regional conferences, private ventures and institutions have developed continuing education learning modules. One such provider in the CMEinfo group. Here are the 6 cubes:
Type of Market Focus
Their training offerings are for the practicing physician, and many of the products are focused on the market of those physicians studying for their specialty boards, an upgrading process. The market is specifically those physicians who cannot leave their practice to attend live CE sessions. This product is well integrated with the rest of the physician education process due to the number of high profile partners and the extent to which they access continuing education conferences.
Type of Product/Offerings
The CME info products include disc-based and live course components that are content focused. They edit and broadcast conference sessions. The company is now owned by Oakstone Publishing, of Birmingham Alabama. CMEinfo has been providing these educational products since 1989. Many of these products are duplicated onto CD or DVD for distribution. They have partners and provide royalty on sales to them. Abut 26 partner hospitals and large private clinics (Cleveland for example) are showcased.
Global Markets
Though the company is based in the USA, the distribution of the modules is global. There is no information on the website about overseas customers. Because it is not internet based, the content discs could be taken or sent to places where online access is absent or of poor quality. No mention is given of translation so it is probably safe to assume these are English-only products.
Development of the Market
They refer to marketing programs to help promote the conferences they will be taping as well as email, mail, and an online web store to market the discs themselves. Oakstone publishing the parent company is
Learning Technology Competing with Other Forms of Learning
The e-learning venture works with a well developed live learning system of conferences. These programs will compete with live conferences, though the market for learning at distance will always be there physicians still like to combine holidays and conferences so it will not replace this type of venue. Online learning is provided by the various institutions themselves in the partner list. They also provide online taped conferences at some of the institutions. (see http://cme.hms.harvard.edu and www.med.cornell.edui/education/programs/con_med_edu.html for examples). A master listing of all medical schools CME departments is available at www.aamc.org/meded/cme/offices_medschools.htm
Via the company Practice Solutions, part of CMA company, learning by going on cruises is available and this is another competing venue for LT.
