If I withdraw my application will the fees be refunded?
The application fee is nonrefundable, regardless of when you withdraw your application. If you submit an examination fee refund request in writing before September 7, 2010, your examination fee will be refunded. If your request is after September 7, 2010, none of your fees will be refunded.
Why should I participate in the MOCP?
Participation in the maintenance of certification program shows to your patients and colleagues that you are committed to lifelong education in your field.
How soon will I know if my application has been accepted or rejected?
Once all your documents are received, you will be notified that your application has been accepted or rejected. This process can take a few weeks and is dependent on when supporting documentation is received. The sooner you submit ALL required documents, the sooner your application will be reviewed. Applications received at the deadline dates will take longer to process.
How many CME credits are required?
Those that are already enrolled in the Maintenance of Certification Program as of April 30, 2009 are required to have recorded 50 Category 1 CME credits. Following successful completion of the examination, in the next 10-year cycle 150 Category 1 CME credits will be required. You will not need to record Category 2 CME.
Where do I get the application for the MOCP examination?
What happens if I do not take the examination before my current certificate expires?
The ABEM website will show that your certificate has expired.
Can I obtain continuing medical education for taking the examination?
No, the American Medical Association Physician Recognition Award criteria does not allow Category 1 credit for certification examinations.
What happens to my status if I fail the MOCP examination?
If you have a time-limited certificate that has not yet expired, there will be no change in your status. If you have a time-limited certificate that has expired, you will not be listed as being certified by the ABEM until you pass the MOCP examination. If you have a certificate that is not time limited, you will still be listed as being certified by the ABEM, but you will not be listed as participating in the MOCP.
How do I withdraw my application?
You should contact the ABEM in writing requesting your application be withdrawn from consideration. An email request is preferred.
If I take the examination 2 or more years before the expiration date of my current certificate, what dates will show on my certificate?
Your certificate will be dated from the year you took the MOCP examination.
If your original certificate expires in 2011 and you take the examination in 2009, your new certificate will be dated 2009-2019. If you waited and took the examination 1 year before your certificate expires, (i.e., in 2010) your new certificate would be dated 2011-2021.
I have a certificate that is not time limited. What happens if I participate in MOCP?
Holders of certificates that are not time limited are strongly encouraged to enter the MOCP. For individuals who do so, their certificates will remain in effect, no matter what the outcome of the MOCP process. You will not lose certification through participation in the program.
Once I pass the MOCP examination, do I have to do anything else?
You need to continue to file your CME Declaration Forms by December 31 each year for another 10-year cycle.
Once the examination is complete, how soon will I receive the results?
You will be notified of the results of the examination within 2 months after the date of the examination.
How do I renew my expired certification? Do I have to retake the original ABEM examination?
No, you don’t have to take the original certification examination. You simply need to meet all the requirements for the MOCP examination. The ABEM website, however, will show a lapse in certification.
What type of CME credits count for the MOCP? Must the CME credits be for EMG/NCS-specific educational sessions?
The credits claimed to fulfill the MOCP CME requirement must be from educational sessions providing information that is applicable to a Diplomate’s practice as an EDX physician. The CME credits do not need to be from EMG or NCS-specific educational courses. Since EDX medicine may only be a subset of a Diplomate’s overall practice, he or she will usually earn a number of CME credits for educational sessions that do not necessarily apply to his or her EDX practice. Those courses should not be counted toward the MOCP CME requirement.
For example, CME credits earned for sessions on ethics, office management, or physician-patient relations, although not EMG/NCS specific, may be appropriately claimed to fulfill the MOCP CME requirement. Conversely, CME credits earned for a sessions on EEG, sleep medicine, strokes, spinal injections, etc., would not be applicable to a Diplomate’s EDX practice and should not be claimed as part of the MOCP.
Diplomates should use their best judgment when claiming CME credits.