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This page contains the answers to some commonly asked questions about continuing medical education (CME) in general, as well as more specific questions about NeoReviews.org.

What Is Continuing Medical Education (CME)?

Why Are CME Providers Accredited?

Who Accredits CME Providers?

Who Receives Accreditation?

How Do I Know if a CME Activity is Given By an Accredited Sponsor?

How Can I Find My State's CME Requirements?

How Are CME Credits Calculated?

How Can I Learn About Other AAP CME Opportunities?

What Is Continuing Medical Education (CME)?
Continuing medical education (CME) consists of educational activities that serve to maintain, develop, or increase the knowledge, skills, and professional performance and relationships that a physician uses to provide services for patients, the public, or the profession. The content of CME is that body of knowledge and skills generally recognized and accepted by the profession as within the basic medical sciences, the discipline of clinical medicine, and the provision of health care to the public.

This broad definition of CME recognizes that all continuing educational activities which assist physicians in carrying out their professional responsibilities more effectively and efficiently are CME. A course in management, for example, would be appropriate for practitioners interested in providing better service to patients.

Why Are CME Providers Accredited?
CME providers are accredited by the ACCME to assure physicians and the public that CME activities meet accepted standards of education.

Who Accredits CME Providers?
The Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) is an independent accreditation body for institutions and organizations that provide CME for physicians. For more information on the ACCME, visit its Web site at http://www.accme.org.

Who Receives Accreditation?
Providers receive accreditation on the basis of the provider's demonstrated ability to plan and implement CME activities in accordance with the ACCME Essential Areas and Elements and the Standards of Commercial Support.

How Do I Know if a CME Activity is Given By an Accredited Sponsor?
The ACCME requires accredited sponsors to state, in very specific terms, the source of their accreditation (either from the ACCME itself, or, for regional activities, the local medical society). This statement is usually included in the promotional materials and on the certificate of completion. Look for the designation AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™ on the certificate. This designation refers to the American Medical Association's Physician's Recognition Award (PRA), and is the standard type of CME credit you should receive from formally planned activities. You may visit http://www.accme.org to review a list of accredited providers. Appropriate credit statements can be viewed at www.ama-assn.org.

How Can I Find My State's CME Requirements?
CME requirements for medical licensure vary greatly from state to state. While some states do not require CME for licensure, other states require as many as 50 hours of CME credit per year.

For more information on your state's CME requirements, contact your state medical licensing board.

How Are CME Credits Calculated?
CME credit is designated on an hour-for-hour basis, ie, for every hour you spend in a CME activity, you receive 1 hour of CME credit. Calculating your CME hours, however, is not always simple.

Many CME conferences include scheduled breaks, business meetings, and other activities that do not qualify as CME. These hours are not included when determining the total CME credits for a program. Also, if you attend a conference, but need to leave early to catch a plane or meet another obligation, don't forget to deduct that time.

Note: When you attend a CME activity sponsored by the American Academy of Pediatrics, your CME certificate is incomplete until you fill in the number of credits you actually earned. It is your obligation to fill in this portion of the certificate.

How Are CME Credits Calculated for Enduring Materials?

Since people complete self-study activities (ie, journal-based CME, self-assessment exercises, computer-based activities, video or audio tapes, etc) at their own pace, calculating CME credits can create a dilemma for the activity's sponsor. According to the ACCME, the sponsor of an enduring material should estimate the amount of time the average physician would take to complete the activity. This estimate becomes the designated maximum amount of CME credit for the activity. The individual physician is required to keep track of the time spent on the activity, and claim the number of credits he or she actually spent on the activity (not to exceed the maximum number of designated credits).

How Can I Learn About Other AAP CME Opportunities?
A current listing of CME offerings from the American Academy of Pediatrics is available at http://www.aap.org/profed/cmecourses.htm.

More information about accreditation of all AAP CME activities is available at the AAP CME Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) site, http://cme.aappublications.org/misc/cme_faq.shtml.