AMA PRA Category 1™

What it is:

Credit awarded for continuing medical education activities that meet the requirements of both the American Medical Association (AMA) and the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME).

Our office will provide AMA PRA Category 1 credit, which is used primarily for physicians, but is also accepted by the State of Michigan for licensure of nurses. If you apply and are approved for contact hours through the U-M Nursing Professional Development and Education office, we are happy to add that statement to the activity certificates and transcripts for you. We would just need a copy of the Nursing PD&E approval for our records.

Who needs it:

  • Physicians – for relicensure in Michigan and, if ABMS certified, for recertification by most Boards
  • Nurses and nurse practitioners – for relicensure in Michigan
  • Physician assistants – if NCCPA certified, for recertification

Requirements:

For relicensure in Michigan:

  • Physicians are required to complete 150 hours of continuing education in approved activities every three years, of which a minimum 75 hours must be earned in activities designated for Category 1 credit. A minimum of one hour of continuing education must be earned in the area of medical ethics. Effective December 6, 2017, a minimum of three hours of continuing education must be earned in the area of pain and symptom management.
  • Nurses, including nurse practitioners, are required to complete at least 25 hours of approved continuing education hours during the two years preceding an application for renewal or relicensure. At least two hours of continuing education hours in pain and pain symptom management are required in each renewal period. Activities approved by OCME&LL for Category 1 credit are considered acceptable for license renewal or relicensure without limitation.

Note: Physician assistants are not required to document continuing education for licensure renewal under current law. PA’s are responsible for maintaining their competence in the profession, but do not have to demonstrate the ways he or she is doing that in order to renew their license.

For Maintenance of Certification (MOC):

  • ABMS-certified physicians: Most certifying boards require participation in CME activities to meet MOC Part II requirements for lifelong learning and self-assessment of knowledge. Boards vary in specific requirements for self-assessment, the number of CME credits, and frequency. Please check the ABMS website for specific requirements.
  • NCCPA-certified physician assistants: Physician assistants must document 100 credits (CME or PI-CME) every two years, in years two, four, and six of the certification maintenance cycle. Recognized credits include AAPA Category 1 credits, AMA PRA Category 1 credits™, and credits awarded by several other continuing education accreditors. Please check the NCCPA website for further information.

Who awards it:

Office of Continuing Medical Education and Lifelong Learning

The University of Michigan Medical School is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. Our office works on behalf of the Medical School to designate Category 1 credit for continuing education.

Typical activity types:

  • Regularly Scheduled Series – An educational activity with multiple sessions occurring on an ongoing basis (i.e., weekly, monthly, quarterly), planned by and presented to our own faculty and staff. Examples include Grand Rounds, Tumor Boards, and M&M Conferences.
  • Course – A single, live educational activity where participants attend in person. If a course is held multiple times for multiple audiences, then each instance is considered a separate course. Examples include annual meetings, conferences, and symposia.
  • Enduring Materials – A printed, recorded, or computer-presented CME activity that may be used over time at various locations and which, in itself, constitutes a planned activity. Examples include web-based activities, archived webinars, monographs, podcasts, CD-ROMs, and DVDs. Recorded archives of live activities such as grand rounds are considered enduring materials, and require a separate application if credit designation is sought.
  • Performance Improvement CME Activity – A CME activity by which evidence-based performance measures and quality improvement (QI) interventions are used in a three-step process to help physicians identify patient care areas for improvement and change their performance.
  • Performance Improvement CME in conjunction with a Part IV MOC Activity – Quality improvement (QI) projects that meet requirements for Part IV Maintenance of Certification (MOC) may also be approved for AMA PRA Category 1™ credit.