Continuing Medical Education
Not sure how much CME you need to earn, or even what qualifies as CME? Check out the following engaging, educational video on Continuing Medical Education! It will take you through the ins and outs of earning and logging CME.
After watching the video, read more on CME requirements below.
It's better in HD! If you have broadband internet connection, click here.
Overview
Earning continuing medical education (CME) hours is an integral component
of NCCPA certification. Every two years, (years two, four and six of the certification
maintenance cycle), all certified PAs must log their 100 CME hours online and submit
the $130 certification maintenance fee.
Your CME earning and logging window is May 1 of the year your current certification
was issued through December 31 of the certification expiration year. (For example,
PA-C designees whose certifications expire in 2010 must have earned their CME between
May 1, 2008 and December 31, 2010.)
Want to save $50? Pay only $80 for certification maintenance if
you earn and log your 100 CME hours and pay by June 30
of your certification expiration year - that's $50 off the regular $130 certification
maintenance fee! (Discount will be reflected on payment screen after 100 CME hours
have been logged.)
*Please note that any refund requests must be submitted within 30 days of submitting
payment.
Special Guidelines for New Certification Holders
If this is the first time you've logged CME since passing PANCE, you may log any
CME earned as of the date your certification was issued. Also for newly
certified PAs whose certification was issued after June 30, you can continue earning
and logging your CME hours through your certification expiration date and still
pay the discounted $80 certification maintenance fee. Please note:
The discount will only be extended to Dec. 31 for your first two-year certification
maintenance cycle. After that, to take advantage of the discount, you will need
to earn and log 100 CME hours and pay the discounted fee by June 30 each certification
expiration year.
CME Terms and Requirements
CME consists of clinical and professional education activities that maintain, develop
or increase the knowledge, skills, and professional performance and relationships
that a physician assistant uses to provide services for patients, the public and
the profession.
You must earn and log 100 CME hours, of which at least 50 must be Category I CME.
The remaining 50 hours can be Category I, Category II or a combination of both.
CME can be classified as a Certification Program, Category I or Category II.
Certification Programs: These activities include certification and recertification
programs that are preapproved (sponsored) by the American Academy of Physician Assistants
(AAPA) for a maximum number of Category I hours regardless of who presents the programs
or where they are presented. Completion of any program is necessary to log the hours
toward the CME requirement. You may earn and apply CME hours for the same certification
program once in a calendar year and no more than twice per logging cycle.
CME: Preapproved Category 1 Hours
Category I must be classified by AAPA as Category I (Preapproved) CME by one of
the following sponsors: AAPA, AMA, ACCME, AOACCME or AAFP. Some ways Category I
CME hours can be earned include seminars, conferences and online. The CME program
provider will issue you a certificate or letter of completion, indicating the number
of CME hours you've earned during each program.
Category II includes other practice-related, voluntary, self-learning activities,
such as journal reading, independent study, preceptorships, and any medically-related
postgraduate course, excluding courses taken in an actual PA program. Category II
hours are earned on an hour-by-hour basis. There is no minimum requirement for Category
II activities.
The CME provider is the organization that offered the seminar, conducted the training,
etc. Usually, providers are associations, hospitals, schools, pharmaceutical companies,
or other health care organizations. You will need to enter the provider name when
you log your Category I CME hours.
By definition, all Category I activities are sponsored (approved for credit) by
one of the following:
- Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME)
- American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP)
- American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA)
- American Medical Association (AMA)
- American Osteopathic Association Council on Continuing Medical Education (AOACCME)
Need help logging your CME hours online?
Click here for step-by-step instructions.
Ready to log your CME hours? Click here to sign
in to your record.
**You should keep your Category I CME documentation for your current CME cycle and
your last CME cycle. For example, if you are currently on a 2007-2009 CME cycle
you would need to keep that documentation and the 2005-2007 CME cycle documentation.
We do not audit Category II CME. This is the policy for NCCPA, not the state medical
boards. You will need to check with your state medical board regarding their auditing
requirements.
