A physician is required to continue her medical education to maintain her state license.
Medicine and treatment of illnesses is an ever-evolving field. Licensed physicians in the United States are required to complete a set number of hours of continuing medical education throughout their careers to remain up-to-date on developments in medicine and to maintain their medical licenses. CME courses are administered through the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME). Requirements vary greatly from state to state but continuing medical education (CME) generally must be completed upon a physician's license renewal date.
Time Frame
The time frame in which a physician is required to complete his CME can range from every year to every two or three years, depending on the state. The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) maintains a list of each U.S. state's requirements on its website. A physician who is an ACEP member is required to complete 150 hours of continuing medical education credits every three years with at least 60 of those credit hours completed in Category 1 (more on that below) to maintain membership.
Credits
The amount of credits needed to be completed every year or two or three years also varies greatly from state to state. Most states require the continuing medical education hours to be accredited by the ACCME or the American Osteopathic Association (AOA). The American Medical Association (AMA) offers a variety of CME activities where a physician's involvement will count toward her state requirements due to the learning aspect. These activities include reviewing journals, collaborating with other physicians to write journals and scheduled activities and appearances, such as workshops and conferences. More information on these CME activities can be found on the AMA website.
Categories
Continuing medical education credit hours are broken into Category 1 and Category 2, a determination made by the AMA. Within the varying state requirements, some may request a minimum number of hours to be completed in Category 1, with it being acceptable to devote remaining hours to Category 2 study. Category 1 consists of all CME hours earned from an accredited program that is in accordance with the standards of the ACCME. Category 2 comprises self-directed learning outside an accredited program that can include independent research projects, teaching medical students and reading authenticated and approved medical literature.
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