Every five years, anesthesiologists need to earn 125 Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits, and every 10 years, they need to have earned a total of 250 CME credits. These CME credits are critical to maintaining a certification in anesthesiology and being able to practice in the United States. [1,2].
Many institutions, including the Mayo Clinic for example, offer a variety of CME opportunities that includes live courses and conferences, podcasts, and online courses. Anesthesiologists and other physicians can take advantage of what CME options best suit them (within certain limitations).
CME courses aim to keep clinicians up to date on healthcare delivery, clinical practice, quality improvements, medical research and more in order to guide physicians, advanced practice providers, anesthesiologists, nurses, and certified nurse anesthetists best serve a patient. Anesthesiologists can shop around for their own CME credit courses via the American Society of Anesthesiologists’ online portal [3]. You can now specifically search for courses by the type of credit they offer and visit the Education Center dashboard for the latest free courses at any time. The American Society of Anesthesiologists also publishes a CME journal which is free for all American Society of Anesthesiologists members [4]. Other opportunities and databases for CME also exist.
CME credits are integral to board certification by the American Board of Anesthesiologists. This is important because since 1938, American Board of Anesthesiologists certification has been the process for certifying anesthesiologists in the United States. Patients trust board certification to ensure that a physician has acquired the knowledge, skills, and judgement required to provide safe and high-quality specialty care [5].
Though CME requirements do add to an anesthesiologist’s responsibilities, there are significant benefits to acquiring and maintaining certification [5]. Thorough training ensures that an anesthesiologist has the clinical judgment, technical expertise, and scientific knowledge required to provide excellent patient care. In addition, through the continuing education (CME) requirements, an anesthesiologist can stay up to date with the most recent medical advances. Finally, board-certified professionals are required to demonstrate their proficiency through an ongoing rigorous board certification process. Specific requirements for leadership and educational activities ensure physicians consistently meet the highest standards of professionalism.
CME credits continue to be key to maintaining an anesthesiologist’s board certification and ensuring the safest health care delivery possible across the United States.
References
1. CME – The American Board of Anesthesiology. Available at: https://www.theaba.org/maintain-certification/cme/. (Accessed: 9th December 2023)
2. Journal CME – 2023 Full Subscription | American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA).
Available at: https://www.asahq.org/shop-asa/e023j00w00. (Accessed: 9th December 2023)
3. ShopASA for CME. Available at: https://www.asahq.org/shop-asa#sort=%40searchdate descending. (Accessed: 9th December 2023)
4. CME | Anesthesiology | American Society of Anesthesiologists. Available at: https://pubs.asahq.org/anesthesiology/pages/cme. (Accessed: 9th December 2023)
5. Value of Board Certification – The American Board of Anesthesiology. Available at: https://www.theaba.org/get-certified/value-of-board-certification/. (Accessed: 9th December 2023)