CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION
CME Facilitator Guideline for Successful Parachute Landings
As a facilitator for a CME session you have been asked to lead a challenging, yet rewarding learning
environment. You will “parachute” into an established clinical, collegial and/or educational environment
which may feel somewhat foreign to you. The following brief sections on goals and objectives, learning
principles, and questioning skills are provided to help make your CME visit an effective and enjoyable
venture for both you and the learners. If you would like a review of your presentation or have any questions
regarding the following suggestions, please contact: Stephanie Giberson, M.C.E., Rural Director, Continuing
Medical Education, University of Manitoba, 204 789 3241 or ssgibers@mts.net
Goals and Objectives
You and your learners will benefit from a clearly articulated goal and supporting objectives for your session.
An education goal is the broad education ‘endpoint’ that you want your learners to achieve1. For example,
“Physicians will develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to perform cardiopulmonary
resuscitation in an emergency room setting.” This goal must be supported by specific measurable objectives
in the knowledge, skills and attitudinal domains which identify who will do what how much/how well/for
how long by when? For example:
Knowledge -“When shown a cardiopulmonary resuscitation ECG tracing, the participant will prescribe
the appropriate drug at the right dosage and the right frequency at least 75 % of the time.”
Skills - “After a practice period, the participant will successfully perform the endotracheal intubation
procedure on a model three times.”
Attitudes - “The participant will be able to assume the leadership required for running a cardiac arrest and
to respect the roles and contribution of the other team members.” 2
Adult Learning Principles
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Adults learn best when actively engaged in the learning process and where the learning builds on their
prior knowledge and experience.
Learning must be relevant to their work or some other aspect of their lives.
Adults learn best when they feel that learning is necessary in order to solve a practical problem
(professional or otherwise).
Learning is often focused on performance.
Adult learners tend to be independent and to maintain responsibility for their own learning.
Application of Learning Principles
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Listen to and respond to learners’ needs, even while the activity is underway. Make a point of noting
their concerns while in their presence.
“Localize” your presentation. This means finding out the clinical challenges and practice situations that
THEY are dealing with everyday, versus how things are handled where you practice. This might include
different equipment, human resources, pharmaceutical availability and special population health issues.
Participants should be encouraged to share their experience through discussions between peers. The
facilitators can ‘turn-over’ questions to the group, which may also encourage “localization”.
Learning situations should encourage active participation and opportunity for agreement as well as
disagreement.
Assist the learner towards critical thinking through questions that address knowledge, comprehension,
application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation. (see examples on page 2).
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Questioning Skills
“The consequence of a good question is that it generates a silence filled with thought which leads to talk.” Anonymous
Advantages for the Facilitator
 Verify the current knowledge and comprehension level of the participants.
 Promote discussion and application.
 May be used to manage group behavior.
Advantages for the Participants
 Increase motivation and confidence through participation.
 Stimulate learners to seek out additional information or direct them to assess new possibilities
for solutions to issues.
 Enable learners to apply new knowledge.
 Assist with developing critical and creative thinking skills.
Generic Questions to Direct Critical Thinking
QUESTIONS
Evaluation…
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Synthesis
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What do we already know about…?
What is the difference between…and…?
How does ….tie in with what we know from before?
Working and Learning in Small Groups*
How are …and …similar?
Compare …and …with regard to…
What is …analogous to?
How could …be used to…?
How does …apply to your practice?
Why is …important?
What is the nature of …?
Why is ……happening?
What are the implications of….?
What does …? Mean?
Explain why …?
Explain how….?
What would happen if….?
What are the strengths and weaknesses of …?
How does …..Affect …..?
What do you think causes……? Why?
What a solution to the problem of ……..?
What is the best….? Why?
What is another way to look at……?
What is a counter argument for….?
Do you agree or disagree with this statement “……..”? Why?
What evidence is there to support your response?
Analysis…………….
Application…….
Comprehension/comparison
Knowledge
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THINKING SKILLS
Kern, D.E. Thomas, P.A., Howard, D.M. Bass, E.B.(1998). Curriculum Development for Medical Education: A Six-Step Approach.
Baltimore: The John Hopkins University Press.
Conseil l’éducation médicale continue du Québec. (2000). Handbook of Continuing Medical Education: A Reference for Providers.
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