Continuing Medical Education (CME) Requirements

Maintain your ARDMS credentials by earning the minimum required number of ARDMS-accepted CMEs within your three-year CME period.

Note: APCA RMSK and RPVI credentials are included below because the CME requirements for physician credentials vary, depending on combinations with ARDMS credentials. Physicians, refer to the APCA website for more CME information.

Minimum Required Number of ARDMS/APCA-accepted CMEs for Credentials Held

• RDMS and/or RDCS and/or RVT: 30 ARDMS/APCA-accepted CMEs
• RMSKS + RDMS and/or RDCS and/or RVT: 10 ARDMS/APCA-accepted CMEs in musculoskeletal
ultrasound and 20 ARDMS/APCA-accepted CMEs in any specialty area (30 total)

   • RMSK + RDMS and/or RDCS and/or RVT: 30 ARDMS/APCA-accepted CMEs in musculoskeletal ultrasound
     • RPVI + RDMS and/or RDCS and/or RVT: 30 ARDMS/APCA-accepted CMEs in vascular ultrasound
     • RPVI + RMSK: 30 ARDMS/APCA-accepted CMEs in vascular ultrasound and 30 ARDMS/APCA-accepted CMEs
        in musculoskeletal ultrasound
     • RPVI + RMSK + RDMS and/or RDCS and/or RVT: 30 ARDMS/APCA-accepted CMEs vascular ultrasound
  AND 30 ARDMS/APCA-accepted CMEs in musculoskeletal ultrasound
     • RPVI: 30 ARDMS/APCA-accepted CMEs in vascular ultrasound
     • RMSK: 30 ARDMS/APCA-accepted CMEs in musculoskeletal ultrasound
     • RMSKS: 10 ARDMS/APCA-accepted CMEs in musculoskeletal ultrasound and 20 ARDMS/APCA-accepted CMEs
in any specialty area (30 total)

Important Information Regarding Your CME Requirement: While ARDMS does not award CME credits, we do waive 15 CME credits when a candidate earns a new credential and when a candidate passes a new specialty examination under a credential that has already been earned (i.e., someone who already earned RDMS with AB will be waived 15 CME credits if he/she takes and passes OB). You will be able to view these waived CME credits in your CME Bank. The waived CME credits are valid only for the three-year period in which they are earned.

How do I maintain my CME documentation?

You must maintain your CME Certificates for a minimum of four years in case of an audit. You can maintan your CME Certificates in the following ways:

Hold on to the certificates yourself and only mail them in if you are selected for CME audit.
Upload them to the ARDMS CME Bank.

CMEs earned from providers that participate in the ARDMS Tracker Program are directly transferred from that provider to your ARDMS CME Bank. Please note that processing times will vary depending upon the participating organization. You must be a member of the organization for the CMEs to transfer.

CME documentation received without an audit selection request will be discarded.

How do I check my CME period?

To check your three-year CME period and view your ARDMS CME Bank, log on to MY ARDMS.

What is the CME Audit Process?

Each March, ARDMS conducts a CME audit and randomly selects Registrants who have completed their three-year CME period. For example, Registrants with a three-year CME period ending December 31 of this year may be randomly selected for the CME audit March of the coming year.

If you are selected for an audit and have the required number of ARDMS-accepted CMEs in your ARDMS CME Bank at the time your three-year CME period ends, you may automatically pass the audit.

ARDMS will notify you in writing if you have been selected for an audit and need to submit CME documentation. If audited in March, you will have one month (until April 30) to submit the required CME documentation. For more information, review the CME Audit Process.

What if you miss the CME Audit deadline?

If you miss the CME Audit deadline of April 30, you are eligible for CME Reinstatement by August 1. The process is comprised of submitting multiple documents by August 1 of your audit year. Otherwise, your credential(s) will be permanently revoked.

CME Tracker Program

To help you maintain your ARDMS credentials, we have established direct CME reporting agreements with the Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (SDMS), the Institute for Advanced Medical Education (IAME), American Society of Echocardiography (ASE), Spectrum Health, the Society of Vascular Ultrasound (SVU) and the American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT).

CMEs earned through these organizations are automatically reflected on your ARDMS CME transcript. Note: You must be a current member of SDMS, SVU and/or the ASE to have your CME credits automatically reflected on your ARDMS CME transcript. Additionally, only Category A and A+ CMEs from the ASRT will be transferred.

We continue to explore CME reporting agreements with other ARDMS-approved CME providers to better serve you.