Continuing Medical Education (CME)

Continuing medical education (CME) consists of educational activities which serve to maintain, develop or increase the knowledge, skills and professional performance and relationships that a physician and medical professionals use 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.

To claim your Continuing Medical Education (CME), please visit the relevant event/course site for specific CME claims.

Resources on Continuing Medical Education (CME)

• CME Activities and Educational Meetings Conflict of Interests (COI) Disclosure Form
• Member CME Record/Claim CME – Step-by-Step Guide
• Physician, Physician Assistant, Nurse Practitioners – CME Credit Information
• American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS) – CME Resources
• American Medical Association (AMA) – PRA Credit System Requirements

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I claim an event/program for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ and/or AMA PRA Category 2 Credits™ CME?

Utilize the Member CME Record/Claim CME – Step-by-Step Guide to access your ASPS account. For prior meeting events since late 2020 and to claim your CME, please click here.

2. Does the ASPS membership require members to complete CME licensure credentialing requirements to remain an active ASPS member?

No, ASPS only tracks the CME a member/person has completed for ASPS provided content.

3. How do I convert AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ to my individual recertification?

ASPS is not responsible for providing recertification credentialing to recertification organization(s). It shall be the responsibility of the individual to provide information to the appropriate corresponding recertification organization(s) for conversion of continuing medical education credit(s). All questions should be directed to the corresponding organization(s) as indicated below for the most current information on recertification. Information can be found here for Physician, Physician Assistant, Nurse Practitioners – CME Credit Information.

4. What are the types of AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™:

5. What characterizes AMA PRA Category 2 Credit™?

Requirements for AMA PRA Category 2 Credit™

AMA PRA Category 2 Credit™ is self-designated and claimed by individual physicians for participation in activities not certified for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ that:

• Comply with the AMA definition of CME; and
• Comply with the relevant AMA ethical opinions; at the time of this writing this includes 8.061 "Gifts to Physicians from Industry" and 9.011 "Continuing Medical Education," and
• Are not promotional; and

A physician finds to be a worthwhile learning experience related to his/her practice.

Examples of learning activities that might meet the requirements for AMA PRA Category 2 Credit™ include, but are not limited to:

• Participation in activities that have not been certified for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
• Teaching physicians,residents,medical students or other health professionals
• Unstructured online searching and learning (i.e.,not Internet PoC)
• Reading authoritative medical literature
• Consultation with peers and medical experts
• Small group discussions
• Self assessment activities
• Medical writing
• Preceptorship participation
• Research
• Peer review and quality assurance participation

Organizations may not certify activities for AMA PRA Category 2 Credit™ or advertise that an activity qualifies for AMA PRA Category 2 Credit™. Organizations may choose to maintain records of physician participation in activities that have not been certified for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ but, since they may not certify or award such credit, should not record them as AMA PRA Category 2 Credit™.

A physician must individually assess the educational value for each learning experience in which he or she participates to determine if it is appropriate to claim AMA PRA Category 2 Credit™.

Claiming AMA PRA Category 2 Credit™

Documentation: the physician should self claim credit for appropriate AMA PRA Category 2 Credit™ activities and document activity title or description, subject or content area, date(s) of participation and number of credits claimed. Physicians may not claim AMA PRA Category 2 Credit™ for an activity for which the physician has claimed AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Each physician is responsible for claiming and maintaining a record of their AMA PRA Category 2 Credit™.

Credit calculation: as with live activities, physicians should claim credit based on their participation time with 60 minutes of participation equal to one (1) AMA PRA Category 2 Credit™ credit is claimed in 15 minute or 0.25 credit increments; physicians must round to the nearest quarter hour.

6. What types of activities may NOT be claimed for AMA PRA Credits™?

CME credit may not be claimed for learning which is incidental to the regular professional activities or practice of a physician, such as learning that occurs from:

• Clinical experience
• Charity or mission work
• Surveying
• Serving on a committee, council task force, board, house of delegates or other professional workgroup
• Passing examinations that are not integrated with a certified activity

Questions about CME Activities and Educational Meetings COI disclosure requirements should be directed to Michelle Sirois at msirois@plasticsurgery.org.