The annual American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress offers the highest quality Continuing Medical Education (CME) opportunities for surgeons. The virtual Clinical Congress 2020 will be no exception, offering more than 200 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™, more than 25 sessions designated as offering Credit to Address Regulatory Mandates, and more than 70 sessions designated as offering Credit to Address ACS Accreditation/Verification Requirements.
Practicing physicians are eligible to claim CME Credits for sessions they attend during the five-day meeting as well as sessions they engage with during the weeks following the meeting. Residents and Allied Health Professionals are not eligible to claim CME Credits and may instead access a Certificate of Completion that will include a transcript of sessions and corresponding hours completed.
The virtual format of this year’s meeting will give participants the unique experience of being able to engage with all of the educational content presented. Registrants will be able to complete the evaluation and claiming process for the sessions they participate in during the meeting, and once the meeting has concluded, registrants will be able to view all the Clinical Congress 2020 sessions and continue the evaluation and claiming process through January 31, 2021.
Credit to Address Regulatory Mandates
In addition to general CME requirements, the majority of state licensing boards have established content-specific requirements for CME Credit. Sessions including this content have been identified and designated as Credit to Address Regulatory Mandates. Virtual Clinical Congress regulatory mandate content areas include: Antimicrobial Stewardship (AntiMic), Cultural Competency (CC), Domestic Violence (DV), End-of-Life Care (EoL), Ethics (E), Opioid/Pain Management (OPM), Palliative Care (PA), and Patient Safety (PtS).
Credit to Address ACS Accreditation/Verification Requirements
Institutions that are accredited or verified by the ACS require specified members of the medical team to earn credits in applicable content areas to meet the site survey requirements. Virtual Clinical Congress sessions that include this content have been identified and designated as Credit to Address ACS Accreditation/Verification Requirements. Clinical Congress 2020 will offer sessions including all the applicable content areas, which are: Bariatric Surgery (MBS), Breast (BST), Cancer (C), Geriatric Surgery (GER), Pediatric Surgery (PEDS), and Trauma (T).
Self-Assessment Credit
Virtual Clinical Congress 2020 will not offer Self-Assessment Credit. The ACS continues to offer Self-Assessment Credit opportunities through the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, Surgical Education and Self-Assessment Program (SESAP®), Selected Readings in General Surgery (SRGS®), online CME activities, and more. Please contact [email protected] for assistance in identifying Self-Assessment Credit opportunities.
How do I claim my CME?
Attendees must complete the online evaluation and claiming process for each session to claim CME Credits or completion hours, and participants must complete the meeting’s Global Evaluation in order to download or print a CME Certificate or a Certificate of Completion. Step-by-step evaluation and claiming instructions will be provided, and Division of Education staff will be available to answer questions through online chats, by email, and by phone.
Residents and Allied Health Professionals are not eligible to claim CME Credits and may instead access a Certificate of Completion.
How do I know what CME I need?
The ACS has compiled listings of physician CME requirements for all the state licensing boards, the American Board of Medical Specialties and American Osteopathic Boards, and ACS Accreditation/Verification programs. This information can be viewed here. Please contact [email protected] with questions. The ACS strives to keep this information up to date, but CME requirements are subject to change.
States requiring virtual Clinical Congress 2020 Credit to Address Regulatory Mandates are listed below.
- Antimicrobial Stewardship: RI
- Cultural Competency: CT and NJ
- Domestic Violence: CT, DC, FL*, KY*, and MA
- End-of-life Care: CA, IA, MA, NJ, and RI
- Ethics: DC, MI, NV, PR, RI, and TX
- Opioid/Pain Management: AL, AK*, AR, AZ, CA, FL*, GA, IL, IN, IA, KY*, LA*, MI, ME, MS, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, UT*, VT, VA, WV*, WI*, and WY
- Palliative Care: CA, NY, RI, and VT
- Patient Safety: PA
*These state requirements must be fulfilled through a course pre-approved by the state board or contain state-specific elements to the content requirement. A detailed description of each state board’s CME requirements can be found here.
The Division of Education staff is available to answer your CME questions and help ensure your virtual Clinical Congress 2020 experience is rewarding. Please contact us Monday through Friday at [email protected] or 866-918-4799.