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The Best 5 Nurse Practitioner CME/CE Courses to Take in 2022

Reading Time: 6 Minutes | Author: Christine Zink, MD

Nurse with patient using a tablet

Published March 18, 2022

Like all clinicians, nurse practitioners (NP) need to fulfill continuing medical education (CME) and continuing education (CE) requirements to stay up-to-date on current practices and provide the best patient care. All clinicians are busy caring for the many patients returning to the clinic to catch up on neglected health maintenance from disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a convenience to you, Pri-Med offers free online CME/CE that can be completed on your schedule and even during short work breaks. We have chosen the five best and most helpful CME/CE courses for NPs for 2022. Read highlights about each course below.

Over 34 million Americans live with diabetes (one in 10 people), and over 70 million adults have obesity.1 One in three people has prediabetes.1 NPs can gain insight into the latest treatments for both diabetes and obesity with our course:

A Holistic Approach to Diabetes Care: Reducing HbA1c and Weight with Emerging Pharmacotherapies

View Course | Faculty:

  • Silvio E. Inzucchi, MD; Professor of Medicine at Yale University School of Medicine; Clinical Chief of Endocrinology at Yale-New Haven Hospital; and Medical Director at Yale Diabetes Center
  • Anne Peters, MD; Professor of Clinical Medicine and Director of the USC Clinical Diabetes Programs at USC Keck School of Medicine

This educational activity reviews strategies to improve glycemic and extra-glycemic outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes. NPs will understand the rationale for targeting GIP and GLP-1 receptors in treating type 2 diabetes and its metabolic comorbidities like obesity. After discussing the recent clinical data, clinicians will gain insight into knowing who might benefit from treatments targeting these receptors. Listen now, and earn 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ and 1.00 ABIM Medical Knowledge MOC Point, or 1.00 AANP contact hour of continuing education, including 0.66 hour of pharmacology.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading killer in America.2 In 2017, the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology updated their recommendations regarding goals for blood pressure management.3 NPs need to stay up-to-date on the latest preventive therapies to keep patients healthy and safe, and they can learn more in our course:

Cardiology Essentials for the PCP—Hypertension, Hypercholesterolemia, and Heart Failure

View Course | Faculty:

  • Ty J. Gluckman, MD, FACC, FAHA; Medical Director of the Center for Cardiovascular Analytics, Research, and Data Science (CARDS) at Providence Heart Institute, Providence St. Joseph Health

Refresh your knowledge about the rationale for lowering the blood pressure target to <130/80 mm Hg, and review the current evidence-based guidelines for managing cholesterol. After listening to this session, NPs will be able to describe what constitutes guideline-directed medical therapy for heart failure. Dr. Ty Gluckman also reviews the recent data related to new and established heart failure therapies. Listen now, and earn 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ and 1.00 ABIM Medical Knowledge MOC Point, or 1.00 AANP contact hour of continuing education, including 0.33 hour of pharmacology.

Posterior circulation strokes represent 20% of all acute ischemic strokes, but patients are misdiagnosed twice as often compared to anterior stroke events.4 These strokes are sometimes challenging to diagnose since they can present with vague symptoms like dizziness and generalized weakness that could be attributed to other problems. Misdiagnosis leads to worse outcomes. Therefore, NPs need to understand concepts related to the appropriate diagnosis of patients with headache and dizziness, and can with our course:

Top Questions in Acute Head Issues: Stroke, Headache, and Dizziness/Vertigo

View Course | Faculty:

  • Rashmi B. Halker Singh, MD, FAHS, FAAN; Associate Professor of Neurology and Director of the Headache Medicine Fellowship Program at the Division of Headache Medicine, Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic
  • Galen V. Henderson, MD; Assistant Professor of Neurology and Director of the Division of Neurocritical Care at Harvard Medical School
  • Patricia E. Greenstein, MB.BCh; Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School; Associate Director of the BIDMC Neurology Residency Training Program; and Director of the Neurogenetics Clinic at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

In this course, take away concepts of evaluating stroke, headache, and vertigo in the primary care setting. Other topics covered include migraine and transient ischemic attack. This elite faculty group will discuss some of the most pressing questions about critical neurological diagnoses. Listen now, and earn 1.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ and 1.50 ABIM Medical Knowledge MOC Points, or 1.50 AANP contact hours of continuing education.

One of the most common problems in people of all ages is orthopedic injuries. Patients commonly have acute or chronic musculoskeletal problems that the primary care clinician can appropriately manage. Do you feel confident in your diagnosis and management of these common injuries? Can you confidently interpret radiographic findings? Do you know when it is best to refer a patient to an orthopedic specialist? Find out in our course:

Common Musculoskeletal Problems in Primary Care: Fractures and Other Injuries

View Course | Faculty:

  • Joshua T. Goldman, MD, MBA; Assistant Clinical Professor at the UCLA Departments of Family Medicine & Orthopaedic Surgery; Fellowship Director for the UCLA Division of Sports Medicine; Team Physician for UCLA Athletics; Associate Director for the Center for Sports Medicine, Orthopaedic Institute for Children; and Associate Director at UCLA Steve Tisch BrainSPORT Program
  • James C. Puffer, MD; Professor Emeritus of Clinical Family Medicine in the Division of Sports Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

This course provides a comprehensive review of fractures seen in primary care, including diagnostic imaging and management strategies. Learners will review the pathophysiology of certain fractures and discuss the timeline for healing. NPs will also learn from real-life patient cases to recognize and manage common problems, and will gain confidence in managing nonsurgical fractures in the primary care setting. Listen now, and earn 1.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ and 1.00 ABIM Medical Knowledge MOC Point, or 1.50 AANP contact hours of continuing education.

Do you know what is causing that patient’s rash or itch? Primary care clinicians encounter a diverse array of skin conditions in clinical practice, and often they feel uncertain about their diagnosis and treatment. The NP can manage many skin conditions without a specialist referral, and you can learn more with our course:

Diagnosis and Management of Common Skin Complaints in Primary Care

View Course | Faculty:

  • Jennifer Haley, MD; Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Dermatology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

This course provides updates on common skin disorders, including acne, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, bullous disease, scabies, herpes zoster, and benign and malignant neoplasms. Dr. Jennifer Haley discusses ways to recognize these problems and how best to manage them. NPs will feel more comfortable addressing these conditions in the clinic and will gain best practice knowledge on when to refer a patient to a dermatology specialist. Listen now, and earn 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ and 1.00 ABIM Medical Knowledge MOC Point, or 1.00 AANP contact hour of continuing education, including 0.40 hour of pharmacology.

Pri-Med is a leader in CME/CE for NPs and makes it easy for you to stay on top of the latest developments. Our courses also offer essential pharmacology credits. Visit Pri-Med.com to learn more about the online and in-person educational activities that can help you excel in your practice.

References

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The facts, stats, and impact of diabetes. Updated January 24, 2022. Accessed March 3, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/library/spotlights/diabetes-facts-stats.html

2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Leading causes of death. Updated January 13, 2022. Accessed March 3, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/leading-causes-of-death.htm

3. Colantonio LD, Booth JN 3rd, Bress AP, Whelton PK, et al. 2017 ACC/AHA Blood Pressure Treatment Guideline Recommendations and Cardiovascular Risk. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2018;72(11):1187-1197. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2018.05.074

4. Nouh A, Remke J, Ruland S. Ischemic posterior circulation stroke: a review of anatomy, clinical presentations, diagnosis, and current management. Front Neurol. 2014;5:30. doi:10.3389/fneur.2014.00030