Category 2 CME examples: what counts as AMA PRA Category 2 Credit™ and how to claim it

Category 2 CME examples, explained: what AMA PRA Category 2 Credit™ covers, how to claim and log it, and where state boards accept it.

By Shift CME · August 11, 2026 · 10 min read
Updated October 2026

This week you read four journal articles. You precepted a third-year student, argued a hard case at journal club and lost 40 minutes to a literature rabbit hole after clinic. None of it came with a certificate. Some of it probably still counts.

What is AMA PRA Category 2 Credit™?

AMA PRA Category 2 Credit™ is CME you claim yourself for learning that wasn't certified for Category 1. Common Category 2 CME examples include reading authoritative medical literature, teaching, and consulting peers. The activity must pass four AMA tests. You claim 1 credit per 60 minutes, in 0.25-credit increments, and keep your own record.

No certificate arrives, so your own record is what counts. Keep a good one and Category 2 becomes some of the easiest CME you'll ever earn.

According to the AMA PRA booklet, the activity must:

Fit the AMA definition of CME: education that maintains, develops or increases the knowledge, skills, professional performance and relationships a physician uses to serve patients, the public or the profession.
Comply with the relevant AMA ethical opinions, including those on gifts from industry and on CME.
Not be promotional.
Be, in your judgment, a worthwhile learning experience related to your practice.

That last test puts you in charge. The AMA says each physician must "individually assess the educational value" of each learning experience. It also bars organizations from certifying Category 2 credit or advertising that an activity qualifies for it. A tool can help you keep the record for your own claim.

Travel and tax considerations

Learning somewhere new can make it easier to focus. It also raises tax questions. This is general information, not tax advice, so please talk with a qualified tax professional about your own situation.

Self-employed physicians: You may be able to deduct qualifying work-related education as a business expense on Schedule C. For tax purposes, what counts is whether the education maintains or improves skills you use in your current practice. Whether it carries CME credit doesn't decide it. Courses that do award CME and courses that do not award CME may both be eligible.
Travel to learn: The IRS separates travel that is the education (sightseeing for general enrichment) from travel you take to attend qualifying work-related education. The first isn't deductible. The second may be, for self-employed physicians, when the education is the main purpose of the trip. If a trip is mainly personal, you can't deduct all of its travel, meals and lodging, and the IRS weighs your educational days against your personal ones. Conventions outside the North American area and cruises face extra limits.
Documentation makes the case. A clear agenda, a record of your actual study time, and notes on what you learned show that education was the reason for the trip. Shift CME keeps this together for you: your confirmed itinerary, your study hours and any course evaluation you submit stay in Records, ready to share with your accountant.
W-2 employees: Under current federal law, employees generally can't deduct unreimbursed work-related education. The miscellaneous itemized deduction was suspended starting in 2018, and P.L. 119-21 made that permanent. The narrow exceptions cover Armed Forces reservists, qualified performing artists, fee-basis government officials and impairment-related work expenses. For most employed physicians the better route is an employer CME allowance or reimbursement, and many employers ask for the same kind of documentation Shift CME produces.

See IRS Publication 970 and Publication 463, and check with your tax advisor.

Category 1 vs. Category 2 CME: what's the difference?

Category 1 and Category 2 at a glance
	AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™	AMA PRA Category 2 Credit™
Who designates it	An accredited CME provider, or the AMA directly for a few activities	You
Proof	Certificate or transcript	Your own log
How much	Set by the provider or the AMA	1 credit per 60 minutes, in 0.25 increments
Renewal value	Many boards require a Category 1 minimum	Accepted by some boards, usually up to a cap

Category 2 CME examples: what counts?

The AMA's examples, which it calls illustrative rather than exhaustive:

Activities that weren't certified for Category 1
Teaching physicians, residents, medical students or other health professionals
Unstructured online searching and learning
Reading authoritative medical literature
Consultation with peers and medical experts
Small group discussions
Self-assessment activities
Medical writing
Preceptorship participation
Research
Peer review and quality assurance participation

Before you log anything, check whether a Category 1 route applies. One activity gets one category, and many boards require a minimum amount of Category 1.

Check for a Category 1 route first
If you...	Check first
Read a journal article	Was it certified for journal-based Category 1? Claim that instead.
Looked up a clinical question	Certified Internet point-of-care learning is Category 1. Uncertified searching can be Category 2.
Taught residents or students	Some institutions certify teaching for Category 1 (AMA). Either way, the credit is for what you learned.
Wrote a paper or chapter	Were you first author of a peer-reviewed article in a MEDLINE-indexed journal? You may be able to claim Category 1 directly from the AMA. Otherwise, count research and drafting time, not the months spent waiting on Reviewer 2.
Reviewed a manuscript	Some journals certify manuscript review for Category 1.
Went to journal club or a case conference	If the session was certified, claim Category 1.
Took an uncertified course	It may qualify if it passes the four tests. Promotional content does not qualify.

What doesn't count as Category 2 credit?

Learning that comes incidentally with the job. The AMA excludes learning from clinical experience, charity or mission work, mentoring, surveying, committee or board service, and passing exams that aren't part of a certified activity.
Promotional activities. A product theater is not CME.
Anything you already claimed as Category 1. You cannot claim the same activity in both categories.
Learning unrelated to your practice.
Travel time. Credit follows the time you spend learning, not the flight. That's why a trip with scheduled study days and a record of your actual time turns a change of scenery into time you can claim.

How to claim Category 2 credit (step by step)

Here's how to claim Category 2 credit without making it a second job.

1. Run the four-question check

Is it CME by the AMA definition? Ethical? Free of promotion? Relevant to your practice? Four yeses, keep going.

2. Do the math

Per the AMA, 60 minutes of participation equals one credit. You claim it in 15-minute (0.25-credit) increments, rounded to the nearest quarter hour.

Time spent and credit to claim
Time spent learning	Credit to claim
50 minutes	0.75
1 hour 40 minutes	1.75
2 hours 10 minutes	2.25
3 hours	3.00

3. Log what the AMA asks for, plus anything your board adds

The AMA asks you to document four things:

Activity title or description
Subject or content area
Date(s) of participation
Number of credits claimed

Some boards want more. Pennsylvania accepts contemporaneous logs, diaries or journal notes for Category 2, but they must identify the activity and the time spent (49 Pa. Code § 16.19). Illinois wants dates and a brief description of each informal activity. Log as you go, adding your sources, start and stop times and a one-line takeaway. An illustrative entry:

Sept. 22, 2026 · Read my specialty society's updated guideline on [topic] and two accompanying commentaries · Subject: [your field], guideline update · 1 hr 40 min · 1.75 credits · Takeaway: flag two changes for our next group meeting.

Or let your plan do the logging. On a Shift CME conference, you check in from your phone and follow your schedule. Your linked journal modules, each day's recorded study time and any course evaluation you submit are saved to Records. These records keep your conference details together. For a Category 2 self-claim, document your own participation time and assess the activity against the AMA’s criteria. See what a plan looks like.

4. Keep it, then report it where it's accepted

No central database tracks your Category 2 credit (AMA physician FAQ), and retention rules vary. Pennsylvania requires documentation to be kept for two years after renewal. New Jersey requires CME evidence to be kept for six years after completion (N.J.A.C. 13:35-6.15). Illinois expects you to produce records on request (68 Ill. Admin. Code 1285.110). Texas began mandatory CE tracking through CE Broker for all TMB licensees on September 1, 2026, and wants informal hours recorded in a way that's easy to send to the board (Texas Medical Board). More in CME Documentation for Self-Directed Learning.

Where does Category 2 credit actually count?

State license renewal

This is where Category 2 matters most, and where rules vary most. A few examples, checked against each board's rules and the FSMB's board-by-board overview (updated August 2026):

Category 2 in selected state license renewals
State (MD license)	Requirement	Role for Category 2
Pennsylvania	100 credits every 2 years	At least 20 must be Category 1. The rest, including 12 in patient safety or risk management, can be Category 1 or 2.
Illinois	150 hours every 3 years	At least 60 formal CME hours. Up to 90 can be informal (self-directed activities similar to AMA Category 2).
New Jersey	100 credits every 2 years	At least 40 Category I. Up to 60 Category II (N.J.A.C. 13:35-6.15).
Texas	48 credits every 2 years	At least 24 formal. The rest can be informal self-study, hospital lectures, grand rounds or case conferences (TMB).
California	50 hours every 2 years	Approved CME only, such as Category 1 or AAFP Prescribed. Category 2 isn't on the list (MBC).
Ohio	50 hours every 2 years	Category 1 only (OAC 4731-10-02)

Most states also mandate specific topics, usually counted within these totals. Rules change, so confirm with your board. Texas, for example, adopted amendments in August 2026 that add CME topics on forensic evidence collection and on nutrition and metabolic health (TMB). Our CME Requirements by State guide goes state by state.

The AMA Physician's Recognition Award

The AMA PRA application lets Category 2 fill part of each award:

Category 2 within the AMA Physician's Recognition Award
Award	Total credits	Category 1 minimum	Most that can be Category 2
1-year	50	20	30
2-year	100	40	60
3-year	150	60	90

At least half of the credit you submit must fall within your specialty or area of practice. On the application you also attest that all of your Category 2 credits do.

Specialty boards and DOs

Specialty boards set their own continuing certification rules, so don't assume self-claimed credit counts there. DOs, note that AOA "Category 2" is a separate system. In the AOA's scheme it generally means non-osteopathic CME, and AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ activities count there as 2-A.

The easiest way to keep a Category 2 log

Reading is the learning most likely to vanish: scattered across browser tabs, squeezed into spare half-hours, never logged. Shift CME gives it structure. Choose your destination, dates and specialty. Review and confirm your program before you book travel, then take part on your study days. A simple check-in from your phone confirms you're at your destination. Your confirmation and records are kept in Records. See how Shift CME works, or explore a sample conference to see what a plan looks like.

Under AMA rules, you judge whether an activity qualifies and self-claim AMA PRA Category 2 Credit™ yourself, and no organization, Shift CME included, can make that call for you. Shift CME keeps your program, optional notes and study hours together. (Your records reflect your recorded participation and notes and can support your self-claim. AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ comes only from a session's accredited provider, where that provider offers a CME activity and supplies instructions for claiming it, not from Shift CME, and not every session offers it.)

Category 2 CME FAQ

Does reading journal articles count as Category 2 CME?

It can. Reading authoritative medical literature is one of the AMA's Category 2 examples, provided it passes the four tests and wasn't certified for journal-based Category 1 credit. Log the time you actually spent reading.

Other learning activities may also qualify, including:

Looking up a clinical question online (uncertified searching and learning)
Teaching residents, medical students, colleagues or other health professionals
Consulting with peers and medical experts on a challenging case
Small group discussions, such as an informal journal club or case review
Self-assessment activities that test and sharpen your knowledge
Medical writing, whether articles, chapters or clinical guidance
Serving as a preceptor
Research
Peer review and quality assurance work
Courses or conferences that weren't certified for Category 1, as long as they aren't promotional

The AMA calls its list "illustrative, not exhaustive," so other learning can qualify too, if it passes the four tests. Whatever you choose, the log is what makes it claimable. Shift CME keeps your program, optional notes and study hours together, so the record is ready when you are.

How many Category 2 credits can I claim?

You claim what your time supports, at 1 credit per 60 minutes. The real limit is what the organization you report to accepts: up to 30, 60 or 90 Category 2 credits for the AMA PRA, depending on the award, and board caps such as 60 in New Jersey or 90 informal hours in Illinois.

Do state boards accept Category 2 credit?

Many do, usually up to a cap. Some, including California and Ohio, don't count it at all. Check your board's current rules or the FSMB overview.

Even if your board doesn't count Category 2, the learning still has value beyond licensure. Many employers' CME allowances and professional development policies cover reasonable, well-documented learning, including travel to study, whether or not it earns credit. Shift CME's confirmed itinerary and participation record give you clear documentation to submit with a reimbursement request.

Do I get a certificate for Category 2 credit?

No. Category 2 is self-claimed and self-documented, so your log is the record.

Can Shift CME help me with Category 2?

Yes, with the part that trips most physicians up: the record. Shift CME keeps your program, optional notes and study hours together. That gives you the record you need to self-claim. Whether an activity qualifies is your call under AMA rules, which don't allow any organization to certify Category 2.

Sources

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