Physician's Recognition Award and Credit System
The AMA Physician's Recognition Award (PRA)and the related credit system recognize physicians who demonstrate their commitment to staying current with advances in medicine by participating in certified continuing medical education (CME) activities.
Established in 1968, the AMA PRA today stands as the most widely accepted award for recognizing physician CME achievement.
AMA PRA credit is recognized by many state licensing boards, medical specialty boards, hospital credentialing bodies and other entities. The AMA PRA or AMA-approved application is currently accepted in many states as documentation for purposes of licensure reregistration. Table 16: State Medical/Osteopathic Board Regulations on Continuing Medical Education for Licensure Reregistration outlines which boards require CME for license reregistration, number and types of credit required, as well as mandated content.
Please note that when selecting CME activities, physicians should be certain the credit is being awarded by an accredited CME provider. Participating in activities designated for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ by an accredited CME provider helps ensure that this requirement is met. Physicians may also be eligible to claim AMA PRA Category 2 Credit™ for non-designated educational activities if (1) they comply with the AMA definition of CME; (2) they comply with the AMA ethical opinions on gifts to physicians from industry and on ethical issues in CME, i.e., are not promotion; and (3) a physician finds it to be a worthwhile learning experience related to his/her practice.
More information about both AMA PRA Category 1 and AMA PRA Category 2 Credit can be found in the AMA PRA Credit System informational booklet and in the article "Recognizing Physicians' Participation in Educational Activities".
