Why is Accreditation important for fellowships?

The CME Professional Education Council addresses the evolving landscape of advanced practice provider (APP) education, recognizing that formal accreditation is a critical innovation for a field that has seen rapid expansion. The Evolution of Postgraduate Training

Expanding Scope

The Need for Standards

Strategic Funding

While early programs focused on primary care, there is now significant growth in specialty, sub-specialty, and acute care postgraduate training.

Program Directors across the nation have identified a vital need for a national accreditation body—like the CME Professional Education Council—to verify adherence to rigorous quality assurance standards.

As federal funding for postgraduate programs becomes available, accreditation by a nationally recognized organization is highly likely to be a prerequisite for eligibility.

Expanding Scope

While early programs focused on primary care, there is now significant growth in specialty, sub-specialty, and acute care postgraduate training.

The Need for Standards

Program Directors across the nation have identified a vital need for a national accreditation body—like the CME Professional Education Council—to verify adherence to rigorous quality assurance standards.

Strategic Funding

As federal funding for postgraduate programs becomes available, accreditation by a nationally recognized organization is highly likely to be a prerequisite for eligibility.

CME Professional Education Council:
Accreditation Fast Facts

The CME Professional Education Council accredits Advanced Practice Provider (APP/APC) postgraduate training programs. To be eligible, programs must meet the following criteria:

Structure & Duration

Transition to Practice

Employment Status

Institutional Accreditation

Quality Standards

Programs must be intensive, minimum of 10-month, full-time training experiences.

The curriculum must support the transition from academic preparation to advanced clinical practice for Nurse Practitioners or Physician Associates/Assistants.

Trainees must be paid, credentialed staff members within the service delivery setting.

Sponsoring institutions must be accredited by recognized U.S. healthcare regulatory authorities (e.g., The Joint Commission or AAAHC).

Programs must demonstrate the resources necessary to provide training in clinical, interprofessional, and leadership competencies.

Structure & Duration

Programs must be intensive, minimum of 10-month, full-time training experiences.

Transition to Practice

The curriculum must support the transition from academic preparation to advanced clinical practice for Nurse Practitioners or Physician Associates/Assistants.

Employment Status

Trainees must be paid, credentialed staff members within the service delivery setting.

Institutional Accreditation

Sponsoring institutions must be accredited by recognized U.S. healthcare regulatory authorities (e.g., The Joint Commission or AAAHC).

Quality Standards

Programs must demonstrate the resources necessary to provide training in clinical, interprofessional, and leadership competencies.

What fellowships does CME Professional Education Council accredit?

The CME Professional Education Council oversees the accreditation of postgraduate training programs to ensure they meet rigorous national benchmarks. The following eligibility criteria apply to programs seeking accreditation:

Established Program Requirements

To be eligible, a postgraduate Nurse Practitioner (NP), Physician Assistant/Associate (PA), or Joint NP/PA program must be based in the United States, have graduated at least one cohort of trainees, and adhere to these core standards:

Credentialed Trainees

Duration and Intensity

Mastery-Based Environment

Advanced Care Models

All participants must be currently licensed and credentialed NPs or PAs.

Programs must provide a minimum of one (1) year of highly structured, intensive clinical and didactic education.

Training must occur within a service delivery setting that fosters confidence and clinical mastery across the full scope of practice, whether in primary or specialty care.

The curriculum must focus on transitioning the provider to a high-performance model of care.

Established Program Requirements

To be eligible, a postgraduate Nurse Practitioner (NP), Physician Assistant/Associate (PA), or Joint NP/PA program must be based in the United States, have graduated at least one cohort of trainees, and adhere to these core standards:

Credentialed Trainees

All participants must be currently licensed and credentialed NPs or PAs.

Duration and Intensity

Programs must provide a minimum of one (1) year of highly structured, intensive clinical and didactic education.

Mastery-Based Environment

Training must occur within a service delivery setting that fosters confidence and clinical mastery across the full scope of practice, whether in primary or specialty care.

Advanced Care Models

The curriculum must focus on transitioning the provider to a high-performance model of care.

The Accreditation Review Process

Accreditation is a peer-review process conducted over an average of 8 to 10 months (often faster). The Council performs a comprehensive review of program documentation, self-study reports, and third-party comments, culminating in a formal site visit. During this time, you can be awarded provisional accreditation.

1

Notice of Intent

Applicant submits an intent form via the website to confirm eligibility and open communication. There is no fee for this step.

2

Application

Applicant submits the formal application and a $1,000 fee; the site visit and/or video conference is typically scheduled eight months out.

3

Self-Study

The program conducts an internal review and submits a self-study report. The remaining accreditation fee must be paid prior to the site visit.

4

Site Visit and/or Video Conference

A site visit is conducted by a peer review team. The resulting report is fact-checked and sent to the Commission. This can be on site or a virtual meeting.

5

Commission Decision

The Accreditation Commission reviews all findings and renders a final decision. Typically communication occurs within 2 weeks of meeting. Programs will have acceptable timelines to make appropriate changes or responses for clarification.

6

Notification

The applicant is informed of the decision within one week, and the result is published on our website.

Fee Structure

Fees include full access to Council staff for guidance throughout the process:

Service Category

Application Fee

Review Fee

Total Base Cost

Initial Accreditation

$1,000

$3,000

$4,000

Renewal of Accreditation

$1,000

$1,000

$2,000

Annual Fee: Programs granted Renewal Accreditation pay an annual fee of $2,000 for years 1 through 5. After 5 years, Renewal fee is $1,000 total.

Additional Costs: Extra fees may apply for programs with multiple sites or multiple training tracks requiring additional travel and review time. If your system has multiple fellowship tracks message us for more information and discounted pricing.

Service Category

Application Fee

Review Fee

Total Base Cost

Initial Accreditation

$1,000

$3,000

$4,000

Renewal of Accreditation

$1,000

$1,000

$2,000

The Seal of Accreditation

Programs that achieve accreditation are authorized to use the CME Professional Education Council Seal of Accreditation. This emblem serves as a public-facing mark of excellence, indicating that the program meets the highest national standards for postgraduate APP/APC training.