How to Spend CME Money: 12 Ideas for Using CME Funds

Many practitioners—including physicians, PAs, NPs and other nurses—receive funds from their employers to pay for continuing education every year. This allowance, often referred to as CME money, is distributed in one of a few ways, including through a reimbursement process or as part of a regular paycheck. When used effectively and efficiently, your CME money benefits you, your patients and your employer.

Tips for Using CME Money

1. Follow Guidelines

The primary goal of CME is staying up to date in your field. Organizations have specific continuing medical education requirements because it’s so important to continue meeting your patients’ needs throughout the entirety of your career. The state you practice in, your specialty (if applicable) and your employer’s requirements will guide how you spend CME money. Pay particular attention to when your funds expire and the deadline for completing credits.

2. Diversify Learning

Completing the same types of CME credits year after year can be boring, especially if you typically use question banks or subscription services to meet requirements. Find new ways to spend your allowance to keep learning interesting and relevant. This could mean seeking out different types of CME, like live conferences, or looking for specific topics of interest to you.

3. Ask Coworkers

If you’re not sure how to diversify your CME or tailor your credits to your practice, ask your coworkers how they use their CME money. There are many ways to meet requirements; your peers can likely recommend a new-to-you CME provider or material for you to try.

4. Maintain Records

Once you’ve earned required credits, you may be tempted to check CME of your list and let it fall to the back of your mind. Some medical boards, societies and employers make this even more tempting, as they don’t always require proof you completed the credits you claim to. However, in the event you’re asked to show evidence of your CME credits, you’ll need to be able to do so.

We recommend using a tracker like CME Seminars’ CertStore. CertStore, a convenient way to organize CME documentation and track progress, is free to anyone with a CME Seminars profile.

What to Spend CME Money On

CME comes in many formats. Choose credits that fit your schedule, relate to your practice and benefit your patients.

CME Conferences

In-person CME conferences, often held in vacation destinations, are a fun and fulfilling way to spend your allowance and earn CME credit. These live events are perfect for active learning, networking with peers and relaxing. Conferences often include a range of topics, with comprehensive overviews of important issues. This format also packs a lot of credits into a short amount of time, so it can help you meet requirements quickly.

Make the most of your CME money with conferences offering relevant learning experiences at an enjoyable venue!

Live Webinars

Complete CME requirements from the comfort of your home or office with a live-streamed webinar. If you’re unable to attend an in-person seminar but still want the live conference experience, this is a great option! You can still earn CME credit quickly, without traveling. CME Seminars makes all of its conferences available via webinar.

Online Courses

Online CME is generally on-demand, making it convenient to earn credits in the practice areas you’re most interested in. Quality online credits take advantage of technology to offer many of the same benefits as in-person learning as well as instant feedback on your progress.

Point of Care CME

Point of care CME facilitates learning in real-time within the context of care delivery, providing structure for a CME activity that’s otherwise self-directed. The objective is research and reflection on the care you’re actively delivering; in addition to earning credit, clinicians can use these platforms for real-world insight.

Subscriptions

Using CME money on a long-term subscription can help you spend funds now, even if you don’t need the credits right away. Journals, podcasts, question banks and other CME formats are available in subscription format. This option will often give you access to a wide range of medical and professional development topics, great for primary care practitioners who treat different types of patients.

Performance Improvement CME

Performance improvement is an exciting opportunity to use CME activities to help solve real problems in your organization and better serve patients. Performance improvement is generally done in a group or organizational setting, where multiple physicians and advanced practitioners can earn credit as they engage with a series of activities designed to promote a single goal.

MOC Points

There has been an effort in recent years to align continuing education requirements among state medical boards, professional associations and specialty organizations. While the maintenance of certification (MOC) and state licensing processes remain distinct, overlap between MOC and CME requirements helps incentivize participation in high quality learning experiences for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. In some cases, activities can earn both MOC points and CME credit at the same time. The criteria for each professional board differ but generally, CME credits can be accepted for MOC points if the curriculum falls into the practitioner’s medical specialty.

Professional Development

Your role as a healthcare provider is not just about your scientific knowledge. How you lead a team, interact with patients, take care of your own well-being and steer the trajectory of your career are also important. Allocating some of your CME money to continuing education focused on professional development and provider wellness can help you become a more well-rounded and effective physician or advanced practice provider.

Depending on your employer’s restrictions on your CME allowance, you may also be able to use it to pay membership dues to relevant societies and associations.