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Continuing Medical Education (CME)

  • Diplomates are required to complete an average of 30 CME credits per year, averaged over three years.
    • CME activities completed will satisfy the requirement for all certifications held by the ABPN.
  • CME can be ANY Category 1 credits relevant to one’s field of practice.
  • Acceptable CME credits are Category 1 CME accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), Category 1A CME accredited by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), or Category 1 CME accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
  • ABPN is not a CME provider and does not sponsor, certify, or approve CME activities. Diplomates may choose their own Category 1 CME activities through professional societies, healthcare institutions, and other accredited providers.
  • Diplomates choose their own CME activities. CME activities do not need to be ABPN approved.
    • CME credits count toward the three-year block in which the CME activity took place. Credits earned beyond the requirement for a block do not carry forward to a later block.
    • As one option for CME, after completing a three-year Continuing Certification block, diplomates may apply for 60 AMA PRA Category 1 CME credits from the American Medical Association (AMA). CME credits are not awarded for individual ABCC article assessments. Credits may be claimed only once per three-year block, even if a diplomate completes additional Continuing Certification activities in other specialties or subspecialties. AMA credits are dated as of the final day of the diplomate’s most recently completed three-year Continuing Certification block. For example, an application submitted to the AMA in 2026 for a block ending December 31, 2025, will show a CME certificate date of December 31, 2025. Please note that credits from a block completed on December 31, 2025, cannot be applied to that same block, because one must have already attested to the requisite CME credits in order to meet requirements for that block, nor can they be applied to any subsequent three-year ABPN Continuing Certification Program blocks, because the Continuing Certification program does not allow ‘forwarding’ of any activities to the next block. However, diplomates may use the AMA CME credits for other purposes, such as helping fulfill any applicable licensure or employer requirements.
    • Diplomates can use the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) Continuing Certification Directory to search for CME activities by topic and/or CME activity type.
  • Self-Assessment CME: 16 Self-Assessment CME credits must be met over three years and must involve ABPN-approved Self-Assessment activities, which include both Category 1 CME credit-bearing and non-CME-credit-bearing activities, please see here. Diplomates fulfilling the Self-Assessment CME requirement by non-CME-credit-bearing activities are still required to complete 90 Category 1 CME credits per 3-year block.

All CC activities, including CME completed, are reported by diplomate attestation in the ABPN Physician Portal. It is not required to upload CME or other activity documentation to ABPN. However, diplomates are required to keep records of the activities they attest to, as all diplomates are subject to audit.

Read our CC Program Booklet for more information.