Site Map
On my site map I would like to include links to sites that offer continuing education programs for nurses and Case Managers, including: Case Management Associations and State Nursing Associations, Case Management Journal sites, and a link to a local career guide that offers continuing education courses and job listings. I would also like to provide a link to the Commission for Case Management Certification for information about requirements, and links to companies that offer instructor-led certification exam prep courses. I would link to a site that allows you to record continuing education hours completed, check your continuing education account balance, and print a transcript. My home page will briefly explain the purpose of the site, and also provide a link to a list of course offerings. I would like to offer a "printer-friendly" button, the option to e-mail a web page to another person, and to contact the webmaster with suggestions or questions. FAQs or a site tour might be helpful.

Content Synopsis
I would like to design a Web site that offers continuing education programs for Case Managers. Case Managers are required to have 80 clock hours of continuing education every five years in order to renew their certification. I have seen continuing education sites for nurses, some of which have courses that could be used by a case manager. I have yet to find a continuing education site dedicated solely to Case Management. I envision my site offering some online courses, and also having hot-links to other sites that offer courses in this special field. I would like my site to be a resource for Case Managers, and to provide a link to continuing education courses in other sites, without the user having to surf through the other sites to search for a program appropriate for Case Managers.

Competitive Analysis
Four sites that deal with continuing education for nurses are: allnurses.com, powerpak.com, CE-web (cmeweb.com), and continuingeducation.com. They vary in the kinds of services they offer. Allnurses.com boasts, "It's how nurses surf the web." A warehouse of information, it covers jobs, schools, news, books, bulletin boards, medical resources, and has links to other Web sites, Nursing Associations, Boards of Nursing (for licensing,) and continuing education. It allows you to post your online continuing education Web site on CEUNOW.COM. Powerpak.com is an education site for pharmacists, nurses, physicians, and technicians. One of its nice features is a digest of journal articles related to disease management. It is unique in that it offers cooperative mail programs, in which the user could read a printed article, and submit test answers by mail or on the Internet, to receive continuing education credit. Its online courses are nicely organized, and easy to navigate via large icons to link you to the: lesson (with learning objectives,) tables, references, test questions, a list of other exams offered, the home page, and to send an e-mail to power-pak. CE-web offers almost 400 tests for a variety of certifications, but it is difficult to tell what is the content of each course. The courses seem to be a compilation of loosely related blurbs of information, followed by a test. The tests are numbered and categorized, and cost $15 each. The average amount of time allotted to read the material and take the test is 1.5 hours. You can generate a certificate when you complete each test, and link to state boards to check on certification requirements (for nursing, not case management.) Continuingeducation.com is for a variety of professionals in the fields of: nursing, pharmacy, respiratory therapy and psychology. In addition to offering continuing education courses, it features a web-based program that allows you to track your continuing education credits at its site, even if those credits are obtained through other sites, journals or organizations. This program has information about the amount and type of CE credit required by various states for license requirements, and can track multiple license cycles for different states. It also offers a printable transcript. It offers live continuing education sessions, and details the hardware and software requirements needed in order to participate. The tracking program that this site features is especially helpful for Case Managers, and I would like to incorporate it in my Web site. Unfortunately neither this site nor the allnurses.com site offer any courses for Case Managers.

Target Audience Analysis
My audience will be Case Managers, who are usually nurses or social workers. They would probably fall in the "novice and occasional" users range since I find they have limited exposure to online continuing education, and since there is currently no site dedicated to continuing education specifically for Case Managers. My experience with other Case Managers tells me that they primarily use the Internet for research. My site should also be able to attract a "surfer" looking for anything related to "Case Management," perhaps someone new to the field or interested in pursuing it. Hopefully I will develop a following of "expert and frequent" users over time as my site builds credibility. Therefore my site should be inviting to a wide range of users, well-organized, clear and easy to navigate. The user should be able to find a continuing education program and record credits earned over a period of five years. The user should also be able to locate resources such as journals and associations.

Marketing Plan
I would advertise my site in a local career magazine, and link to its Web site if possible. I would also post my continuing education Web site on ceunow.com, through the allnurses.com Web site. I would access the "seeking authors" page of the continuingeducation.com site, and contact the webmasters of both these sites to inform them that neither of them address the Case Manager population. I could list my site as a resource with the Commission for Case Management Certification, and with the State Boards of Nursing, and Case Management Associations. Many of these have their own Web sites. Linking my site to theirs would be ideal if possible. Many continuing education programs are sponsored by pharmaceutical or medical equipment/service companies, so links from their Web sites would also be beneficial.