CME stands for Continuing Medical Education. This is a system by which physicians in the United States must continue their education after completing their residency, with the goal of staying current on knowledge, techniques, and advancements in their specialty throughout their careers.
Each recognized educational activity—a course, a conference, an online module, reading an article with subsequent evaluation, etc.—grants a certain number of CME «credits», usually measured in hours.
CME credits are not just a formality, they serve several concrete functions:
Medical license renewal: Most U.S. states require a minimum number of CME credits every one or two years to renew a medical license.
Board certification: Specialty boards (such as the American Board of Internal Medicine and others) also require CME as part of their maintenance of certification (MOC) programs.
Hospital and insurance requirements: Many hospitals, health systems, and insurance companies require evidence of continuing education to maintain privileges or contracts.
Real professional development: Beyond the Paperwork allows physicians to stay current with new clinical guidelines, medications, and technologies.
How many credits are needed?
The amount varies by state and specialty. As a general guideline, many states require between 20 and 50 hours of continuing medical education (CME) every two years, although some require more and others less. There may also be specific mandatory requirements, such as courses on pain management, medical ethics, or prevention of medical errors, depending on the jurisdiction.
How are CME credits obtained?
There are multiple pathways, and physicians often combine several throughout the year:
- Medical congresses and conferences: in-person or virtual events organized by scientific societies, which usually offer credits for attendance.
- Online courses: platforms such as Medscape, UpToDate, WebMD Education, or hospital systems themselves offer modules with end-of-year assessments that award credits.
- Medical publications with CME activity: journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine or JAMA include articles with associated quizzes that award credits upon completion.
- Internal hospital or university programs: accredited clinical sessions, academic rounds, or grand round programs.
- Teaching or research activities: in some cases, teaching, publishing articles, or participating as a speaker can also generate credits.
For an activity to be considered valid CME, it must be accredited by a recognized organization.
The primary accrediting body in the U.S. is the ACCME (Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education), which certifies institutions and providers authorized to issue CME credits. The most common credits are the AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™, awarded by the American Medical Association through ACCME-accredited providers.
Tracking Credits
Physicians typically keep track of their credits through:
- The CME Passport, a platform used by several states to centralize record-keeping
- Individual certificates issued for each activity, which serve as supporting documentation in the event of an audit
- Systems used by hospitals or certification boards.
CME credits are the mechanism that ensures physicians in the United States continue learning throughout their careers and are a key requirement for maintaining both licensure and specialty certification. These credits are obtained through a wide variety of accredited educational activities, and registration is the responsibility of each professional.
CME for radiologists
In the case of radiology, the institution responsible for granting credits is the ACR (American College of Radiology), which awards credits to different activities and approves them. You can consult the ACR by clicking here.
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