How many CME credits do New Jersey physicians need?

A physician in Morristown planning injector training, near home or in the metropolitan market across the state line, wants to know whether the course also helps with license renewal. The first number to settle is how many CME credits New Jersey asks for.

The number and the split

Medical Economics summarizes the New Jersey rule on its page about continuing medical education in the state.

A licensee applying for a biennial license renewal must complete 100 Continuing Medical Education credits in each biennial renewal period. Those credits come from courses in either of two named categories, and at least 40 of them must be in the first category.

That is 100 credits per renewal period, with a floor of 40 in the first of the two categories the rule names.

Where to check the rule yourself

The Legal Information Institute posts New Jersey Administrative Code § 13:37-5.3 on continuing education, but its hour count is written for nurses, so do not read it as the physician rule. Medical Economics keeps its New Jersey page for reference. For the organizations behind accredited education, see the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education. The American Medical Association explains its own credit system under CME credit for physicians.

Which category the course's credit falls in

The total of 100 credits is routine, and so is the renewal cycle. What changes a purchase decision is the category. A course that offers credit but does not say which category it falls in may not help with the 40-credit floor.

What I would do before paying

Ask the course provider to name the category of credit in writing. Then check that answer against the New Jersey rule text before you count the hours toward renewal.