Course price: $499.99
Access: 30 months
CME: Up to 100 AAPA Category 1 CME credits from the PANRE Clinical Review Module only
Practice: 1,200+ questions across five 240-question exams
The 100 AAPA Category 1 CME credits apply to the PANRE Review Course and PANRE Clinical Review Module only. They do not apply to the Pharmacology course. Credit is awarded based on completion and participation requirements. Claim only the amount you actually complete.
The PANRE Review Course is designed to function as the anchor of a two-year CME plan. It combines recertification preparation with a large block of AAPA Category 1 CME, allowing you to organize the required numbers before your deadline becomes urgent.
The Two-Year CME Requirement in Numbers
For NCCPA certification maintenance, you generally need:
- 100 total CME credits during each two-year cycle
- At least 50 Category 1 CME credits
- The remaining 50 credits may be Category 1, Category 2, or a combination, subject to NCCPA requirements
This means that 50 Category 1 credits is the minimum, not the maximum. If you complete an activity that provides 100 valid Category 1 credits during the applicable cycle, those credits can satisfy both the 100-credit total and the 50-credit Category 1 minimum.
That does not mean you should automatically claim 100 credits. You must complete the activity requirements and claim credit commensurate with your participation.
The NCCPA continuing medical education requirements should be your primary reference for cycle dates, reporting requirements, and certification maintenance policies.
A Practical 100-Credit Planning Model
A simple planning model divides the requirement across two years:
| Planning point | Suggested target | What to track |
|---|
| End of Year 1 | 50 total credits, including at least 25 Category 1 | Activity name, date completed, credit type, and number of credits |
| Midway through Year 2 | 75 or more total credits, including at least 50 Category 1 | Remaining total and Category 1 balance |
| Before the cycle deadline | 100 total credits and at least 50 Category 1 | NCCPA PA Portfolio entries and supporting documentation |
These are planning targets, not a requirement to earn exactly half of your CME in each year. You may complete a large activity early in the cycle. However, credits earned before the cycle begins should not automatically be assumed to apply to the new cycle.
A practical approach is:
- Confirm your current NCCPA cycle start and expiration dates.
- Identify how many total and Category 1 credits you already have.
- Select a primary Category 1 activity.
- Complete and document that activity during the active cycle.
- Use smaller CME activities to fill any remaining balance.
- Log the credits promptly rather than reconstructing your CME history at the end.
Why One Large Category 1 Activity Simplifies Tracking
Using several small CME activities can work, but it creates more opportunities for errors. Each activity may have a different sponsor, credit designation, completion date, and documentation format.
A single large Category 1 activity simplifies the process because you have fewer items to:
- Classify as Category 1 or Category 2
- Enter into the NCCPA PA Portfolio
- Match to a completion certificate
- Review before an audit
- Reconcile against your two-year credit total
The PANRE Review Course provides up to 100 AAPA Category 1 CME credits through the PANRE Clinical Review Module. It also includes 1,200+ board-style questions across five 240-question exams, with each exam containing 240 questions.
The course can serve as a central study plan for PANRE preparation while also addressing the numbers required for certification maintenance. If you complete the full eligible activity during your cycle, the 100 Category 1 credits may cover the full 100-credit requirement. You still need to complete the educational activity, pass the post-test as required, complete the evaluation, and log the actual credits earned.
What to Log and What to Keep
For each CME activity, record:
- Course or activity title
- Completion date
- Number of credits earned
- Credit designation, such as AAPA Category 1
- Name of the approving sponsor or accrediting organization
- Certificate or written verification of completion
Your documentation should show the specific number of Category 1 credits awarded to you. A general course description is not a substitute for participant-specific completion documentation.
Enter the activity into the NCCPA PA Portfolio according to NCCPA instructions. Do not wait until the last month of the cycle to log every activity. Delayed logging increases the chance of missing a certificate, misclassifying credits, or discovering that an activity does not meet the intended requirement.
NCCPA may audit Category 1 CME entries. Review the NCCPA CME audit information and retain documentation for the current cycle and any prior period required by NCCPA or your employer.
Four Common Planning Errors
1. Treating all 100 credits as Category 1 without verification
A course may advertise a total number of CME credits without clearly identifying how many are Category 1. Confirm the designation before purchasing or beginning an activity.
For the CME Review Courses PANRE product, the up-to-100-credit designation applies to the PANRE Clinical Review Module only. It does not transfer to the Pharmacology course.
2. Earning credits but never logging them
Completing an activity is only one step. You also need to document and report it through the appropriate system. Keep your certificate, enter the activity, and compare your portfolio against the NCCPA requirement before the deadline.
3. Waiting until the last year
Completing all 100 credits during the final months of the cycle can create avoidable problems. You may have limited time to complete a post-test, correct an account issue, obtain documentation, or replace a credit that does not qualify.
Start with the Category 1 minimum. Then build toward the full 100-credit total.
4. Assuming credits carry forward
Do not assume unused credits from one cycle automatically transfer to the next. Plan against the cycle in which the credits are earned, and verify any unusual situation directly with NCCPA.
Where the Paid Gift Card Add-On Fits
The PANRE Review Course is available with optional Amazon and Apple gift card add-ons from $100 to $1,500.
These are paid add-ons available at checkout. The selected gift card amount is added on top of the $499.99 course purchase. They are not free gifts, and they do not increase the number of CME credits.
The CME value remains the educational activity: up to 100 AAPA Category 1 CME credits from the PANRE Clinical Review Module. The gift card is a separate paid option that may help you use an approved professional education budget, subject to your employer’s policies.
Available add-on amounts range from $100 through $1,500. Select the brand and amount at checkout, then verify that the total purchase complies with your employer or institutional CME policy.
Credential-Specific Credit Considerations
Physicians: AAPA Category 1 CME generally counts as Category 2 CME for physicians, not physician Category 1 CME. Physicians should confirm how the activity applies to their state license, specialty board, and employer requirements.
Nurse practitioners: Acceptance of AAPA Category 1 CME varies by state, board of nursing, certifying organization, and employer. Verify eligibility before purchasing or claiming credit.
CRNAs: Confirm acceptance with your certifying body and employer before relying on AAPA Category 1 CME for renewal.
The AAPA CME FAQs provide additional information about AAPA credit. Your licensing board or certifying organization remains the final authority for your individual requirements.
Practice Question: Diabetic Ketoacidosis
Your patient is a 24-year-old man with type 1 diabetes who presents with 12 hours of nausea, vomiting, polyuria, and abdominal pain. He has not taken insulin for two days because of an upper respiratory infection. HR is 122/min, BP is 104/68 mm Hg, RR is 30/min with deep respirations, temperature is 37.8°C, and SaO₂ is 99% on room air. Laboratory results show glucose 430 mg/dL, arterial pH 7.18, serum bicarbonate 10 mEq/L, anion gap 28, β-hydroxybutyrate elevation, and potassium 5.2 mEq/L.
What is the most appropriate initial management?
A. Administer IV sodium bicarbonate immediately
B. Begin IV regular insulin before giving fluids
C. Start isotonic IV crystalloid, then begin IV insulin after initial fluid resuscitation
D. Administer subcutaneous long-acting insulin and discharge when glucose falls below 250 mg/dL
E. Give IV potassium before any fluid or insulin therapy
Correct answer: C. Start isotonic IV crystalloid, then begin IV insulin after initial fluid resuscitation
This patient has DKA with volume depletion, hyperglycemia, metabolic acidosis, and an elevated anion gap. Initial treatment is isotonic IV fluid resuscitation. After fluids are started and potassium is assessed, begin continuous IV regular insulin. His potassium is not low, so potassium should not be given immediately; monitor it closely because insulin will shift potassium intracellularly.
- A is incorrect: Bicarbonate is generally reserved for extreme acidemia, not a pH of 7.18.
- B is incorrect: Insulin without initial volume management is not the preferred first step.
- D is incorrect: DKA requires monitored treatment and closure of the anion gap, not glucose reduction alone.
- E is incorrect: Potassium replacement is indicated when potassium is low, not when it is 5.2 mEq/L.
Start With the Numbers, Then Build the Study Plan
A two-year CME cycle is easier to manage when you track three separate numbers:
- Total CME credits earned
- Category 1 CME credits earned
- Credits actually logged and supported by documentation
The PANRE Review Course can serve as the primary Category 1 activity in that plan. At $499.99, with 30 months of access, up to 100 AAPA Category 1 CME credits from the PANRE Clinical Review Module, and 1,200+ practice questions, it combines exam preparation with structured CME planning.
Review the PANRE Review Course with Gift Card or browse the PANRE course category.
For PA students looking for separate PANCE prep courses, PAtopia is a separate PA student platform. Try PAtopia on the web, or download the iOS app or Android app.
Author
Jeremy Boroff, MPAS, PA-C is an emergency medicine physician assistant, PA educator, and CME developer with 24 years of Emergency Medicine experience. He is the creator of PANRE, PANCE, EOR, and specialty review content for physician assistants through CME Review Courses.
