Dec. 15, 2009, is the deadline to satisfy the following key Maintenance of Certification™ (MOC) requirements for diplomates whose certificates expire in 2011, 2012, or 2013 and who plan on taking the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS) MOC exam in 2011:

• Documentation of 120 AMA PRA Category 1 Continuing Medical Education (CME) Credits™, including at least 20 credits from one or two scored and recorded self-assessment examinations
• For diplomates who have chosen to follow the written examination pathway, a 3-month surgical case list, or a maximum of 75 consecutive cases, must be submitted. (Those who have chosen to follow the oral examination pathway have until Dec. 15, 2010, to submit a 6-month list of surgical cases they performed during 6 consecutive months in 2009–2010.)

If a diplomate does not complete the CME and self-assessment requirements (and, for those taking the written examination, the case list requirement) by Dec. 15, 2009, he or she will not be able to apply for the 2011 examination when the application becomes available in February 2010.

Help from the AAOS
If you are short of the required 120 CME credits or the 20 credits in scored and recorded self-assessment examinations, the Academy offers a wide range of resources that can help you obtain credits and meet the self-assessment requirement. Visit www.aaos.org/moc to learn more.

To track how much CME you have earned through Academy programs, or to add recently acquired CME from another source, visit your online transcript—an Academy member benefit—at www.aaos.org/transcript (member login required)

For information about MOC components and upcoming deadlines, visit the ABOS online at www.abos.org and click on the “Diplomates” tab; then select the year your certificate will expire from a drop-down menu. You may also call the ABOS at (919) 929-7103.

Jennie McKee is a staff writer for AAOS Now. She can be reached at mckee@aaos.org