Effective October 1, 2005, 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 shall earn a minimum of fifty contact hours of qualifying continuing medical education every two years commencing on the first date of license renewal on and after October 1, 2007.  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 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, (C) sexual assault, and (D) domestic violence.  

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), county medical societies (CMSs) 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.  

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 three 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.