Continuing Medical Education (CME) is essential for physicians to maintain licensure and stay updated with medical advancements. Texas has specific CME requirements for MD and DO physicians to ensure they provide the highest quality care. Understanding these requirements is crucial for compliance and professional development.

CME Requirements Overview:

• Total CME Credits: Physicians must complete 48 hours of CME every 2 years.
• Category 1 Credits: At least 24 of the 48 hours must be AMA Category 1 or AOA Category 1A credits.
• Ethics and Professional Responsibility: Physicians must complete 2 hours of CME on medical ethics and/or professional responsibility, including courses in risk management, domestic abuse, or child abuse.
• Human Trafficking Prevention: A human trafficking prevention course is required as part of the medical ethics and/or professional responsibility requirement.
• Additional Requirements for Direct Patient Care Practice: Physicians with direct patient care practice must complete no less than 2 hours of CME regarding safe and effective pain management related to the prescription of opioids and other controlled substances in each of the first two renewal periods following initial licensure, and every eight years thereafter.
• Pain Management Clinic Practice: Physicians practicing in pain management clinics must complete 10 hours of CME annually in the area of pain management.

Fulfilling these requirements ensures that Texas MD and DO physicians remain current in their medical practice and provide the best care to their patients.

For further details on state CME requirements, please visit the official Federation of State Medical Board documentation

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Resources to Fulfill Texas CME Requirements

CME Trail offers a tailored collection of CME opportunities that adhere to Texas’s guidelines. We provide a variety of educational resources, from a question bank, summarized guidelines, guideline based algorithms, and a price transparency tool designed to fulfill the state-mandated topics while also fitting into busy schedules. Earn up to 120 AMA PRA Category 1 credits.  

To assist healthcare professionals in fulfilling their specific CME requirements on medical ethics, risk management, domestic violence, child abuse, human trafficking, prescribing controlled substances, & pain management and we've compiled a list of free resources: 

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Free Medical Ethics CME Resources 

1. Medscape: Provides free CME courses on understanding the professional responsibility of medical professionals and medical ethics. Medscape Medical Ethics CME 
2. Pri-med: Offers free CME course on ethical and legal issues as it pertains to medical professionals. Pri-Med Medical Ethics CME
3. American College of Physicians (ACP): Offers an ethics manual regarding issues as it pertains to healthcare professionals and beneficence, nonmaleficence, respect for patient autonomy, & justice. ACP CME Ethics Manual 
4. Penn Medicine: Provides free medical ethics CME training to help healthcare professionals act in an informed way. Penn Medicine Medical Ethics CME 

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Free Risk Management and Medical Errors CME 

1. Stanford Online: Provides a course called "Case Studies in Medical Errors," which falls under risk management in the medical field. Learn more at: Stanford Online - Medical Errors CME
2. Pri-Med: Features CME programs on a variety of primary care topics, including sessions that address risk management. Check out their offerings at: Pri-Med Hot Topics in Risk Management

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Free Domestic Violence CME 

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1. Pri-Med: Provides free CME courses on domestic violence, covering identification, support, and intervention strategies for affected patients. Pri-Med Domestic Violence CME
2. StatPearls: Offers CME activities that include topics on domestic violence, suitable for healthcare professionals looking to enhance their understanding and response strategies. StatPearls CME Activity on Domestic Violence
3. UC Irvine School of Medicine: Features a free online CME course focused on domestic violence, providing key insights and clinical guidelines. UC Irvine Domestic Violence CME

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Free Resources for Child Abuse CME:

For healthcare professionals looking to fulfill their CME requirements on child abuse identification, we've gathered the following free resources:

1. Pri-Med: Offers complimentary CME courses on child abuse, focusing on identification, reporting, and prevention. Access these courses at: Pri-Med Child Abuse CME
2. StatPearls: Provides a free online CME activity on child abuse, covering essential aspects of recognition and management. Explore this resource at: StatPearls Child Abuse CME

Free Resources on Human Trafficking CME

1. Inova Health System - Free CME Activities on Human Traffickingsome text
   • Inova Health System offers free CME activities focusing on human trafficking. These activities provide valuable insights and education on recognizing and addressing human trafficking in healthcare settings. Inova Health System - Free CME Activities on Human Trafficking
2. Pri-Med - PrimaryCareNOW May 18 CME Programsome text
   • Pri-Med offers a virtual CME program, PrimaryCareNOW, which includes sessions on various topics, including human trafficking. The program provides clinicians with up-to-date information and strategies for identifying and responding to human trafficking. Pri-Med - PrimaryCareNOW May 18 CME Program
3. Texas Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) - New Human Trafficking Prevention CME Requirement and Coursesome text
   • The Texas Chapter of ACEP offers a new human trafficking prevention CME course to help healthcare providers meet the state's CME requirements. This course provides comprehensive education on human trafficking awareness and prevention. Texas ACEP - New Human Trafficking Prevention CME Requirement and Course

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Free Resources of Prescribing Controlled Substances 

1. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA): Offers CME/CE activities on topics related to opioid and substance use disorders and addiction. NIDA CME/CE Activities
2. Pri-Med: Provides timely opioid CME courses to help primary care clinicians learn appropriate risk mitigation strategies and prevent substance use disorder. Pri-Med Opioid CME/CE
3. Wake AHEC: Offers a webinar and panel discussion series on controlled substances prescribing, with an emphasis on treating pain. Wake AHEC CME
4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Provides training modules on treating substance use disorders, effective communication in treating SUDs, and care coordination in the treatment of SUDs, eligible for free continuing education credits. Access CDC Training Modules
5. UAB Division of Continuing Medical Education: Provides online courses developed by UAB faculty that qualify for CME credit, focusing on identifying substance use disorders and updates in substance use and mental health. UAB CME 

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Free Pain Management CME

1. Medscape - Frequently provides free courses in pain management, opioid prescribing and end of life, along with other relevant topics for healthcare providers. Medscape education
2. AMA Ed Hub - As an ACCME-accredited CME provider, ACP offers a wide variety of recommended activities as it relates to pain management and end of life care. AMA Ed Hub 
3. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA): Offers CME/CE activities on topics related to opioid prescribing. NIDA CME/CE Activities
4. Pri-Med: Provides timely opioid CME courses to help primary care clinicians learn appropriate risk mitigation strategies. Pri-Med Opioid CME/CE

Wake AHEC: Offers a webinar and panel discussion series on controlled substances prescribing, with an emphasis on treating pain. Wake AHEC CME