ABMS Member Board Lifelong Learning Requirements

Requirements for lifelong learning can include practice-relevant CME such as literature reviews, conference participation, online assessment, and/or particular board- or society-developed self-assessment modules.

Some Member Boards will waive self-assessment requirements for participation in an innovative knowledge assessment. Contact the Member Board for specific requirements.

American Board of Allergy and Immunology

  • Attest to 25 allergy/immunology CME credits per year.
  • Complete one patient safety module once every ten years.

American Board of Anesthesiology

  • All credits must be AMA PRA Category 1 CME Credits™.
  • No more than 60 CME credits per calendar year (completed in or after 2013) will be credited toward the requirement.
  • Complete a minimum of 20 AMA PRA Category 1 CME Credits™ from ABA-approved Patient Safety CME Activities.

American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery

  • For diplomates enrolled in CertLink (5-year cycle), they are required to complete:
    • 40 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits (non self-assessment).
    • 40 self-assessment credits, which can be fulfilled by successfully completing the quarterly CertLink Assessment with a passing score of 70%.

American Board of Dermatology

  • Starting 1/1/2026, Participating successfully in the longitudinal assessment program (CertLink) will fulfill the diplomates CME and SA requirements, therefore they will not have to attest to earning those credits.

American Board of Emergency Medicine

  • ABEM is transitioning to a five-year certification cycle. Emergency physicians that are in their 10-year certification cycle will need to complete 4 LLSA assessments in their first 5 years of certification.
  • Emergency physicians who have transitioned to the 5-year certification cycle do not have an LLSA requirement, because the LLSA is now integrated into MyEMCert.

American Board of Family Medicine

  • Complete 200 CME credits of specialty-relevant CME during each 5-Year Cycle.
    • A minimum 100 of the 200 CME Credits must be AMA PRA Category 1 CME Credits™
  • Complete a minimum of one Self-Assessment Activity during each 5-Year Cycle to contribute to a total of 50 certification points combined with points earned from Performance Improvement activities. This requirement can be met from the successful complete a Knowledge Assessment (KSA) activity, one quarter of Continuous Knowledge Self-Assessment (CKSA), or from participation in the ABFM National Journal Club (NJC).
    • Successful completion of a KSA earns 10 ABFM points and 8 CME, the CKSA is worth 2.5 ABFM points and 2.5 CME per quarter, and each completed NJC article receives 1 ABFM point and 1 CME credit.
    • All CME credits earned from ABFM Self-Assessment Activities are AMA PRA Category 1 CME Credits™ and can be accessed through the MyABFM Physician Portfolio.

American Board of Internal Medicine

American Board of Medical Genetics and Genomics

  • Complete one patient safety activity each 3-year cycle.
  • Complete 60 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (or equivalent) CME credits throughout each 3-year cycle. At least 50% of the CME credits must be related to Medical Genetics and Genomics.

American Board of Neurological Surgery

  • Type 1 20 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ in neurosurgery related activities
  • The following activities will be recorded automatically:
    • Credits earned through the completion of the annual adaptive learning tool and/or modules.
    • Participation in the ABNS oral exam as an examiner.
  • Diplomates must self-report CME credits earned from any other activities.

American Board of Nuclear Medicine

  • Attest to a minimum 2-year average of 25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ per year of continuing professional development (CPD) activities that maintain, update, develop and enhance knowledge, skills, and attitudes in response to the needs of patients.
    • AMA PRA Category 1 Credits do not need to be nuclear medicine specific.
    • Diplomates must maintain documentation of meeting the requirements which they may be required to submit prior to the start of a new recertification period.
  • For questions, please email abnm@abnm.org

American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology

  • Delivered through article-reading assignments from peer-reviewed literature on clinically relevant patient-management information, best-practice guidelines, and research.
  • Diplomates have around 85 articles to choose from each year to full the requirement. Articles are released in two batches, January and May.
  • Over the year, diplomates must select 10 articles and answer 6 corresponding questions per articles (total 60 questions per year).
    • Score 80% or higher average to successfully complete continuing certification
    • Deadline to complete article-based assessments – November 15.

American Board of Ophthalmology

  • Attest to Completion of CME Requirements.
    • CME Requirement: Attest to participating in an average of 50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ every two years, including 16 credits of self-assessment. One patient safety activity must be completed during the 10-year cycle.
    • Attestation: Diplomates use their status page to attest in years 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 of the 10-year cycle.
  • Fast Track Continuing Certification/Re-entry Program
    • Earn at least 250 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (within the last 10 years), and attest to completion.
    • Attest via the ABO website to the completion of all CME one time during the 3-year Fast-Track Process.

American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery

  • Complete 240 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ relevant to Orthopaedic Surgery every 10 years.
  • 40 of the 240 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits must be self-assessment examinations (SAE) or Self-Assessment Activities (SA). SAE are activities produced by organizations other than the ABOS, then approved for MOC credit by ABOS. SAE credit may be earned through:
    • Scored and recorded examinations
    • Portfolio Program
    • PIMs
    • Registries
    • Physician Scorecards
  • The American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery is now participating in the CME for MOC Collaboration with the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education. All activities can be found on the ACCME CME Passport.
  • Disclaimer: ABOS Diplomates whose ABOS Board Certification expires in 2031 or later are required to earn 120 CME credits, of which 20 are SAEs, during years 1-5 of their 10-year ABOS MOC Cycle. They must earn an additional 120/20 in years 6-10. Any CME/SAE earned over the 120/20 cannot apply to the next 5-year CME/SAE period.

American Board of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery

  • Complete a minimum of 25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ annually.
  • Complete one ABOto self-assessment module in a practice relevant area annually and achieve a passing score of 80% or higher.

American Board of Pathology

  • To meet ABPath’s Lifelong Learning requirements, diplomates must report one of following every two years:
    • Complete any combination of 70 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ and/or AOA Category 1A credits per two-year reporting period.
    • Complete an ACGME-accredited or institutional accredited fellowship.
    • Complete ABPath’s Physician-Scientist Research Pathway

American Board of Pediatrics

  • Diplomates must earn 50 ABP MOC Part 2 (Self-Assessment) points during their 5-year cycle, ABP MOC Part 2 credit may be earned through the following:
    • ABP-developed MOC Part 2 activities found within the physician’s ABP Pediatrics Portfolio
    • Claim ABP MOC Part 2 credit directly with the ABP for work in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) and Life Support Certifications (BLS, ACLS, PALS, NRP)
    • Externally developed MOC Part 2 activities registered for ABP MOC credit by the CME accreditor

American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

  • Complete an average of 30 AMA PRA Category Credits™ per year of certification. At least 50% of the credits should be related to the practice of physical medicine and rehabilitation or to your subspecialty area, if applicable.
  • Complete and post an average of 10 CME credits related to a self-assessment activity per year of certification.

American Board of Plastic Surgery

  • Complete 125 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ submitted in years 6 and 9 of the 10-year cycle:
    • 125 Category 1 CME Credits required – may be Plastic Surgery or general
    • 125 Plastic Surgery CME Credits – may be Category I or II
    • 25 Patient Safety CME Credits – may be Category 1 or II

American Board of Preventive Medicine

  • Attest to earning 20 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™, or their equivalent, using the ABPM’s Physician Portal.
    • Six of the credits must be relevant to Diplomates’ ABPM Certification(s). Diplomates will choose for themselves which CME courses are relevant to the ABPM Specialties or Subspecialties in which they are certified.

American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology

  • Complete 90 specialty or subspecialty Category 1 CME Credits every 3-year Continuing Certification (CC) Program cycle.
  • Diplomates are required to participate in ABPN-approved self-assessment activities. Completion of 16 Category 1 CME Credits every three-year CC Program cycle must include self-assessment activities. Successful completion of the Article-Based Assessment pathway (ABCC) every three-year CC Program cycle meets the 16 self-assessment CME credits requirement.
  • An institutional or ABPN-approved patient safety activity must be performed only once in a diplomate’s career, either three years before or within the first three years of CC Program participation.

American Board of Radiology

  • Complete 75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ every three years.

American Board of Surgery

  • Diplomates should report CME activities on a regular basis, but no less than every five years.
  • Diplomates must complete 150 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ over a five-year cycle. This requirement will change to 125 CME credits with no self-assessment required once diplomates pass their first Continuing Certification Assessment.

American Board of Thoracic Surgery

  • Diplomates must earn an average of 30 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ per year over 5 years (150 CMEs total for 5 years).
  • Half (75 CMEs) should be in the broad category of cardiothoracic surgery; and the other half can be any AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.

American Board of Urology

  • Complete 90 CME credits relevant to Urology
    • 30 of the 90 CME credits are required to be AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™
  • Additional components of the ABU Lifelong Learning (LLL) program include:
    • Online application of medical licensure verification
    • Professionalism and Ethics Module (PEM)
    • Peer Review
    • Patient Safety Videos (PSV)
    • Patient Safety Module (PSM)
    • Quality Improvement Attestation
    • Complication/Mortality Narratives
    • Practice Log