Continuing Medical Education

Licensed physician/surgeons are required to participate in continuing medical education (CME) activities pursuant to Connecticut General Statutes.  Please note the following:

Number of Hours

A licensed physician applying for renewal shall earn a minimum of fifty contact hours of qualifying continuing medical education within the preceding twenty-four month period.  One contact hour means a minimum of fifty minutes of continuing education activity.

Qualifying CMEs

Continuing medical education shall be in an area of the physician’s practice, reflect the professional needs of the licensee in order to meet the health care needs of the public and during the first renewal period in which continuing medical education is required and not less than once every six years thereafter, include at least one contact hour of training or education in each of the following topics: (A) Infectious diseases, including, but not limited to, acquired immune deficiency syndrome and human immunodeficiency virus, (B) risk management, including, but not limited to, prescribing controlled substances and pain management, and for registration periods beginning on or after October 1, 2019, such risk management continuing education may also include screening for inflammatory breast cancer and gastrointestinal cancers, including colon, gastric, pancreatic and neuroendocrine cancers and other rare gastrointestinal tumors, (C) sexual assault, (D) domestic violence, (E) cultural competency, and (F) behavioral health, provided further that on and after January 1, 2016, such behavioral health continuing medical education may include, but not be limited to, at least two contact hours of training or education during the first renewal period in which continuing education is required and not less than once every six years thereafter, on the topic of mental health conditions common to veterans and family members of veterans, including (i) determining whether a patient is a veteran or family member of a veteran, (ii) screening for conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, risk of suicide, depression and grief, and (iii) suicide prevention training.   

Qualifying continuing medical education activities include, but are not limited to, courses offered or approved by the American Medical Association (AMA), American Osteopathic Association (AOA), Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA), Connecticut State Medical Society (CSMS), Connecticut Osteopathic Medical Society (COMS), county medical societies (CMS) or equivalent organizations in other jurisdictions, educational offerings sponsored by a hospital or other health care institution or courses offered by a regionally accredited academic institution or a state or local health department.  

Waivers

A waiver may be granted for not more than ten (10) contact hours of continuing medical education for a physician who:  

• Engages in activities related to the physician's service as a member of the Connecticut Medical Examining Board, established pursuant to Section 20-8a, Connecticut General Statutes;  
• Engages in activities related to the physician's service as a member of a medical hearing panel, pursuant to section 20-8a; or  
• Assists the department with its duties to boards and commissions as described in section 19a-14.

Documentation

Each licensee applying for license renewal will be asked to attest that the licensee satisfies the continuing education requirements.  Certificates of completion should not be mailed to the Department at the time of license renewal unless a licensee is specifically directed to do so.

Record Retention

Each licensee shall retain records of attendance that demonstrate compliance with the continuing education requirements, and shall retain such documentation for a minimum of six years following the year in which the continuing education activities were completed.  Upon the request of the Department, a licensee shall submit records or certificates of completion of continuing medical education within forty-five days of such request.  A licensee, who fails to comply with the continuing education requirements, including failure to maintain proof of course completion, is subject to disciplinary action.

Exemptions

A licensee applying for license renewal for the first time is exempt from the continuing medical education requirements until the licensee’s next registration period. Registration period means the one-year period for which a license has been renewed.

A licensee who is not engaged in active professional practice in any form or who has a medical disability or illness may be exempt from the continuing medical education requirements, provided the licensee submits to the Department, prior to the expiration of the registration period, a notarized application for exemption. Active professional practice includes, but is not limited to, activities of a currently licensed physician who functions as a medical director of a managed care organization or to any other organization. Registration period means the one-year period for which a license has been renewed.

Return to Active Practice Following Exemption

Any licensee who is exempt from continuing medical education requirements for less than two years shall be required to complete twenty-five contact hours of qualifying continuing medical education within the twelve months immediately preceding the licensee’s return to active professional practice.  Any licensee who is exempt for two or more years shall be required to successfully complete the Special Purpose Examination (SPEX) administered by the Federation of State Medical Boards prior to returning to active practice.  

Reinstatement of a Lapsed License

Any licensee who applies for reinstatement of a lapsed license shall submit documentation of having successfully competed twenty-five hours of continuing education within the one year period immediately preceding application for reinstatement.