How many CME credits do I need? Part 2: requirements by specialty board (2026)
How many CME credits does your specialty board require? Explore credit totals, cycles and Category 2 rules for ABMS and AOA boards.
Updated October 2026 using the sources below. This is a planning summary, not an individualized compliance review. Confirm your cycle, exemptions and required topics with your board before renewal.
Here's a plot twist nobody puts in the residency handbook: your medical license and your board certificate run on separate clocks. Your state wants hours every renewal. Your specialty board wants credits, points, or answered questions on its own cycle, which can run anywhere from one year to ten.
The short answer: most ABMS boards ask for roughly 20 to 40 CME credits a year, averaged over a cycle of two to ten years, plus a board-specific assessment (often a quarterly online question set now, not a big exam). A few boards (emergency medicine, ob-gyn and, since 2026, dermatology) no longer ask you to log CME at all. Most boards accept only AMA PRA Category 1 credit or their own approved activities. Category 2 counts with only a handful.
This is Part 2 of our guide. For license renewal hours, see Part 1: Requirements by State.
Choosing what to study after checking your board requirements? Start with our 2026 topic guides for family medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics.
State board vs. specialty board: what's the difference?
- Your state medical board controls your license, meaning whether you can practice at all. It sets hours per renewal and often mandates topics like opioids or ethics. (That's Part 1.)
- Your specialty board (one of the 24 ABMS member boards, or an AOA certifying board for DOs) controls your certification, meaning whether you can say "board certified." Hospitals, payers and patients look for that credential. ABMS standards require boards to review each diplomate's status at least every five years. Each board picks its own mix of CME, self-assessment, knowledge assessment and practice improvement.
The good news is that one accredited activity can often count for both. The less-good news is that the numbers, cycles and fine print almost never line up neatly.
How to read the tables: "Category 1" means AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ (or a board-recognized equivalent). "Self-assessment" means a CME activity with built-in questions and feedback. "Self-directed / Category 2" means learning you plan and claim yourself, such as reading the literature.
Primary care and medicine boards
Takeaway: Internal medicine and pediatrics count points from board-approved activities, not raw CME hours. Family medicine is the most flexible on self-directed learning: up to half your credits can come from non-accredited activities, including journal reading.
| Board | CME required and cycle | Board-specific credit rules | Do self-directed / Category 2 credits count? | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABIM (internal medicine) | 100 MOC points every 5 years. The 2-year minimum ended October 28, 2024. | Points come from ABIM-approved activities, including the Longitudinal Knowledge Assessment (LKA), the 10-year exam and MOC-approved CME. | No. Only MOC-approved activities earn points. | ABIM press release; Medical Economics |
| ABFM (family medicine) | 200 credits per 5-year cycle (diplomates still on 3-year stages: an average of 50 a year). | At least 50% from Division I (accredited, e.g., Category 1). Plus 60 certification points from self-assessment and performance improvement, and the FMCLA (25 quarterly questions) or a one-day exam. | Partly. Division II covers up to 50% and includes "medical journal reading," journal clubs and podcasts. Blogs and social media don't count. | ABFM 5-Year Cycle; ABFM CME |
| ABP (pediatrics) | 100 MOC points per 5-year cycle. | 50 Part 2 (self-assessment) points and 50 Part 4 (quality improvement) points. Pass MOCA-Peds or the proctored exam each cycle. | No. Only ABP-approved or registered activities earn points. | ABMS summary |
| ABEM (emergency medicine) | No CME count. 4 MyEMCert modules and 1 Improvement in Medical Practice activity every 5 years. | 10-year certificate holders: 4 LLSA tests in the first five years. Some activities count for more than one requirement. | Not applicable (no CME log). Your state still sets hours. | ABEM Stay Certified |
| ABAI (allergy and immunology) | Attest to 25 allergy/immunology CME credits a year. | Continuous Assessment Program (CAP) question blocks replace the 10-year exam. One patient safety module every 10 years. | No. Requirement is Category 1. | ABMS summary; ABAI |
| ABPM (preventive medicine) | Attest to 20 Category 1 credits (or equivalent) every year. | 6 of the 20 must relate to your ABPM certification(s), your choice which. Longitudinal Assessment Program: 30 questions a year (2025–2029 phase). | No. Category 1 or equivalent. | ABPM requirements; ABPM CCP PDF |
| ABMGG (medical genetics and genomics) | 60 credits per 3-year cycle. | At least half in genetics. One patient safety activity per cycle. CertLink can earn up to 10 credits a year. Up to 10 extra credits carry over. | No. ABMGG says it "cannot accept Category 2 activities." | ABMGG Lifelong Learning |
Surgical boards (plus ob-gyn and ophthalmology)
Takeaway: Surgeons mostly live on Category 1, often with a self-assessment or patient-safety slice. Urology allows 60 of 90 credits from Category 1 or 2, reading included. Plastic surgery also permits Category II for certain overlapping minimums, while retaining a separate Category 1 floor.
| Board | CME required and cycle | Board-specific credit rules | Do self-directed / Category 2 credits count? | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABS (surgery) | 125 credits every 5 years (rolling) for continuous certification. 150 for time-limited certificates. | Time-limited: at least 50 of the 150 with self-assessment. Max 12 credits accepted per day. Credits must be accredited Category 1. | No. | ABS CME |
| ABOS (orthopaedic surgery) | 240 credits per 10-year cycle. | At least 40 must be self-assessment exam (SAE) credits. Certificates expiring 2031 or later: 120 (20 SAE) in years 1–5 and 120 (20 SAE) in years 6–10, with no carryover between halves. Must be orthopaedic-relevant. | No. Category 1 only. | ABOS CME/SAE |
| ABU (urology) | 90 credits submitted in year 3 of the 5-year CUC cycle. Use cycle-specific earning dates: the 2026 instructions accept June 30, 2023–December 31, 2026. | At least 30 must be urology-focused Category 1; the other 60 may be Category 1 or 2. CUC has separate assessment, peer-review and quality requirements. | Yes, partly. ABU's CME instructions allow 60 credits as Category 1 or 2, including "use of enduring materials (reading, etc)." Log the date, activity type, description and hours. | ABU 2026 CUC Handbook; ABU CME instructions |
| ABNS (neurological surgery) | 20 credits every year. | Must be in neurosurgery-related activities. ABNS adaptive learning tool and module credits post automatically. Report other CME yourself. | No (per ABMS). | ABMS: neurological surgery requirements |
| ABPS (plastic surgery) | Over the previous 5 years, report 125 Category 1 credits, 125 plastic-surgery credits and 25 patient-safety credits in years 6 and 9 of the cycle. | These are overlapping minimums, not amounts to add together. Plastic-surgery and patient-safety credits may be Category 1 or II. | Partly: Category II may satisfy the specialty and patient-safety minimums, but not the 125 Category 1 minimum. | ABMS: plastic surgery requirements |
| ABTS (thoracic surgery) | 150 credits per 5 years (average 30 a year). | Half (75) in cardiothoracic surgery. Plus an online self-assessment exam every 5 years. | No. All Category 1. | ABTS Requirements |
| ABCRS (colon and rectal surgery) | CertLink 5-year cycle: 40 Category 1 credits plus 40 self-assessment credits. | Self-assessment credits can be met by passing the quarterly CertLink assessment (70%). | No. Category 1. | ABMS summary |
| ABOHNS (otolaryngology–head and neck surgery) | 25 Category 1 credits every year. | The board's 2025 CertLink update presents 40 new questions annually toward 160 new questions per certification cycle. Required participation and permitted skips depend on your renewal date; check your portal. | No. Category 1. | ABOHNS CertLink update; ABMS summary |
| ABOG (obstetrics and gynecology) | No CME count. Each year, read 10 articles and answer 60 questions (6 per article) by November 15. | Average score of 80% or higher. An optional add-on lets you earn Category 1 credit for the reading. | Not applicable. The reading itself is the requirement. | ABMS summary; ABOG |
| ABO (ophthalmology) | An average of 50 Category 1 credits every 2 years, attested in years 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10. | Includes 16 self-assessment credits per 2 years. One patient safety activity per 10-year cycle. Quarterly Questions can earn CME and self-assessment credit. | No. Category 1. | ABO CME and Self-Assessment; ABMS summary |
Hospital-based, diagnostic and other boards
Takeaway: These boards are almost uniformly Category 1, often with a self-assessment quota. Dermatology made the biggest 2026 change: CertLink participation now covers its CME, so there's nothing to log.
| Board | CME required and cycle | Board-specific credit rules | Do self-directed / Category 2 credits count? | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABR (radiology) | 75 credits over a rolling 3-year period. | Category 1. Separate Online Longitudinal Assessment and practice improvement requirements. | No (physicians). Medical physicists have separate options. | ABR Lifelong Learning |
| ABA (anesthesiology) | 5-year cycle: 125 credits, including 10 patient-safety credits. Diplomates in a legacy cycle should follow their portal's requirements. | Accepts AMA Category 1, AOA Category 1-A and Royal College CPD. Maximum 60 credits per year; patient-safety activities must be ABA-approved. | No. | ABA CME Requirements |
| ABPath (pathology) | 70 credits every 2-year reporting period. | 80% related to your scope of practice; the rest can be general (ethics, informatics). AMA Category 1 or AOA 1-A. Fellowship and physician-scientist pathways are alternatives. | No. | ABPath Lifelong Learning |
| ABNM (nuclear medicine) | Attest to an average of 25 Category 1 credits a year over 2 years (100 over 4 years for audit). | Need not be nuclear-medicine specific. CertLink participation, or the CC exam every 5 years. | No. Category 1. | ABNM CC Policy |
| ABPMR (physical medicine and rehabilitation) | An average of 30 Category 1 credits per year of certification. | At least 50% PM&R or subspecialty related. Plus an average of 10 self-assessment credits a year. Longitudinal assessment (LA-PM&R) runs quarterly. | No. Category 1. | ABPMR Lifelong Learning |
| ABPN (psychiatry and neurology) | 90 credits per 3-year block (30 a year). | 16 must be ABPN-approved self-assessment. Accepts ACCME Category 1, AOA 1-A or Royal College Category 1. No carryover. | No. | ABPN CME |
| ABD (dermatology) | Since January 2026, no CME reporting required. | Participate in CertLink three quarters each year. Pass at 73% after four years. Self-assessment and license attestation are no longer separate steps. | Not applicable (no CME log). | ABD 2026 changes |
Osteopathic (AOA) certifying boards
Takeaway: AOA runs a single 3-year CME cycle (January 1, 2025–December 31, 2027). What you owe depends on your certificate type, and AOA's own category system (1-A, 1-B, 2-A, 2-B) leaves more room for non-Category 1 learning than most ABMS boards.
| Board / group | CME required and cycle | Board-specific credit rules | Do self-directed / Category 2 credits count? | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-time-limited certificate, not in OCC | 120 credits in the 2025–2027 cycle, "regardless of specialty." | Specialty minimums still apply (e.g., internal medicine: 50 in the primary specialty). | Often, within limits. If no cap is listed, AOA says there is no limit on that category. | AOA CME Policies |
| AOBIM (internal medicine), time-limited or in OCC | 60 credits over 3 years. | 15 must be Category 1 and/or 1-A. | The other 45 aren't restricted to Category 1 on this page. Check your board's caps. | AOBIM Component 2 |
| AOBA (anesthesiology), time-limited or in OCC | 75 credits over 3 years. | 18 must be Category 1-A or 1-B (30 of 120 if not in OCC). | Remainder within board caps. | AOBA Component 2 |
| AOBD (dermatology), time-limited or in OCC | 60 credits over 3 years. | 20 must be Category 1-A specialty-specific. | Remainder within board caps. | AOBD Component 2 |
| Other AOA boards | Set by each certifying board for 2025–2027. | Check your board's Component 2 page and AOA's "CME Requirements by Specialty Board" document. | Varies. | AOA CME FAQs |
DOs with ABMS certificates (many do) follow the ABMS board's rules above. AOA credits still matter for AOA membership and some state licenses.
Other requirements that aren't your board (but feel like it)
A few requirements get mixed up with board certification. None of them is your specialty board, and none replaces it.
- Hospital credentialing and privileges. Your hospital's medical staff bylaws decide what you need at reappointment. That often includes current board certification and proof of CME. Ask medical staff services for your bylaws' CME language. It's sometimes stricter than your board's.
- The DEA MATE Act training. A one-time attestation to 8 hours of training on substance use disorders, at your first DEA registration or renewal on or after June 27, 2023. It isn't annual, it isn't a board requirement, and qualifying past training counts.
- The AMA PRA certificate. The AMA's Physician's Recognition Award is a certificate you can apply for, not a requirement. The one-year version takes 50 credits, at least 20 of them Category 1. Some states and hospitals accept it as proof of CME. It doesn't replace your board's own requirements.
Where self-directed learning fits
If you read only the "Category 2" column, you might think self-directed learning has no place in board certification. It does. It just isn't always in the credit column.
- Where it can be claimed. A few boards do accept non-accredited or Category 2 learning: ABU (60 of 90 credits can be Category 2, including reading), ABFM (Division II, up to half, including journal reading), and AOA boards within their caps. State boards vary too (see Part 1). Under AMA rules, Category 2 is something you claim and document: one credit per hour, with the date, topic and time. More in Category 2 CME examples.
- Where it prepares you. Many boards have swapped the high-stakes exam for longitudinal assessments: ABIM's LKA, ABFM's FMCLA, ABP's MOCA-Peds, CertLink at several boards, and ABOG's and ABU's article-based reading. These reward the steady, focused reading that self-directed study is built for. The reading itself may not earn credit, but it's how you stay current between question sets.
- Where it doesn't count. If your board requires Category 1, self-assessment CME or board-approved points (most of them), self-directed study won't fill that column. Plan your accredited activities first, then build reading around them.
Why Category 2 is still worth logging, even when it won't count
Certified by a board that wants only Category 1 or its own activities? Category 2 can still earn its keep. Six reasons:
- The AMA's own award counts it. The AMA Physician's Recognition Award lets Category 2 fill up to 30 of the 50 credits for a one-year award, 60 of 100 for two years and 90 of 150 for three.
- Licenses travel and rules change. Add a license through a move or the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, and you may land in a state that accepts self-directed hours, such as Pennsylvania, Texas, Illinois or New Jersey. Rules shift too: Virginia rewrote its requirement in 2025. A log you already kept is ready when that happens.
- Your employer may still pay for it. CME allowances are set by your employer, not your board, and many policies ask for a program and proof of participation rather than a credit type. Check yours.
- It supports expense records. A dated learning log can help your tax adviser evaluate education expenses. It does not establish deductibility, and travel and lodging have separate requirements.
- It's how you prepare for your board's assessment. Longitudinal assessments such as ABIM's LKA, ABFM's longitudinal assessment and MOCA-Peds test what you know, and much of that comes from your own reading.
- It's the learning that changes your practice. The new guideline, the paper a colleague sent, the question from Tuesday's clinic: most of what keeps you current never comes with a certificate.
Shift CME helps organize participation records. Your journal modules, your check-in and any course evaluation you submit are saved together in Records, available for you to review alongside the documentation required by a board, employer or tax adviser. Physicians must evaluate each activity against AMA criteria and the accepting board's rules; a participation record does not itself create credit.
How Shift CME fits into all this
Shift CME helps you schedule self-directed learning and keep a record of your participation.
With Shift CME, you plan a self-directed conference at a destination you choose from our list. Every day of your dates, weekends included, is a study day from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM local time, with journal modules chosen for your specialty. Board-prep season in a town you've always wanted to see is very much allowed.
- A dated plan. When you confirm, you get a confirmation PDF dated that day, listing your program, venue and study days.
- Your conference documents. Your program, conference dates and recorded study time stay together in Records.
- Your own reflection. You can add a course evaluation on what you learned and how you'll apply it.
- Your documents, ready when needed. Find your confirmation and conference records whenever you need to share them.
The fine print: It depends on the session. A presentation or journal module offers AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ only where its accredited provider offers a CME activity and supplies instructions for claiming it; then you claim it as that provider directs. That credit comes from the provider, not from Shift CME, and not every session offers it. Physicians may also self-claim AMA PRA Category 2 Credit™ for learning they judge meets the AMA's requirements, and your Shift CME records can support that claim. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants follow their own certifying bodies' rules: NCCPA lets PAs self-claim Category 2 CME, while AANPCB and ANCC require accredited contact hours, which Shift CME does not award. MOC and continuing-certification points come only through activities your board approves. Where your board or state accepts self-claimed credit, your Shift CME records can support your own self-claim and keep the documentation in one place for audits. Whether any of it counts is up to you and your board. Where your board needs Category 1 or its own activities, think of Shift CME as a structured, documented way to follow scheduled presentations and journal modules that keep you current and ready for whatever quarterly questions your board sends.
Want to see it first? Explore a sample conference. And if your employer gives you an education budget, here's how to use your CME allowance.
FAQ: specialty board CME requirements
Do my state CME hours count toward my board?
Often, if they're the right type. A Category 1 activity you take for your license can also count toward a board that requires Category 1. Boards that count points (ABIM, ABP) only count activities approved for their MOC, and a few boards (ABEM, ABOG, ABD) don't log CME at all.
Which specialty boards accept Category 2 credit?
Among ABMS boards, urology is the clearest yes (up to 60 of 90 credits). Plastic surgery permits Category II for its specialty and patient-safety minimums, but retains a separate 125-credit Category 1 floor. Family medicine accepts non-accredited activities, including journal reading, for up to half its credits under Division II. AOA boards allow non-Category 1 credits within each board's caps. Most other ABMS boards require Category 1 or board-approved activities.
Did ABIM drop its MOC point requirement?
Only the 2-year minimum, on October 28, 2024. You still need 100 MOC points every five years.
Can extra credits roll over to my next board cycle?
Rarely. ABMGG carries over up to 10 credits. ABPN and ABOS (between the two halves of the cycle) carry over nothing. Check your board before banking extra hours.
Is the DEA 8-hour training a board requirement?
No. It's a one-time federal attestation tied to DEA registration, separate from both your board and your state.
How do I find my exact board number?
Log in to your board portal. It knows your cycle dates, what's logged and what's left. Then use our year-end CME checklist to line it up against your state license.
Sources
- ABMS, Member Board Lifelong Learning and Self-Assessment Requirements: abms.org
- ABMS, Standards for Continuing Certification: abms.org
- ABIM, 2-year MOC point requirement eliminated: abim.org; Medical Economics: medicaleconomics.com
- ABFM, 5-Year Cycle: theabfm.org; CME: theabfm.org
- ABEM, Stay Certified: abem.org
- ABAI, Maintain Certification: abai.org
- ABPM, Continuing Certification Program Requirements: theabpm.org; CCP Requirements (PDF): theabpm.org
- ABMGG, Lifelong Learning and Self-Assessment: abmgg.org
- ABS, CME: absurgery.org
- ABOS, CME and SAE: abos.org
- ABU, 2026 CUC Handbook: abu.org; CUC CME Requirements: abu.org
- ABMS, Plastic Surgery requirements: continuingcertification.org
- ABTS, Continuing Certification Requirements: abts.org
- ABOHNS, CertLink Program Updates: abohns.org
- ABOG, Continuing Certification Requirements: abog.org
- ABO, CME and Self-Assessment: abop.org
- ABR, Lifelong Learning: theabr.org
- ABA, MOCA CME Requirements: theaba.org
- ABPath, Lifelong Learning: abpath.org
- ABNM, Policy for Continuing Certification: abnm.org
- ABPMR, Lifelong Learning: abpmr.org
- ABPN, CME: abpn.org
- ABD, The Bottom Line: Continuing Certification Changes in 2026: abderm.org
- AOA, CME Policies: osteopathic.org; CME FAQs: osteopathic.org
- AOA certifying boards, Component 2: internal medicine, anesthesiology, dermatology
- DEA Diversion Control Division, MATE Act Q&A: deadiversion.usdoj.gov
- AMA, What to know about the other kind of CME credit: ama-assn.org; AMA PRA application: ama-assn.org
- Shift CME: How it works, Sample conference, Create your account
Give your learning a place on the calendar
Plan a self-directed conference around your specialty and a place you'd like to be. Shift CME keeps the plan, the study-day times and your notes in one place.
Membership is $999 a year (introductory price), plus applicable tax, or $349 for a single conference.
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. AMA PRA Category 2 Credit™ is self-claimed on your own judgment. MOC/continuing-certification points come through your board's approved activities. Shift CME does not guarantee that any board, state or employer will accept a record. This article is general information. Confirm your requirements with your board.