AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ is the most widely requested form of continuing medical education credit in the United States. State licensing boards, hospital credentialing offices, and specialty certification boards all use it to confirm that physicians are keeping up with their field. If you have ever been asked to “show your CME,” this is almost always the credit they mean.
The short answer
- Category 1 credit is awarded for activities certified by an accredited CME provider, not by you.
- Providers must be accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) or a recognized state medical society, and the activity must meet both the AMA’s and the accreditor’s rules.
- Self-study counts. Recorded lectures and online courses with a post-test, which the AMA calls enduring materials, are an approved Category 1 format.
- How many credits you need depends on your state board and specialty board, so check with them directly.
Who can award Category 1 credit
You can’t designate Category 1 credit for yourself. Only an accredited CME provider can certify an activity for it, and that provider has to be accredited by the ACCME or by a state medical society the ACCME recognizes. The provider then states how many credits the activity is worth, using the AMA’s exact wording: AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™, trademark symbol included.
That designation statement is what a licensing board or credentialing office looks for on your certificate. If an activity doesn’t name an accredited provider and a specific number of Category 1 credits, assume it won’t count as Category 1.
Category 1 vs. Category 2 credit
Category 2 credit covers learning that no provider certifies. You decide whether an activity qualifies, claim the time yourself, and keep your own records.
| Category 1 | Category 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Who designates it | An accredited CME provider | You, the physician |
| Examples | Conferences, grand rounds, certified online and recorded courses, journal CME with a test | Reading journals, consulting with colleagues, self-assessment, medical writing, peer review |
| Proof | Certificate from the provider | Your own log of activities and hours |
| How boards use it | Usually required, often for most or all of your hours | Sometimes accepted for part of your total |
Because Category 2 is self-reported, many boards cap how much of it you can count, or don’t count it at all. Category 1 is the safer currency.
Does self-study count?
Yes, as long as the course is certified for Category 1 credit. The AMA lists enduring materials as an approved format. These are courses you complete on your own schedule, such as recorded lectures, printed or online modules, and audio programs, followed by a test to show what you learned.
Audio-Digest is a good example. Its lectures are recorded at medical meetings and postgraduate courses, and the Lippincott Continuing Medical Education Institute, which is accredited by the ACCME, individually designates each lecture for credit. That’s what makes a 10- or 20-credit self-study course built from those lectures count the same way a live conference would. Each program’s materials list the exact credit designation.
One rule applies to every format: claim only the credit that matches how much of the activity you actually completed.
How many Category 1 credits do you need?
There’s no single national number. Each state medical board sets its own total, renewal cycle, and topic requirements, and some require specific subjects such as pain management, opioid prescribing, or medical ethics. Specialty boards and hospitals can add their own requirements on top of your state’s.
The most reliable way to check:
- Go to your state medical board’s website and find the license renewal or CME page.
- Note the total hours, how many must be Category 1, the length of your renewal cycle, and any required topics.
- Check your specialty board’s continuing certification requirements, which are separate from licensure.
- Ask your hospital’s medical staff office whether credentialing has its own rule.
The Federation of State Medical Boards also keeps a state-by-state summary that is a useful starting point, but your board’s own site is the final word.
What about PAs, nurse practitioners, and CRNAs?
Category 1 credit is a physician credit, but other clinicians can often use the same activities.
- Physician assistants can use them directly. The American Academy of Physician Assistants accepts certificates of participation for activities designated for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ by providers accredited by the ACCME or a state medical society.
- Nurse practitioners and nurses earn contact hours instead. Nursing boards count contact hours from providers accredited for nursing continuing professional development. Audio-Digest courses carry nursing contact hours through Lippincott Professional Development, which is accredited by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.
- Nurse anesthetists need Class A credits, also called MAC Ed credits under the NBCRNA’s Maintaining Anesthesia Certification program. Audio-Digest Anesthesiology programs are prior-approved by the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology for Class A credit.
As with physicians, confirm the details with your own certifying body and state board.
Keep your certificates
Boards audit a share of renewals, and an audit asks for proof. Save each certificate as you earn it, note which renewal cycle it belongs to, and keep a simple log of any Category 2 activities. It takes a few minutes per course and saves a scramble later.
If you’re working toward a renewal, our self-study courses cover family practice, internal medicine, emergency medicine, and more than a dozen other specialties, with 10- and 20-credit options.