Do AMA-recognized CME courses count for New Jersey nurses?

A nurse looking at a course advertised as recognized CME has one practical question: will those hours count at renewal. The credit label on the course and the rules for the license are two separate things.

Yes, for courses the rule lists

For the courses the rule names, yes. Among the activities in New Jersey administrative code § 13:37-5.3, as the Legal Information Institute reproduces it, is completing continuing medical education courses recognized by the AMA, with credit set at "one hour for each 60 minutes of attendance". The full text is at New Jersey Administrative Code § 13:37-5.3.

How the hours are counted

The rule gives a counting method along with the category, which is one credit hour per 60 minutes of attendance. A clinician around Morristown planning a full-day course, whether nearby or in the wider metro market across the river, can use that to estimate the credit before registering.

Whether the recognition is real

The hour count is the routine part. What should change your plan is whether the course is actually recognized by one of the organizations the rule names. A course that only sounds medical, or carries some other credit label, is not covered by the passage above.

Nurses may also hold national credentials with their own requirements. The American Nurses Credentialing Center page from the American Nurses Association is one place to start with those. For the physician-side picture, Medical Economics has an overview of New Jersey continuing medical education.

Ask for the recognition statement

Ask the course provider for the exact recognition statement in writing, and match it against the rule's list before you pay.