CME FAQs
CME Requirements for Certification Maintenance
What are the NCCPA certification maintenance requirements?
In order to maintain certification with the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) PAs must:
- Take a recertification exam every 10 years.
- Earn 100 CME credits every two years, including at least 50 Category 1 CME credits.
- Pay a certification maintenance fee to NCCPA every two years.
When am I eligible to earn CME for NCCPA certification maintenance?
You may begin earning CME credit for national certification maintenance on the issuance date displayed on your NCCPA certificate.
Yes, as long as the post-tests have not expired, and you complete them on or after the issuance date displayed on your NCCPA certificate. (JAAPA post-tests may be submitted for up to one year from publication date.)
While most state licensing boards accept current NCCPA certification as a proxy for satisfying CME requirements associated with licensure renewal, individual requirements vary by state. Please refer to Statutory and Regulatory Requirements for Licensure and License Renewal (PDF) for specific state requirements.
Types of CME
What is Category 1 credit and how can I earn it?
Category 1 CME consists of clinical and professional educational activities that serve to maintain, develop or increase the knowledge, skills and professional performance that a PA uses to provide services for patients, the public and the profession.
For NCCPA national certification maintenance, there are 3 different types of Category 1 CME: Category 1 CME, Category 1 Self-Assessment CME, and Category 1 Performance Improvement CME (PI-CME).
Category 1 CME
These activities must be reviewed and approved by one of the following organizations for the corresponding type of credit:
Sponsor (organization approving CME credit) | Credit Designation |
---|---|
American Academy of PAs | AAPA Category 1 CME credit |
American Osteopathic Association | Category 1-A |
American Academy of Family Physicians | Prescribed Credit |
Organizations accredited by the Accreditation Council on Continuing Medical Education. | AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ |
Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) | Royal College MOC credits |
College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) | Mainpro C or Mainpro-M1 CPD credits |
Physician Assistant Certification Council of Canada (PACCC) | Mainpro C or Mainpro-M1 CPD credits |
European Union of Medical Specialists/European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (UEMS/EACCME) | ECMEC®s |
Category 1 Self-Assessment CME
These activities must be reviewed and approved by the following organization for the corresponding type of credit:
Sponsor (organization approving CME credit) | Credit Designation |
---|---|
American Academy of PAs | AAPA Category 1 Self-Assessment CME credit |
Category 1 PI-CME
These activities must be reviewed and approved by the following organization for the corresponding type of credit:
Sponsor (organization approving CME credit) | Credit Designation |
---|---|
American Academy of PAs | AAPA Category 1 PI-CME credit |
ABMS-Member Board | Category 1 activities accepted for Part 4 MOC credit |
American Osteopathic Association | Category 1-A activities accepted for Component 4 OCC credit |
ABMS Multi-Specialty Portfolio Program Sponsors | ABMS Multi-Specialty Portfolio Program activities |
Every PA should receive a certificate of completion or letter of participation upon completion of a Category 1 CME program.
Please note that acceptable credit types for individual state licensing boards may vary. You can access the State Laws and Regulations webpage for individual state requirements.
What are self-assessment activities?
Self-assessment is the process of conducting a systematic review of one’s own performance, knowledge base or skill set, usually to improve future performance, expand knowledge or hone skills.
Self-assessment activities, in their most common form, are simply an in-depth medical knowledge test that provides feedback on your performance and the opportunity to learn from the experience.
Importantly, self-assessment activities are not like taking PANCE or PANRE, where you have one chance per test to get a passing score. Instead, this is exactly what it says – a “self-assessment.” Most activities allow you to take the self-assessment as many times as you like in order to gauge where your own personal knowledge gaps exist. It helps you identify where you need CME or additional self-study to improve your knowledge. Self-assessment activities are meant to help you better recognize gaps in your own knowledge, so that you can better serve your patients.
In recognition of the value of self-assessment and its role in continuous professional development, NCCPA is now offering an additional incentive to encourage PA participation in self-assessment activities. For all activities approved for AAPA Category 1 Self-Assessment CME credit, NCCPA will now apply an additional 50 percent weighting when those self-assessment credits are logged for NCCPA certification maintenance purposes. In other words, if a PA logs 20 AAPA Category 1 Self-Assessment CME credits with NCCPA, they will count as 30 of their total 100 credit requirement for that 2-year CME cycle.
PAs should be aware that the extra weighting for self-assessment activities is only relevant to NCCPA certification. States that require CME for license renewal purposes do not apply any additional weighting for self-assessment and PAs must claim those credits exactly as awarded on their CME certificates.
Only self-assessment activities approved for AAPA Category 1 Self-Assessment CME credit will qualify for the additional incentive within the NCCPA logging system.
What are performance improvement (PI-CME) activities?
PI-CME activities are a unique chance to earn CME while reflecting on your role in team-based care and how you might improve patient outcomes by altering your own approach or methods. PI-CME is a structured process for evaluating the evidence-base for your own behavior and making carefully considered adjustments accordingly. The activity has 3 phases:
- Stage A – Compare your current practice in a specific clinical area against recognized, evidence-based standards. Assess your current performance, identify performance gaps and discover opportunities for improvement.
- Stage B – Develop and implement a plan to improve your practice. For example, you might decide to take a class about a specific procedure, develop new patient education material, change the sequence in which you approach routine tasks, or make a simple process change.
- Stage C – Reassess your practice to evaluate the effects of your improvement plan. If you were able to improve, what factors facilitated your success? If you were not able to improve, what barriers did you encounter that prevented a successful outcome? What would you do differently next time?
Acknowledging the evidence detailing PI-CME’s positive impact on outcomes, NCCPA has announced a new incentive for completing PI-CME activities: The first 20 PI-CME credits logged during every two-year cycle will now be doubled when logged with NCCPA.
PAs should be aware that the extra weighting for PI-CME activities applies only to NCCPA certification. States that require CME for license renewal do not apply any additional weighting to PI-CME activities.
Where can I find Self-Assessment and PI-CME Activities?
AAPA’s Learning Central. To see a complete list of self-assessment and PI-CME activities, visit https://www.nccpa.net/finding-sa-and-pi-cme.
Only PI-CME activities approved for AAPA Category 1 PI-CME credit, category 1 activities accepted for Part 4 MOC credit by an ABMS-member board, category 1A activities accepted for Component 4 OCC credit by the American Osteopathic Association, and ABMS Multispecialty Portfolio Program activities will qualify for the additional incentive within the NCCPA logging system.
Can I complete a self-assessment or performance improvement activity more than once?
Yes, as long as the activity is completed in different 2-year logging cycles AND the activity provider allows this. PAs cannot claim credit for the same activity more than once in the same 2-year logging cycle. Be sure to check with the provider of the CME activity if you intend to do an activity more than once, as some providers allow this and others do not.
It is OK to start a self-assessment or performance improvement activity in one cycle and complete it in the next cycle, as long as you log it during the cycle in which you completed it.
What is Category 2 credit and how can I earn it?
Category 2 credit is elective and must be related to medicine, patient care or other professional issues such as reimbursement and CPT coding. Below are some examples of things that can be counted as category 2 credit.
- Reading medical journals or texts
- Attending meetings provided by pharmaceutical companies that are promotional
- Clinical research on the Internet
- AAPA HOD
- Precepting students
Can I be awarded AMA PRA Category 1 CME CreditTM?
Technically, according to the AMA PRA Handbook, only physicians may be awarded AMA PRA Category 1 CME CreditTM. However, accredited CME providers can and should issue documentation to PA participants that states the activity was certified for AMA PRA Category 1 CreditTM. This documentation, often referred to as a letter of participation or certificate of attendance, is acceptable for NCCPA certification maintenance and state license renewal purposes as long as the documentation clearly indicates that the activity was certified for AMA PRA Category 1 CME CreditTM.
CME Certificates
How do I access certificates for post-tests that I have completed in the past through AAPA?
Visit Learning Central then go to “Transcript” to see post-tests you have already completed and download certificates for those completed successfully. Use “Transcript” to keep track of all of your CME in one place. If you received a score of less than 70 percent on a post-test, you will have the option to retake that test.
How do I access certificates from AAPA’s Annual conference?
For AAPA Conferences 2020-2022, complete your evaluations and print CME certificates in AAPA’s Learning Central. For AAPA Conferences 2014-2019, use the CME Manager to claim your credits and print CME certificates.
(https://www.aapa.org/cme-central/aapa-conference-certificates/)
Logging CME
For national certification maintenance, you must log your CME credits with NCCPA. Be sure to have the following information available:
- Title of the program
- Provider – the organization that is administering the program
- Number of credits
- Sponsor – the organization that designates the program for CME credit.
AAPA offers a more convenient way to transfer AAPA-earned Category 1 CME credits. They can be transferred via AAPA’s PA Portfolio tool (free to members). For additional steps, see questions below.
Please see the list of sponsors that PAs may use for Category 1 CME credit for certification maintenance with NCCPA.
If you are logging for your state license only, please contact your state licensing board for instructions.
Can I report AAPA Category 1 CME credits electronically to my NCCPA account via AAPA?
Yes. Any Category 1 CME you complete in AAPA’s Learning Central is automatically transmitted to AAPA’s PA Portfolio. From PA Portfolio you can transfer AAPA-earned Category 1 CME credits to NCCPA. In the CME section, simply click the send button next to the items you would like to transfer.
Is there a cost to report AAPA Category 1 CME credits to NCCPA?
There is no cost to log AAPA CME with NCCPA, however members (and nonmember subscribers to PA Portfolio) may more easily transfer CME credits to NCCPA via PA Portfolio.
From PA Portfolio, which earning window will my credits be logged?
Credits will be logged to the earning window displayed in your PA Portfolio CME tab. If allowed, you may recharacterize the credits to another earning window in your NCCPA record.
NCCPA provides the option to upload CME certificates when logging but you are not required to submit documentation at the time that you log credits. However, be sure to keep documentation of all completed Category 1 CME activities for 7 years in case you are audited by NCCPA. Check with your state licensing board regarding their individual auditing and documentation requirements.
Yes. Refer to this listing of nationally recognized certificate programs that are approved for AAPA Category 1 CME credit (PDF).
Look in the promotional brochure or advertisement for the accreditation statement, which will indicate what type of credit can be earned at the conference. Then refer to this complete list of acceptable sponsors for Category 1 CME for NCCPA certification maintenance. Programs approved for nursing credit only should be logged as a Category 2 (elective) activity.
Please note that acceptable credit types for individual state licensing boards may vary. You can access the State Laws and Regulations webpage for individual state requirements.
No. Only the provider of the CME program may apply to AAPA for Category 1 CME approval. If the program has not received AAPA CME approval you may still claim the activity as Category 2 CME.
I work for a CME provider. How can we apply for AAPA Category 1 CME credit?
The application process, fees, and timeline are detailed on the AAPA CME Accreditation page.
Credits earned between May and December of the year your certification expires (the second year of your two-year cycle) may apply toward either your current NCCPA two-year cycle, or the next two-year cycle.
Although AAPA does not endorse or guarantee any of these courses or materials, AAPA does maintain a list of review materials and courses for the PANCE/PANRE exam.
JAAPA publishes a recertification refresher series every month and archived articles are available.
Can faculty claim AAPA Category 1 CME credit for presenting an AAPA Category 1 CME lecture?
Faculty can claim AAPA Category 1 CME for presenting a lecture if it is approved for Category 1 CME for learners and if the faculty receives a certificate. Faculty can claim Category 2 for preparing for the lecture.