





































 V38 N2 / 2023 

©2023 American Medical Writers Association. All rights reserved.  
ISSN 2163-5315

AMWAJournal.org     43

ABSTRACT 
Continuing education (CE) writing is a major field of work 
for medical writers and editors. To effectively write and 
edit CE materials, medical writers need to understand the 
target clinician audience, including clinical responsibilities. 
Physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, phar-
macists, nurses, clinical psychologists, and dieticians are 
examples of professions that often require CE to maintain 
licensure. With a general trend of increased funding for CE 
programs, medical writers and editors have opportunities 
to be involved in crafting deliverables such as needs assess-
ments and other portions of grant proposals as well as vari-
ous types of deliverables for educational content.

Despite the trust that should be inherent in receiving 
health care, how do we know those providing it are com-
petent? We hope that the system in place helps these clini-
cians establish a standard of excellence based on licensing 
requirements. However, measures of clinician competence 
in clinical, cognitive, and communication skills were his-
torically measured only at initial licensure.1 In an effort to 
keep clinicians competent and updated on advancements 
in their field, licensing requirements for many health pro-
fessions mandate continuing education (CE) to maintain 
knowledge of ongoing changes. From a logical and prac-
tical perspective, requiring CE—and in some cases recur-
ring certification exams—is a necessary measure because 
of the rapid rate of ongoing change in medicine. This article 
reviews key considerations and practical tips for how med-
ical writers can better understand our clinician audience 
and develop more targeted materials.
 CE for health care professionals is sometimes (and often 
interchangeably) referred to as CME (continuing medical 
education). CME, however, refers specifically to CE for physi-
cians. According to The Accreditation Council for Continuing 
Medical Education (ACCME), which sets the standards for 
accredited CME, “Continuing medical education consists of 
educational activities which serve to maintain, develop, or 
increase the knowledge, skills, and professional performance 

and relationships that a physician uses to provide services 
for patients, the public, or the profession.”2 This definition 
can be adapted and applied to other health care professions. 
For the purposes of this article, we will use CE to refer to the 
educational activities of all health care professions, inclusive 
of CME and physician education.
 In addition to the ACCME, CE accreditation bodies exist 
for other professions, aside from physicians:

• The American Association of Nurse Practitioners 
(AANP)

• The American Academy of Physician Associates 
(AAPA)

• The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education 
(ACPE)

• The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)
• The National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)
• The Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition 

and Dietetics (ACEND)
• The Joint Accreditation for Interprofessional 

Continuing Education

 Many medical writers and editors belong to certain 
groups of health care professionals. However, many medi-
cal writers also have nonclinical backgrounds such as basic 
science, communication, and journalism. Regardless of 
clinical background, medical writers may be asked to write 
educational content. This article is intended to give clini-
cians and nonclinicians alike an overview of how to tailor 
content to different clinical audiences. 
 With multiple health care professions requiring CE, 
medical writers often have opportunities to craft educa-
tional content for accredited activities. Some educational 
content that medical writers are asked to work on may also 
be nonaccredited. Whether accredited or not, we need to 
know how to adapt the content to address the needs of the 
target clinician audience.

THE MARKET FOR CE WRITING
Starting in 2006 and throughout subsequent years, the CE 
industry went through significant changes, including adjust-

Austin Ulrich, PharmD, BCACP  / Freelance Medical Writer, Ulrich Medical Writing, LLC, Greensboro, NC

Continuing Education Writing: Know Your Clinician Audience

CE CRAFT CORNER

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AMWAJournal.org     44CE Writing: Know Your Clinician Audience

ments to methods, funding, and objectives.3 Some profes-
sionals thought that CE would no longer exist. However, by 
2012, the industry had settled into a sustainable trajectory. 
The industry continues to grow, with an increasing trend 
for income reported by CE providers from commercial sup-
port in the United States each year, apart from a setback 
in 2020 likely caused by the COVID-19 pandemic (Figure). 
This means continued opportunities for medical writers to 
capture a share of that funding because content creation is 
at the core of educational programs. Additionally, medical 
writers may compose needs assessments and other portions 
of grant proposals.

 Notably, commercial support of CE activities in 2021 
accounted for 32% of reported yearly income by accredited 
US educational providers. In 2021, there were an estimated 
28 million learner interactions, about 75% of which were 
physician interactions.4

 Because many health care professions are required 
to maintain a set number of educational hours each year 
(Table 1), CE is not going away in the foreseeable future. 
Despite a large share of the market dedicated to physician 
education, medical writers will still be asked to create con-
tent for other clinicians. Given differences in their scope of 
practice, writing content for other health care professionals 
(eg, pharmacists, nurses) is not always the same as writing 
content for physicians. Additionally, physician audiences 
may have different specialties. For example, writing content 
for primary care practitioners about dementia would need 
a different approach than writing content for neurologists 
about dementia. 
 Interprofessional education writing often needs a 
unique approach as well. Interprofessional education ini-
tiatives may be focused more on concepts like communica-
tion and collaboration among team members rather than 
detailed medical or scientific content.

HOW TO WRITE EDUCATIONAL CONTENT FOR 
DIFFERENT HEALTH PROFESSIONS
The foundation for understanding your clinician audience 
is knowing their scope of practice and role in the health 
care team (Table 2). For example, a nurse practitioner (NP) 
has a very different role than a registered nurse (RN). An 
educational program for RNs should not include a learning 
objective for prescribing treatments or making a diagnosis. 
However, topics covering monitoring vital signs and symp-
toms or medication administration would be reasonable for 
learning objectives for this audience.
 The company you are working with to develop CE con-
tent will likely determine the target audience based on 
educational needs and supporter interest. The audience 
determines how you approach all deliverables you might be 
working on. This includes needs assessments for grant pro-
posals and the educational content. As an example, if the 
education company or institution provides education exclu-
sively to pharmacists, you should not identify educational 
gaps for physicians for the needs assessment. 
 If you are unsure about the specific role of the target 
audience within the health care system, always ask. 
Sometimes, your client or employer may be relying on you 
to determine this. In many cases, you can consult with a key 
opinion leader in the profession if you need more informa-
tion. The American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) 
community is also a great resource with many clinician 
writers, so feel free to phone a friend!
 Medical writers and editors who are familiar with creat-
ing CE content should only need to implement small tweaks 
in the approach to content creation. Much of the material 

Figure. Total yearly income from commercial support reported by 
accredited US educational providers, years 2015-2021.4

Table 1. Number of Education Hours Required by 
Select Health Care Professions5-11

Profession

Average Minimum 
Required Education 
Hours Per Year

Physician (MD, DO, MBBS)a 12-50
Nurse Practitioner (NP)b 20
Physician Assistant (PA) 50
Pharmacist (RPh, PharmD)a 12-20
Nurse (LPN, RN)a,b,c 0-15
Clinical Psychologista 6-20
Registered Dietitian (RD)a 10-15

DO, Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine; LPN, Licensed Practical Nurse; 
MBBS, Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery; MD, Doctor of 
Medicine; PharmD, Doctor of Pharmacy; RN, Registered Nurse; RPh, 
Registered Pharmacist.
aExact number of education hours is determined by state of 
 licensure
bSome designations may recertify by examination, which may not 
 require CE credits
cMany states have practice hours as an additional or alternative 
 requirement to CE credits

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AMWAJournal.org     45CE Writing: Know Your Clinician Audience

will be similar, but your target audience will dictate where 
you dive deep into the details for a given CE program.

CASE STUDY – MULTIDISCIPLINARY ONCOLOGY 
PROGRAM
For this case study, assume that you are working with a 
medical education company to develop content for a mul-
tidisciplinary oncology program on non-small cell lung 
cancer (NSCLC). Within an oncology practice, health care 
professionals likely include physicians, NPs and PAs, phar-
macists, nurses, and other support staff. 
 Imagine that the education company would like you to 
create several PowerPoint slides to educate each group—
physicians, midlevel practitioners (NPs, PAs), pharmacists, 
nurses, and other support staff. The program has 4 learning 
objectives:

1. Describe the role of molecular testing in diagnosis and 
disease classification for NSCLC.

2. Apply best practices for selecting targeted therapies 

for NSCLC based on genetic alterations and immune 
checkpoint targets.

3. Manage adverse events from NSCLC treatments.
4. Employ a multidisciplinary approach to providing 

education on the disease state and treatment plan for 
patients, their families, and caregivers.

 As a first step to determining the content to create, you 
might consider which learning objectives are relevant to 
each group. For oncology physicians, all 4 learning objec-
tives apply. They are involved in testing, diagnosis, and treat-
ment of NSCLC as well as overseeing patient education and 
the entire patient experience. For NPs and PAs, all 4 learning 
objectives also apply. NPs and PAs can diagnose and treat 
disease under a physician’s supervision (except for NPs in 
certain states, who do not need a supervising physician). 
 For pharmacists, learning objectives 2, 3, and 4 would 
be relevant. Pharmacists help with treatment selection, 
monitoring, and patient education in many settings. They 

Table 2. General Responsibilities of Select Health Care Professionals12-19

Profession Responsibilities
Physician (MD, DO, MBBS) •  Screen for, diagnose, and treat injury or illness

•  Perform physical examinations; take medical histories; order, conduct, and interpret medical tests
•  Counsel patients on preventative health care and healthy lifestyle practices
•  Conduct surgeries and procedure

Nurse Practitioner (NP) •  Similar responsibilities as physicians
•  In many states, NPs can practice independently
•  In some states, NPs must practice under a physician’s supervision

Physician Assistant (PA) •  Similar responsibilities as physicians
•  Must practice under a physician’s supervision

Pharmacist (RPh, PharmD) •  Offer expertise in the safe and effective use of medications
•  Fill and dispense prescription orders, verifying instructions from prescribers
•  Educate patients about their medications, disease states, and healthy lifestyle practices
•  Administer vaccines
• In some states, pharmacists can prescribe medications under a physician’s supervision

Nurse (LPN, RN) •  Provide and coordinate patient care, including conducting health assessments, medical histories, and 
monitoring vital signs and symptoms

•  Administer medications, vaccines, and medical devices and other treatments ordered by a prescriber 
• Operate medical equipment
• Conduct patient education regarding their disease state, healthy lifestyles, and physician’s instructions

Medical Assistant (MA) •  Measure and record vital signs and other patient information
•  Assist nurses and medical practitioners with their responsibilities
• Administer vaccines
• Schedule patient appointments 

Clinical Social Worker •  Assist with diagnosis, treatment, and management of behavioral, mental, and emotional disorders
•  Provide therapy for individuals and groups
• Help individuals develop and implement strategies to cope with situations or change behavior 

Clinical Psychologist •  Screen for, diagnose, and treat behavioral, mental, and emotional disorders
• Interview patients, administer diagnostic tests, provide psychotherapy to individuals and groups
• Can prescribe medications in some states

Registered Dietitian (RD) •  Provide expertise in the use of food and nutrition to manage disease and promote health
• Assess patients’ nutrition needs, develop and monitor meal plans, and collaborate with the care team

DO, Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine; LPN, Licensed Practical Nurse; MBBS, Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery; MD, Doctor of Medicine; PharmD, Doctor of Pharmacy; RN, 
Registered Nurse; RPh, Registered Pharmacist.

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AMWAJournal.org     46CE Writing: Know Your Clinician Audience

are generally less involved with initial testing and diagno-
sis. For nurses, objectives 3 and 4 would be relevant. Nurses 
might administer medications in the clinic, call patients to 
assess their response to treatment, handle any questions or 
concerns, and provide education. For other support staff, 
objective 4 would be relevant. Other employees in the clinic 
may not be directly involved in disease management, but 
they are still part of the multidisciplinary team. They help 
educate and support patients, their families, and caregivers 
throughout the treatment experience.

CONCLUSION
CE writing (or CME writing) consists of conceptualizing, 
designing, and writing educational content for practicing 
health care professionals. This includes physicians, NPs, 
PAs, pharmacists, and nurses as well as others. Medical 
writers are often needed to draft needs assessments and 
other portions of grant proposals as well as various types of 
deliverables for educational content. When writing content, 
medical writers need to tailor the education to the target 
clinician audience. It is important to consider whether the 
program will be multidisciplinary or only focused on a spe-
cific profession. A working knowledge of the roles of clini-
cians on the health care team will help you create the right 
content for the target audience.

Author declaration and disclosures: The author notes no  
commercial associations that may pose a conflict of interest in 
relation to this article.

Author contact: austin@ulrichmedicalwriting.com 

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