Many locum tenens physicians enjoy the freedom and opportunities that being independent contractors brings. However, along
with flexible scheduling and other benefits come responsibilities—not the least of which involves maintaining Continuing Medical
Education (CME) credits.
While physician employees of group practices, hospitals, and academic centers are usually allocated time and expenses for
CME courses, locum tenens physicians are generally responsible for attending and financing them independently. This requires
a certain amount of discipline, organization, and planning, many characteristics mobile physicians already possess.
Free online CME
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Most specialty conferences enable you to accumulate a year's worth of CME in just a few days. However, in my case, working
part-time as an internist and having small children at home limit me both in terms of the logistics and expense of travel.
Attending conferences can easily add up to over $1,000 per meeting.
Practicing as an independent contractor over the past 3 years, I have found a few ways to maintain my CME affordably and easily.
Here are a few suggestions that could help keep you on track with your educational credits. WHERE TO GET YOUR CME
States with no CME required
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CME can be obtained at conferences, lectures, in various media, and online—much of it available free of charge or for a nominal
fee. For research-minded physicians, a few ways to decrease costs are to submit a case presentation or research study, or you could offer to give a talk. If the conference organizers accept the presentation, the registration fee may be waived. If you prefer not to travel, attending
locally sponsored CME lectures is another option.
Many specialty societies have online or print CME available for members. Their websites usually have password-protected, members-only areas describing CME courses. Alternatively,
they may list publications, audio, video, or CD-ROM courses that can be ordered. Some of these may be synopses or recordings
from recent annual meetings. If you were not able to attend the sessions, you can still take advantage of the most recent
research and practice guidelines. Another alternative is to apply board-review materials toward CME credits; for example, the American College of Physicians' popular Medical Knowledge Self-Assessment Program (MKSAP) satisfies up to 140 credits.
Among the different options, I prefer the ease of completing online CME credits from home. There are many sites that provide
CME courses on a range of topics—just do an Internet search or check out professional journal websites, many of which offer
free CME credits.
As you review the different offerings available, be sure to read the fine print before making a selection. With the critical
focus on conflict of interest reporting today, keep in mind that much of the free CME available online is sponsored by grants
from pharmaceutical companies.
Once you have chosen a course, you will need to register for access. This process involves disclosing basic professional information
and choosing a user ID and password. Typically, there is no cost associated with registering. There is an online test, sometimes
with immediate feedback, and the letter of credit is emailed once the test is completed. Each module takes approximately an
hour to complete.
WHY CME?
For healthcare professionals who are independent contractors, CME can be a good way to stay current with research, health policy, and technology. It also allows you to tailor your education by building upon current knowledge and expanding areas of interest.
