CCMEP™ is the only credential that designates qualified individuals as Certified CME Professionals.


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CERTIFICATION PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Benefits and Requirements

The National Commission for Certification of CME Professionals, Inc. (NC-CME) offers a certification program for individuals in the continuing medical education (CME) field who wish to demonstrate their competence and earn the designation of Certified CME Professional (CCMEP). The program includes self-assessment tools to assist in identifying strengths and gaps in knowledge across the broad spectrum of CME/IME/CHE and encourages CME professionals to pay attention to their own continuous professional development (CPD).

The CCMEP program consists of Initial Certification, which requires candidates to document their professional qualifications and successfully pass a proctored three-hour examination; Extension of Certification (EOC), which serves to extend the initial three-year certification to five years; and Recertification, which is available to CCMEPs who have documented a Portfolio of performance improvement activities or who choose to sit for and pass the current form of the CCMEP exam. Recertification will be required every three years but once certified, CCMEPs who maintain their certification will not be required to sit for another proctored exam.

CCMEPs who allow their certification to lapse will be required to complete the currently available validated, secure, three-hour certification examination in order to be reinstated and will need to re-establish eligibility.

Active CCMEPs will receive reminders 3 to 6 months before the expiration date noted on their certificates. Candidates for EOC or Recertification will submit evidence that they have continued to participate in CPD activities since their previous certification.

Initial Certification

Benefits to Individuals

  • Motivates individuals to maintain a career path [not just a job] in CME
  • Provides tangible evidence of self-improvement and pursuit of one's own continuous professional education
  • Offers the potential to increase earning power and open up new career opportunities
  • Framed certificate and lapel pin
  • Allows the use of the CCMEP credential on stationery and business cards
  • Names are posted online in the ""National Registry of Certified CME Professionals""
  • Provides opportunities to volunteer for NC-CME activities.
Benefits to Employers
  • Raises the level of staff awareness and knowledge of CME rules and regulations
  • A risk-management strategy to lessen the risk of non-compliance
  • Can improve the level of communication with CME partners
  • Documents evidence of continuous personal improvement and staff development within the organization
  • Complements the certification programs of other healthcare professionals
  • Aids in recruiting, evaluating, promoting and retaining valuable CME staff
  • Offers opportunities to publicize organizational excellence and commitment to the CME community.
Requirements for Initial Certification
  1. Submit ""Eligibility Worksheet"" via email Worksheet; document 15 points of education and experience in the CME field, including:
    • Formal education: academic degrees
    • Informal education: conferences, courses, webinars, certificates that target CME professionals
    • Service to the CME community: participation as conference faculty, author, or as a volunteer on boards or committees of national, regional, or local CME organizations
    • Any current clinical license
  2. Apply and Register to sit for the certification examination
    • See details on NCCME.org
    • Fill out online Application Form; obtain ID and Password
    • Register online: $400 examination fee + $50 non-refundable processing fee
    • Select a testing center and test date
  3. Successfully complete and pass the exam
    • Computer-based, multiple-choice exam: < 3 hours; < 200 test items
    • At a monitored, secure educational testing center
    • Pass/Fail exam results are printed out immediately and given to candidates at testing center.

Extension of Certification (EOC)

Benefits to Individuals [in addition to Benefits of Initial Certification]

  • Permits the continued use of the CCMEP credential for 2 additional years (a total of 5 years)
  • No need to sit for an exam at this time
  • Reminders will be sent 3 months before current certification expires.
  • A new certificate will be mailed to each CCMEP who satisfies EOC requirements.
  • Extensions are posted online in the ""National Registry of Certified CME Professionals"" under the original Class date [e.g., ""Class of June 2008-EOC""].
Benefits to Employers[in addition to Benefits of Initial Certification]
  • Documents evidence of a high level of continuous personal improvement and staff development within the organization
  • Provides tangible evidence of employees being up-to-date in CME matters
  • Offers opportunity to publicize extraordinary organizational excellence and commitment to the CME community.
Requirements for Extension of Certification
  1. Submit ""Extension of Certification Worksheet"" documenting 12 points of new education/experience, earned since the most recent certification, including:
    • New formal degrees
    • Conferences, courses, webinars, certificates that target CME professionals
    • Service to the CME community: participation as conference faculty, author, or as a volunteer on boards or committees of national/regional/local CME organizations
    • Any current clinical license
  2. Apply for Extension of Certification
    • Apply at least one month before current certificate expires
    • Register and submit payment online: $275 EOC fee
    • CCMEPs who are granted an Extension will continue to have their names posted in the ""National Registry of Certified CME Professionals"".

Recertification

Recertification, which is available to CCMEPs who have documented a CPD Portfolio of performance improvement activities or who choose to sit for and pass the current form of the CCMEP exam. Recertification will be required every three years but once certified, CCMEPs who maintain their certification will not be required to sit for another proctored exam.

CCMEPs who allow their certification to lapse will be required to complete the currently available validated, secure, three-hour certification examination in order to be reinstated and will need to re-establish eligibility.

Active CCMEPs will receive reminders 1 to 3 months before the expiration date noted on their certificates. Candidates for EOC or Recertification will submit evidence that they have continued to participate in CPD activities since their previous certification.

RECERTIFICATION OPTIONS

Candidates for Recertification are offered two Options [OPTION 1 is described in detail below].

OPTION 1: "CPD Portfolio"
Submit "CPD Portfolio"; document 10 CPD points on Recertification Eligibility Worksheet; $345 + $50 processing fee. Project must be completed 1-3 months before the most recent certificate expires.

OPTION 2: CCMEP Exam
Sit for and pass current Form of the Exam; $400 exam fee + $50 processing fee. Candidate must pass the CCMEP Exam before the most recent certificate expires.

TANGIBLE BENEFITS OF RECERTIFICATION
- Demonstrates intense commitment to self-assessment, performance improvement and pursuit of one's own continuous professional development (CPD) while maintaining the status of Certified CME Professional (CCMEP);

- Permits the continued use of the CCMEP credential for 3 additional years without being required to sit for the current Form of the 3-hour monitored CCMEP Exam;

- Allows CCMEPs to continue to have their names posted in the "National Registry of Certified CME Professionals" and continue to use the "CCMEP" credential on business cards and email stationery.

- Provides material for evaluation of individual employees who excel in maintaining currency in CME matters;

- Offers opportunities for employers to publicize extraordinary organizational excellence and commitment to the healthcare community.

TIMELINE
All Candidates for Recertification will receive a reminder via email 3 months before their certificates expire. Candidates who choose OPTION 1 must submit their "CPD Portfolio" at least 1 - 3 months before their certificates expire, to allow for peer review and receipt of new certificates before expiration of current certificates.

ELIGIBILITY
Candidates for Recertification must be listed in the current
National Registry of CCMEPs and must adhere to the policies and procedures posted online, including the NC-CME Code of Conduct and the Candidates Handbook.

The "Recertification Portfolio" documenting 10 points of CPD activities since the most recent certification or extension of certification is required for OPTION 1. For Option 2, you simply pay the registration fee, register for and sit for the exam. No Eligibility Worksheet is required.

Lapsed Certification

  • Certificant's name will be removed from the ""National Registry of Certified CME Professionals"".
  • Lapsed certificant will not be permitted to use or display the CCMEP credential.
  • Reinstatement requires passing the currently available and validated CCMEP exam and documenting 15 points of education and experience within the CME field on the Eligibility Worksheet.
  • $400 exam fee + $50 non-refundable processing fee
  • Certificant will have been sent at least 2 reminder emails prior to losing certification
  • Certificants are responsible for updating their contact information.

Summary

Initial Certification

  • Full 3 year Certification; framed certificate plus lapel pin
  • "Eligibility Worksheet" documenting 15 points of education/experience
  • Certification exam at local secure testing center
  • $400 exam fee + $50 processing fee
  • Certification posted in "National Registry of Certified CME Professionals""

Extension of Certification (EOC)

  • 2 year Extension of current certification; updated certificate
  • "EOC Worksheet" documenting 12 points of education/experience earned since the most recent Certification
  • No exam required at this time
  • $275 Extension of Certification (EOC) fee
  • Extensions posted in "National Registry of Certified CME Professionals"

Recertification

  • Full 3 year Recertification
  • Updated certificate and National Registry listing
  • Reminder emailed 3 months before EOC certificate expires
  • Two Options:
    • Option 1: CPD Portfolio; $345 + $50 processing fee; due 1 months before most recent certificate expires
    • Option 2: Sit for and pass the current Form of the CCMEP exam; 10 CPD points on Eligibility Worksheet; $400 exam fee + $50 processing fee; due 1 month before most recent certificate expires
 
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