Accreditation and Educational Development

ACCME-commendation UCSF School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education to physicians. UCSF offers over 250 CE activities in most medical specialties serving over 35,000 participants each year. We are happy to help you through direct consultation in the process of completing your request for credit for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ (CME) and assist with obtaining credit for other professions as well.

Got an idea for a new CME activity? Complete this brief survey

Contact us: info@ocme.ucsf.edu

CME Application Approval Process

UCSF CME certifies several activity types, including courses, conferences, seminars, grand rounds and online materials, developed both internally (directly-provided) and in conjunction with external partners (jointly-provided). Activities require submission and approval of a CME application, or credit request, to be able to award credit, in addition to identifying and resolving conflicts of interest with planners and speakers, and evaluating the impact of the activity on learner competence, performance and/or patient outcomes.

Each application is reviewed and formally presented to our Governing Board Accreditation Review Committee for approval. We have a rolling first-Monday-of-the-month submission deadline for review in the following month. (For example, a submission received by on or before the first Monday in January will go to final decision no later than the second Tuesda of February.) The Office of CME processes applications on a first-come first served basis, and scheduling is subject to capacity limits and governing board reviewers' conflicts of interest. We will notify you in the unlikely event your submitted application is not scheduled for a decision in the month after the submission date, and your application will be given scheduling priority in the following month. The Office of CME will notify activity chairs and activity administrators of the decision in writing within 10 days of the review decision. If the application is contingently approved, the Office of CME will provide feedback from the reviewers to strengthen your application for approval.

We ask that you not promote CE credit until receive approval to do so from the Office of CME. It is important, therefore, that you submit your application in a manner that allows it not only to be certified prior to the start date of the activity, but also with enough time to promote your activity that includes the accreditation language. In order for an application to be considered for certification we require that a UCSF faculty member be integrally engaged in the planning process and serve on the planning committee, that the activity be designed to change competence and/or performance, and that the activity is intended to address a documented or factually-based practice gap. A gap in practice is described as the difference between current practice and desired, optimal practice, and can apply to any aspect of a learner's current profession, including clinical care, research, teaching, administration or leadership.

Start the application process

To start the application process, complete this brief survey

How to access the CE Portal

Quicklink to CE Portal: https://ww2.highmarksce.com/ucsf

 

Available Continuing Education Certifications by Audience

The Office of CME is pleased to be able to provide continuing education credit for a number of disciplines, professions and specialties. We can assist you in securing the right type of credit for your audience. UCSF is accredited to provide CE credit nationally for a few professions (as indicated by asterisks below), however, many certifications are approved on an activity-basis only. Additional documentation and fees may apply for additional certifications.

*Approved on an activity-basis only.

Accreditation/Recognition Audiences and Scope
Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) Physicians (nationally, in all US territories, Australia, Canada, and some of Europe)
Physician Assistants (nationally)
Nurses (California and some other states)
Pharmacists (California and some other states)
Psychologists (California, possibly others)
Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) Pharmacists (nationally)
Pharmacy Technicians (nationally)
*May also meet pharmacotherapy or pharmacology credit requirements for nurses.
American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP)* Family Physicians
American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) Respiratory Care Practitioners (nationally)
American College of Emergency Physicians* Emergency Physicians (ACEP Category I Credit)
American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)* Ob & Gyn Physicians
American Dental Association Continuing Education Recognition Program (ADA CERP) Dentists (nationally), General Practitioners
Dental Hygienists (nationally)
Dental Assistants (nationally)
American Midwifery Certification Board (AMCB)* Certificate Maintenance Program for:
Certified Nurse-Midwives (nationally)
Certified Midwives (nationally)
American Osteopathic Association Board of Emergency Medicine* Emergency Physicians
Board of Certification, Inc. Physical Therapists (nationally)
Physical Therapy Assistants (nationally)
Athletic Trainers (nationally)
California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT) In California:
(Licensed) Marriage & Family Therapists (L/MFT)
(Licensed Clinical) Social Workers (LCSW, MSW)
Licensed Clinical Counseling Professional (LCCP)
Licensed Educational Psychologists (LEP)
May also meet requirements of other state boards.
California State Board of Optometry* In California:
Optometrists
California State Board of Registered Nurses (BRN) California Nurses (Provider status currently maintained by MedCtr)
California Division of Workers Compensation – Medical Unit* Qualified Medical Evaluators (California)
California Emergency Medical Services Authority (California CE Provider credits are acceptable to the NREMT for recertification.)
Emergency Medical Responders (nationally)
Advanced/Emergency Medical Technicians (nationally)
Paramedics (nationally)
California Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology & Hearing Aid Dispensers Board (SLPAHADB) In California:
Audiologists
Speech-Language Pathologists
Hearing Aid Dispensers
Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR)* Registered Dieticians, Registered Dietician Nutritionists,  Registered Nutrition and Dietetics Technician, Registered Dietetic Technician, and related board-certified specialists and advanced practice nutritionists (nationally)
Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Part II Lifelong Learning and Self-Assessment points* Board-certified Physicians (nationally) in any of 19 Medical Specialty Boards
National Association of Social Workers* Individuals having completed BSW, MSW, DSW or PhD in social work (nationally)
National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC)* Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES)
Master Certified Health Education Specialists (MCHES)