When the International Medical Meeting Professionals Association formed last year, one of its original objectives was to offer its own certification program -- one that "would be different from other association certifications, and more targeted toward the medical and health-care industry," describes Pat Schaumann, CMP, CSEP, DMCP, owner of the privately held association and president of the St. Louis-based independent planning firm Meeting I.Q.
"Having participated in several industry certifications," says Schaumann, "I knew the tedious path that was ahead of us in trying to get this one launched." But the certification board established by the association is making great progress, she says, in spite of the challenge of the undertaking. The board, announced at IMMPA's annual conference in May, will be co-chaired by Schaumann and Carol Krugman, CMP, CMM, director of meeting and business event management at Metropolitan State College of Denver; 13 additional professionals sit on the board as well, representing a diverse array of industry perspectives. The board's mission is to create, facilitate and administer the Certified Medical Meeting Professional certification program.
IMMPA, by its nature, is a diverse global community, encompassing a slew of industry segments -- from corporate medical meeting planners to animal-health professionals to medical-device-company planners to pharmaceutical professionals -- to name just a few categories off a very long list. "The CMMP is not something that we just want to throw out there," say Schaumann. "We want it to be everything we hope for it to be, and to attain all of the goals we hope it will attain for our candidates taking the test." Those goals include coverage of the nuts and bolts of meeting planning -- for not every member of IMMPA is also involved with, or even aware of, planning-industry groups such as Meeting Professionals International and the Convention Industry Council -- but with a specific focus on the nuances of which planners in the medical fields must be aware.
And so, while the CMMP had previously been slated to officially launch this summer, the board is now aiming to roll out a sample test in the first quarter of 2011, to be presented for feedback to an invited group of experts -- a "Circle of Excellence" group put together by
IMMPA. If all goes according to the current plan, the association will issue official timelines, processes and study materials shortly thereafter.
"We want to cast a big net and get as many folks included in the certification as we can," explains Lisa Keilty, president of IMMPA and formerly a planner at pharmaceutical giant Pfizer. "In order to do that, and to make sure we have a very robust test, we put together some categories -- or buckets, as I like to call them. All those varied buckets have nuances within the meetings that are planned."
Those buckets correspond to the association's targeted audience for certification, and they include the following: pharmaceutical; animal health; biotech; medical devices; hospitals, medical centers and clinics; medical associations, foundations and societies; allied health; academia, and suppliers.
That's a fairly broad audience, which means the IMMPA Certification Board has a significant amount of research to do. Clearly, the finer points of planning a pharmaceutical meeting, for example, will differ from those involved in hospitals or animal health. But that's only the top layer of complexity. "From there," says Keilty, "we've broken the buckets down into meeting type by audience." One subcategory, then, is colleague and internal meetings, under which fall business meetings, continuing medical education, product launches, sales meetings, incentives, promotion meetings and events. The other subcategory is health- care professional meetings, at which professionals such as doctors and/or nurses are present. These meetings generally carry with them a whole slew of codes and state, federal or international regulations, which vary by industry. Under this heading fall advisory board meetings, investigator meetings, speaker/consultant training, continuing medical education, grants, symposia and trade shows.
According to both Schaumann and Keilty, the diverse group of experts on the certification board goes a long way in facilitating the research required. "What I have learned in the last three to six months with IMMPA has been amazing," says Schaumann. "We've all been doing health-care and medical meetings for a living, but now we have learned so much about what everyone else is doing within these different segments."
In addition to the insight provided by these subject-matter experts, IMMPA has the support and expertise of St. Louis University, a partner in the CMMP development and application. The university may be doing the testing online and grading the exams, and it likely will offer some online prep courses accessible by any of IMMPA's global candidates.
Codes and legislation One significant area of concern to planners in these industries is the adherence to existing codes -- whether self-regulatory by industry or legislated by state, as well as what comes out of the new federal health-care reform law. "Health-care reform legislation will most definitely affect medical meetings where health-care professionals are present," Keilty acknowledges. "And, in every state, the laws are taking different paths in terms of issues such as thresholds of spend and what is or isn't reported."
While the association will offer education around these points, says Keilty, "It's very hard to put together a test that focuses solely -- or even partially -- on the laws that are out there, because they keep changing. We can't test on the nuances or specifics with respect to these laws. But a planner should know which laws and acts to check. It's going to be their responsibility, once they're certified -- and even as members -- to know how to access that information and get the latest updates."
That's where the resource center comes in, another IMMPA initiative that's unrelated to the CMMP certification. The association is working to compile a list of resources, accessible by members, which will provide the latest iterations and updates of all applicable codes and laws. This will be the kind of one-stop source for information the industry currently is lacking, says Keilty. Whether preparing for the CMMP exam or just planning a meeting, Keilty adds, members will be able consult the list for the latest and most comprehensive information.
Looking ahead The industry response thus far from planners has been very strong, according to Keilty. "And a lot of suppliers are showing interest, too. That's a market we hadn't thought as much about previously. But they're very interested in the specifics of what these groups need. This is going to be valuable for the suppliers who want to increase their market and understand how to work with these groups."
At the IMMPA meeting in May, a planner with a medical-device company approached Schaumann to say that her organization had recently laid down the law. "They said, ‘In the future, we are not going to be using any hotel that doesn't have the competency to put on a medical meeting. And with this certification, we're going to be looking only at hotels that may have someone on staff with that.' Well," says Schaumann, "that was pretty exciting for us to hear. If that's the future, we're thrilled."
Certified Medical Meeting Professional FAQ Sheet
The following information was adapted from materials issued by the International Medical
Meeting Professionals Association.
> Why should one become certified?
The
benefits of certification include professional recognition, personal
satisfaction, an indicator of expertise, increased opportunities for
employment advancement, increased credibility with clients and serving
as a role model to others.
> How does one become a CMMP?
The
CMMP is conferred on successful candidates upon completion of the
requirements detailed below. The IMMPA CMMP CC (for Certification
Center) notifies each applicant as to whether or not he or she has been
granted the right to use the designation CMMP. That right is effective
for a three-year period after initial certification. Applicants for
designation as a CMMP must:
• Submit a registration form;
• Complete
and submit an application that indicates the candidate meets the
criteria that follows;
• Submit fees for registration, application
and test; and
• Pass the examination.
> What does one need to
do to qualify as an applicant?
Eligibility to be seated for the CMMP
exam is based on a system whereby the applicant accrues points derived
from actual experience in several aspects of medical/health-care
meetings management. To qualify as an applicant, an individual must
acquire a minimum of 90 out of 150 possible points. Points are assigned
as indicated below within five specific areas of medical meetings
management:
• Experience in medical meetings management;
• Management
responsibility;
• Education/continuing education;
• Membership
in professional organizations; and
• Professional contribution to
the field.
Applicants are not required to score points in all
areas of the application. Specific information for determining and
reporting earned points in each area is included in the application
form.
> What is the process, once one decides to take the test?
Submit
a completed registration form by the due date. Applicants must have the
following:
• A minimum of three years experience in
medical/health-care meetings management or a bachelor's degree in a
hospitality-related major from an accredited university;
• Current
employment in the hospitality industry;
• Responsibility and
accountability for the successful completion of medical
meetings/health-care management programs.
Once the IMMPA CMMP CC
receives an applicant's registration, the applicant will be sent an
application form. The application takes several hours to complete.
Applicants must have at least 90 points to qualify to take the CMMP
exam. This application form must be submitted to the IMMPA CMMP CC by
the application deadline. Applications must be submitted electronically.
Applicants will receive the application in Acrobat format; the full
Acrobat program is required to complete and save. The completed
application may be attached to an e-mail to IMMPA.
The IMMPA
CMMP CC will review the application and determine if the applicant has
enough points to qualify to sit for the exam. The applicant will be
notified of the decision, and may be asked to submit additional
documentation to support his or her points.
If the applicant
does not agree with the final determination of points, he or she will be
able to file an appeal for reconsideration.
Once the applicant
is approved to sit for the exam, he or she must then submit the form
with payment for the exam date selected.
Questions are based on
reference material. Applicants are strongly urged to buy the material as
well as the CMMP Glossary.
> What is tested on the examination?
Each
examination tests tasks that in a job analysis were identified as being
performed regularly in practice and important to competent practice. An
established body of knowledge will be the basis for all test questions.
> What
is this body of knowledge?
"Body of knowledge" is a term used to
represent the complete set of concepts, terms and activities that make
up a professional domain, as defined by the relevant professional
association.
> What is the format of the test?
The test is a
150-item multiple-choice examination.
> What score does one need to
pass the examination?
The minimum passing score is the minimum
number of correct answers (out of 150 scored test items) needed to pass
the examination. Minimum passing scores will be set by the IMMPA CMMP
CC. Equated examinations may have different minimum passing scores, but
the equating procedure ensures that the levels of candidate knowledge
are equivalent across editions.
The score report indicates a
"pass" or a "fail."
> What is required to maintain certification
status?
Certification must be renewed every three years to maintain
status. Renewal involves proof of:
• Continued employment in
medical/health-care meetings management;
• Continuing education in
medical/health-care meetings management; and
• Points for
application approval.