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

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 Hours Calculated?

How Can I Learn About Other AAP CME Opportunities?

What is the Academy's Internet confidentiality and privacy policy?

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 would be appropriate CME for physicians responsible for managing a health care facility; a course in educational methodology would be appropriate CME for physicians teaching in a medical school; a course in practice management would be appropriate for practitioners interested in providing better service to patients.

Not all continuing educational activities which physicians may engage in, however, are CME. Physicians may participate in worthwhile continuing educational activities which are not related directly to their professional work, and these activities are not CME. Continuing educational activities which respond to a physician's non-professional educational need or interest, such as personal financial planning, and appreciation of literature or music, are not CME.

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 which sponsor CME for physicians. It has been in existence since 1981. The ACCME has as its purpose "the identification, development, and promotion of standards for quality CME utilized by physicians in their maintenance of competence and incorporation of new knowledge, in order to improve quality medical care for patients and their communities."

There are seven member organizations of the ACCME:

1. American Board of Medical Specialties;
2. American Hospital Association;
3. American Medical Association;
4. Association of American Medical Colleges;
5. Association for Hospital Medical Education;
6. Council of Medical Specialty Societies; and
7. Federation of State Medical Boards of the U.S.

For more information on the ACCME, visit their Web site.

Who Receives Accreditation?
Accreditation is granted on the basis of the sponsor's demonstrated ability to plan and implement CME activities in accordance with the ACCME Essentials.

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 on the certificate. This designation refers to the American Medical Association's Physician's Recognition Award, and is the standard type of CME credit you should receive from formally planned activities. For more information on the AMA PRA and Category 1 CME credit, visit the AMA's website at www.ama-assn.org or call the AMA's Office of Physician Credentials and Qualifications at 312/464-4665..

How Can I Find My State's CME Requirements?
An updated table of state-by-state CME requirements is maintained by the AMA at http://www.ama-assn.org.

How Are CME Hours 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 deducted from the total CME hours you receive. 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 conference sponsored by the American Academy of Pediatrics, your attendance is verified only for the conference itself; the AAP does not track your whereabouts for the entire conference. Your CME certificate may be incomplete until you inform us of the actual number of hours you attended. This is why AAP CME Certificates state only the maximum number of hours designated for the course, but leave blank the line which states the number of hours you actually earned. You need to fill-in this portion of the certificate and return a copy of the certificate to the AAP to complete your claim of CME hours.

How Are CME Hours Calculated for Enduring Materials?

Since people complete self-study activities (ie, journal-based CME, self-tests, computer-based activities, video or audio tapes, etc) at their own pace, calculating CME hours 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 hours he or she actually spent on the activity.

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.

What is the Academy's Internet confidentiality and privacy policy?
Information submitted through this website, by any means, is kept strictly confidential. The American Academy of Pediatrics respects the privacy of users visiting it journal web sites and does not share any personally identifiable information. All records are kept in a strictly confidential manner and are maintained by the Academy and not available to third parties. The American Academy of Pediatrics shall adhere to professional ethics and principles of confidentiality.