If you are a Physician Assistant, you know the drill. Every year, or every two years, you stare down the NCCPA requirements or your state licensing board’s mandates and realize you are short on Category 1 CME credits. Then there is the “use it or lose it” CME allowance from your employer: that $2,000 or $3,000 stipend sitting in an account that disappears on December 31st if you don’t spend it.
The challenge is always the same: How do you get high-quality, relevant clinical education that actually helps you pass the PANRE or stay sharp in the ER, while also making the most of your professional development funds?
This year, a specific strategy has gained massive traction among savvy PAs. It involves knocking out a massive chunk of requirements: 100 hours of AAPA Category 1 Credit: in one go, and leveraging a CME with Gift Card add-on to maximize the value of that employer stipend.
Most CME courses offer 15, 20, or maybe 30 credits. While those are fine for “top-offs,” they don’t solve the problem for the PA who needs to make a significant dent in their 100-hour NCCPA cycle. Our flagship PANRE Review Course was designed specifically to bridge this gap.
We provide a comprehensive, blueprint-based review that covers the high-yield topics you actually see in clinical practice and on the boards. By completing this single program, you earn 100 AAPA Category 1 CME credits.
But we didn’t just build this for PAs.
Let’s talk about the “Gift Card” elephant in the room. You’ve likely seen ads for “Free Gift Cards with CME.” We do things differently here because we value transparency and your professional integrity.
The Amazon and Apple Gift Cards (ranging from $100 up to $1,500) are paid add-ons to your CME purchase. They are not “free” or “bonuses” in the traditional sense. Instead, they are bundled into the total price of your educational package.
Why do PAs do this?
Most employers provide a set CME allowance. If your allowance is $3,500 but the course you need is only $1,500, that remaining $2,000 effectively goes back into the company’s pocket. By choosing a CME with Gift Card package, you can use your full allowance to purchase the PANRE Review Course plus a gift card add-on.
This allows you to secure the 100 credits you need for your license while also acquiring the funds for a new MacBook for the clinic, a new iPad for patient education, or Amazon credits for clinical reference books and supplies. It is a legitimate way to maximize your contractually negotiated benefits.
There is a distinct difference between CME written by academics and CME written by PAs who are actually in the trenches. At CME Review Courses, our content is developed by practicing PAs. We know that you don’t have time for fluff. You need to know how to differentiate a TIA from a complex migraine in a busy fast-track, and you need to know which EKG findings are “must-calls” for the cardiologist on a Sunday night.
Our Alternative PANRE Review Course is structured around the NCCPA blueprint, focusing on efficiency and high-yield retention. Whether you are prepping for the traditional PANRE, the PANRE-LA, or just trying to stay current in your specialty, this course provides the clinical backbone you need.
The following section transitions into the clinical application of the concepts covered in our 100-hour review course. These vignettes reflect the style of the PANRE and the practical decision-making required in daily practice.
Logistical Detail: Pulmonary Module
Vignette:
Your patient is a 64-year-old male, post-operative day 3 from a total hip arthroplasty. He reports sudden onset shortness of breath and pleuritic chest pain. Vital signs: BP 110/70, HR 118, RR 24, SaO2 89% on room air. Physical exam reveals a clear lung exam bilaterally but a swollen, erythematous right calf.
Question:
What is the most appropriate next step in the management of this patient?
A) Obtain a chest X-ray to rule out pneumonia.
B) Start broad-spectrum antibiotics.
C) Perform a CT Pulmonary Angiography (CTPA).
D) Order a D-dimer.
Explanation:
The correct answer is C) Perform a CT Pulmonary Angiography (CTPA).
In a post-operative patient with tachycardia, hypoxia, and signs of DVT (unilateral leg swelling), the clinical suspicion for a Pulmonary Embolism (PE) is high (Wells Criteria > 4). In a high-probability scenario, a D-dimer is not useful because a negative result would not safely rule out a PE in this patient. CTPA is the gold standard for diagnosis in patients without renal contraindications. Chest X-ray is often normal or shows non-specific findings (e.g., atelectasis) in PE and should not delay definitive imaging.
Logistical Detail: Cardiovascular Module
Vignette:
Your patient is a 55-year-old female with a history of hypertension and tobacco use who presents to the ED with “heaviness” in her chest for 2 hours. She is diaphoretic. The EKG shows 2mm ST-segment elevation in leads II, III, and aVF, with reciprocal ST-depression in leads I and aVL.
Question:
Which coronary artery is the most likely site of occlusion?
A) Left Anterior Descending (LAD)
B) Right Coronary Artery (RCA)
C) Circumflex Artery
D) Left Main Coronary Artery
Explanation:
The correct answer is B) Right Coronary Artery (RCA).
ST-elevation in the inferior leads (II, III, aVF) signifies an inferior wall myocardial infarction. In approximately 80% of the population, the RCA is the dominant artery supplying the inferior wall of the heart. LAD occlusion typically presents with elevation in the precordial leads (V1-V4). Circumflex occlusion usually involves the lateral leads (I, aVL, V5, V6).
Vignette:
Your patient is a 72-year-old female who experienced sudden weakness in her right arm and a “facial droop” that lasted exactly 15 minutes before completely resolving. Upon arrival at the ED, her neurological exam is entirely normal. Her blood pressure is 185/95.
Question:
What is the most appropriate initial imaging study to evaluate this patient?
A) Non-contrast CT of the head
B) MRI of the brain (DWI sequence)
C) Carotid Ultrasound
D) MRA of the Circle of Willis
Explanation:
The correct answer is A) Non-contrast CT of the head.
While MRI is more sensitive for detecting small infarcts in a suspected TIA or stroke, the standard of care in the acute setting (even with resolved symptoms) is a non-contrast CT to rule out intracranial hemorrhage or other space-occupying lesions. Once hemorrhage is excluded, further workup including MRI, carotid imaging (Option C), and echocardiography is indicated to determine the etiology and calculate the ABCD2 score for stroke risk stratification.
The role of the PA is expanding. Whether you are working in specialty care or rural family medicine, the breadth of knowledge required is staggering. Our goal at CME Review Courses is to provide a platform where you can fulfill your educational mandates without wasting your most valuable resource: time.
By combining 100 hours of AAPA Category 1 credit into a single, high-yield PANRE Review Course, we allow you to focus on learning rather than logistics. And by offering the CME with Gift Card add-on, we help you ensure that your hard-earned benefits are utilized to their maximum potential.
Don’t let your CME allowance expire or scramble for credits at the last minute. Get the hours you need, the clinical knowledge you deserve, and the professional tools you want: all in one place.
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