How many continuing medical education (CME) credits are required for Continuing Certification?

There is no requirement to report additional CME credits beyond what is obtained through participation in CertLink and ABD’s focused Practice Improvement (fPI) modules. You are required to participate in CertLink, and by doing so, you may earn up to 15 CME credits each year that you participate in at least three quarters.

You are required to complete one practice improvement activity every 5 years. If you complete a focused Practice Improvement Module (fPI) offered by the ABD, you may earn between 5 and 20 CME credits. (Check with the sponsoring organization of non-ABD practice improvement activities to see if they offer CME credit.)

Finally, a full, unrestricted medical license is a requirement of Continuing Certification. Nearly every state requires a minimum number of CME credits you must earn to maintain your medical license, which may be more than the 15 CME credits that may be earned annually through CertLink participation.

Historically, the ABD required diplomates to log 25 hours of CME per year. By not requiring you to log CME credits separately for ABD Continuing Certification, we hope to save you time and effort.