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Oakstone CME Review
A comprehensive review of the Oakstone Continuing Medical Education (CME) products, specialties and features
To help earn the CME credits they need to stay credentialed, as well as ensure that they’re up to date on the most recent research and best practices, a lot of physicians turn to Oakstone CME. Offering one of the most comprehensive and affordable CME programs on the market, with 24/7 access to their library of resources, there’s a lot to like about Oakstone. But is Oakstone’s CME plan the right avenue for you to earn your CME credits? In this detailed review, we will answer that question and more.
Given this is a fairly lengthy review, we’ve included jump-to links above for easy navigation.
Oakstone CMEinfo Insider Plans & Pricing
There are three plans for the Oakstone CMEinfo Insider program, including one-, two- and three-year memberships. For each plan, you can choose to either purchase the membership at full price and receive a hefty Amazon gift card to go with it, or get a steep discount.
For example, the one-year plan typically costs around $2,000 full retail but comes with an Amazon gift card valued at $1,000, OR you can catch a roughly 50% discount and purchase the plan for $1,000.
You can probably see where this is going. For those whose employer is picking up their CME tab, the Amazon gift card purchase options are nice, as they come straight back to you as a promotional gift. But for those paying out of pocket, you’ll perhaps want the discounted price.
Clinical briefs come in audio format
For reference, the two-year access plan will run you around $3,000 and comes with a $1,500 Amazon gift card (or $2,000 in the non-Amazon gift card format). And finally, the three-year plan can only be purchased in the gift card format, and costs in the vicinity of $5,000 but comes with a whopping $3,000 Amazon gift card.
When factoring in the value of the Amazon gift cards (or the steep discount if you prefer), the true cost of this program is actually quite reasonable for what you get. Compared to other CME providers, I think Oakstone is right on par with, if not a little cheaper than similarly situated packages.
In addition, Oakstone frequently runs discounts and special holiday promos on these packages, so make sure to check the link above for possible further discounts.
How It Works: Oakstone CMEinfo Insider Process
CMEinfo Insider was developed specifically for busy physicians and medical professionals to save time and money by allowing you to stay up to date on the most current, cutting-edge information in an on demand format.
To sign up, you simply select your membership plan and your primary specialty from their list of 19 different areas of focus.
However, although you select a specialty, CMEinfo Insider is all-inclusive, so your resources aren’t limited to your primary specialty. You will be able to access the same updated content, research and learning opportunities in all of their offered specialty areas.
For me, I have found this to be particularly interesting during the Covid-19 pandemic, as it has allowed me to see the impact of studies in other fields.
Many topics covered with video lectures
Also, in an effort to serve people with different learning styles, the board reviews, clinical updates, journal article abstracts and other study materials are delivered by various methods (including video, audio and written). I found this multimedia approach especially helpful.
I never felt overwhelmed, as I was able to switch study techniques from listening while taking a walk, to watching a video while having coffee, to reading while waiting for an appointment. This afforded me great flexibility for catching up during by busy schedule.
Analysis of Oakstone CME Study Materials
Beyond simply earning credits, the concept behind CME is to ensure that you continually increase your skills, knowledge and performance as you serve your patients, while also keeping up to date on the most recent practices and research in your field.
To this theoretical end, Oakstone offers a comprehensive program that not only allows you to earn the credits you need, but also offers some fascinating case studies and journal articles. I’ll analyze the features and study materials of Oakstone CMEinfo Insider below.
Journals
Membership includes access to abstracts and summaries of medical articles from over 500 journals and are available in written format for reading, or in audio format with explanations from experts.
With new content added monthly, you’ll get the latest discoveries, theories and developments as soon as they’re published. This database includes 18,000+ article summaries (which is a LOT), and at times I sort of felt overwhelmed when searching a particular topic. There is simply a ton of content in this program.
Content includes current treatment guideline summaries
In the end though, I can’t think of a better way to stay on top of everything that’s happening in the medical world, especially with the input from medical professionals that is included. The journal abstracts and summaries are one of the biggest value adds of this package in my opinion.
Video Content
You will find that much of the subject matter in the Oakstone CMEinfo Insider database is in the form of 2,500+ associated videos, including board review and clinical update activities.
Example video lesson
I really like the inclusion of video content because after a long day at work, I’m not always up for a lot of reading. On these days, I welcome a different learning method, and the videos provide just that, giving me the ability to and keep up with latest clinical trends and information without dedicating hours to reading and burning out my eyes.
Earn CME Credits
Oakstone Publishing is fully accredited by ACCME for continuing education for physicians, and a lot of the content in CMEinfo Insider gets nursing credit as well through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (for those that are interested).
With CMEinfo Insider, I especially like that I can track my AMA PRA Category 1 credits all in one convenient location, and I was even able to print some of the certificates after passing the quiz and earning the credit.
Obviously, earning CME credits is one of the main reasons you use Oakstone, and I have to admit that they make it easy. There are tons of avenues to earn CME within the platform, and tracking your credits in super easy in their portal.
Online Quizzes
After each review session, you’ll be able to access an online quiz to test your knowledge and earn credits where applicable. After completing the online quiz, you’ll be able to instantly get feedback, and if you’ve scored 100%, you’ll be awarded your CME credits for that particular area of study. The quizzes aren’t super difficult if you’ve paid attention at all to the content.
User Interface
I found the digital format to be exceptionally intuitive and easy to use, making it easy to access the materials. Among other things on the home page, you will find a list of your recent activities and credit summaries, recommended articles, and a section they call MedMinute, which provides highlights for trending topics by medical experts.
Excellent coverage of best practices
On the search page, I was able to view my progress and locate desired information quickly and easily with keyword, specialty, category and media-type searches. After entering search criteria, you are provided with a list of articles or courses that meet your search requirements. There is a key at the top of the page, with icons to help you quickly identify if the article is a Board Review/Clinical Update, a Journal Abstract, or a Video Lecture.
My favorite thing about the search results page is that it also gives you the option to add articles to a “playlist”, enabling you to customize a list based on your own priorities. This playlist feature made it easy for me to earmark articles of particular interest to me, and I found myself referring to it time and time again when reviewing specific topic updates and articles.
Progress Monitoring
You’ll be able to view up-to-date progress on all of the content you’ve selected so you always know where you are. Your pass/fail notification for the online quizzes you take will come instantly.
Unbiased Content
With CMEinfo Insider, all content is completely unbiased and evidence-based. There is no external advertising, so you can be confident in the scientific accuracy of what you learn, and you won’t experience those annoying pop-ups while navigating through your materials.
Unlimited Credits
So long as your subscription stays active, you’ll have access to unlimited credit earnings. Rack up as many CME credits as you’d like and you have time to pursue. The potential is limitless.
Pass Guarantee
For those studying for your boards, Oakstone is so confident in CMEinfo Insider that they offer a pass guarantee. If you don’t pass on the first try after subscribing, they provide a full credit back to you for the purchase price. This credit can be applied to future Oakstone CME purchases.
All you have to do to take advantage of this guarantee is send a copy of your failure notification from the Review Board to Oakstone and demonstrate that you’ve answered all review questions and earned all your CME credits.
If you’ve done so, you’ll receive your credit, and your exam record will be destroyed to protect your privacy. Considering the vast amount of prep that you get with CMEinfo Insider, it is unlikely that you wouldn’t pass on your first try, but some might find this guarantee comforting nonetheless.
CMEinfo Insider covers 19 specialty areas in medicine. Whatever field you work in, you simply need to do is sign up and select your area of focus, and you’ll instantly have access to all of the available CME material for that area of specialization, as well as all other specialties. The list of specialties available to CMEinfo Insider members includes:
Anesthesiology
Cardiology
Critical Care Medicine
Dermatology
Emergency Medicine
Family Medicine
Gastroenterology
General Surgery
Hospital Medicine
Internal Medicine
Neurology
Neurosurgery
Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery
Otolaryngology
Pathology
Pediatrics
Psychiatry
Radiology
Urology
Access to additional specialty areas will be added as they become available.
Verdict: Oakstone CME Online Courses Review
Overall, in my opinion, there are few better ways to secure your CME credits than with the CMEinfo Insider package from Oakstone. I’ve been using them for 5 years now and still love this program. Oakstone allows you to stay abreast of the latest information, developments, theories, discoveries and best practices in a wide range of medical fields all in one place. It also allows for easy access to all of the information you need through a simple and straightforward interface, and in multiple formats (I prefer video).
If there is a downside to CMEinfo Insider, it will probably be that the price point is a little high. But considering that it comes with a healthy Amazon gift card and provides for unlimited credit earnings during your subscription, it’s not so bad. In the end, we feel that Oakstone’s CMEinfo Insider program is worth it and an excellent choice for anyone needing to earn CME credits.
Depending on which membership plan you choose, you can plan on spending somewhere between $1,000 and $5,000, although most plans come with large Amazon gift cards. In addition, Oakstone frequently run discounts.
Does CMEinfo Insider have a mobile app?
While all of the content can be accessed from a phone or table, there is not a mobile app available at this time.
Are there any live classes?
The CMEinfo Insider offers a vast amount of multimedia content, but there is no live instruction or classes included.
