Convenient CME Subscriptions for Fast Credits [2024]
CME subscriptions can save clinicians time, hassle, and money. Here are 10 convenient online CME subscriptions.
Why Purchase a Subscription to Earn CME Credits?
If you’ve ever found yourself scrambling to find some CME credits (or if we're being honest, a lot of CME credits) before a deadline, you are not alone. You could probably also save yourself countless headaches with a CME subscription.
We'll look at the best ones we know of in this article. But first, let’s discuss the reasons to consider a CME subscription.
Aside from the headache-reducing properties already mentioned, CME subscriptions have other benefits as well. Mainly:
Quickly Fulfill Your Annual CME Requirements
Most CME subscriptions are really long-term access (6 months to 3 years) to current and future CME activities paid for up front. That means you get access to enormous libraries of continuing medical education activities, plus ongoing access to new ones at no additional cost, once published. Because of this, the potential CME credits you can earn is theoretically unlimited in many subscriptions. Most of these providers also have removed hassles and tedium from the process of earning the credits, which means you can log more CME, faster than usual.
Cost-Effective CME
Many CME subscriptions will award as much category 1 CME as you can earn. Need 50 hours by the end of the week? No problem!
With options to earn literally unlimited CME credits, CME subscriptions are unquestionably the most cost-effective way to earn unbiased, relevant category 1 CME.
Clinicians who have an employer-sponsored CME allowance can benefit even more from the right CME subscription.
That's because many provide access for two or three years, sometimes longer, but are priced as a single, up-front payment.
A longer subscription means even more freedom to spend your CME funds the next year (and possibly the one after that). You'll thank me when suddenly there is a CME conference in Hawaii you NEED to attend.
Alternatively, get another CME subscription with a different style (medical question bank, point-of-care app, audio content, etc) of delivery so you never get bored with the style.
Get Quality CME Updated Regularly
Every CME subscription we've listed clearly does not sacrifice quality, clinically relevant content for any reason.
Because your CME subscription regularly updates with new content, you stay updated with the latest medical literature and diagnostic and treatment approaches. This helps you help your patients with higher quality care.
CME Bonus Bundles
I'm not sure why this is, but often a CME subscription will come with an optional complimentary gift card or other incentive, such as a free iPad.
These gift cards can be as high as $3,200, and values around $1,000 are not uncommon. Overall, they are one of many unique and sometimes unconventional CME activities available to us.
Master Clinicians has also launched a new membership program that lets you turn your CME dollars into ‘tokens' that never expire. When you register for the Gold Membership Access Pass ($3,000), you get an extra 450 tokens (worth $450). Very clever.
With that out of the way, here are the best CME subscriptions for 2023.
Subscribe to Modern MedEd
1. CMEinfo Insider
- Subscription Length: up to 3 years
- CME Credits Available: unlimited
CMEinfo Insider is an incredibly robust CME subscription, and really stands out in this category. The convenience, ease of earning CME, and content quality is largely unmatched.
For your regular category 1 CME needs, expect new content to be added at least monthly (for free), keeping you as up to date as possible. In many cases, you can earn an equal amount of MOC points alongside your CME.
CMEinfo Insider is also a board review tool, with a massive library of board review courses from top medical institutions.
Furthermore, you have the option to review individual topics in your main specialty area plus the 14 others CMEinfo Insider covers.
One of my favorite things is the variety of content medium – audio, written summaries, video – to match your learning preferences.
A three year subscription was $5,449, which is far less than the cost of travelling to a conference each of those same three years.
To make the offer even better, you can now get CMEinfo Insider for 50% off, bringing the price down to $2,249, or a modest $749.66 per year.
Subscribe to CMEinfo Insider here.
2. VisualDx + DermExpert CME Subscription
- Subscription Length: up to 27. CME years
- CME Credits Available: unlimited
VisualDx with DermExpert is one of my favorite apps I’ve ever downloaded. It's super easy to use at the point of care and actually saves you time, unlike a lot of other technology (*cough* EHR *cough*).
DermExpert is an AI-powered feature to help you better identify cutaneous lesions. It also happens to be the leading diagnostic tool for skin of color.
There is a lot to be desired from traditional dermatology references, and VisualDx fills that need perfectly.
That said, DermExpert is one component – one that almost makes me wish I went into dermatology – but there is so much more to what VisualDx does.
Both the web and mobile apps are fantastic, with concise summaries of conditions based on your search (worth 0.5 CME credits each) of signs or symptoms or other aspects of the patient presentation.
It covers about a dozen specialties, including drug reactions and public health, which is a great feature I haven’t seen in many other CME subscriptions.
Subscribe to VisualDx with DermExpert for up to three years, which is a deal you won't find anywhere else.
3. MDCalc CME Subscription
- Subscription Length: 1 year
- CME Credits Available: unlimited
MDCalc offers critical point-of-care CME in dozens of specialties, with more calculators becoming accredited for CME on an ongoing basis.
The one year unlimited CME subscription also comes with the option of a gift card worth up to $3,000 in return. It’s a great way to support MDCalc’s FOAMed mission while making the most of your CME fund.
Subscribe to MDCalc CME here.
4. Practical Reviews
- Subscription Length: up to 2 years
- CME Credits Available: unlimited
Practical Reviews is one of the best CME subscriptions for busy clinicians (saying it like that sounds like there are healthcare professionals who are somehow not busy).
You’ll get 14 issues per year, each summarizing 16 key journal articles with expert commentary.
Reading the summary and listening to the commentary should take you no more than 15 minutes.
There are 20 specialties from which to choose, all packed full of actionable clinical information that you can start using right away.
Subscribe to Practical Reviews here.
5. Audio Digest Platinum CME
- Subscription Length: up to 2 years
- CME Credits Available: 4,300+
Audio Digest is an excellent way to earn a ton of CME credits without even realizing it.
The podcast-style format makes it easy to use your downtime more productively. Or even use your already productive time more productively, if you are that kind of person (which I’m guessing you probably are).
Not only is it great CME, but also board review content, state-specific CME, MOC points, and interesting lectures spanning 17 specialties.
The Platinum Membership CME subscription gives you access to the entire library of every specialty, so you’ll never get bored from binging too much nephrology in one sitting.
Choose a gift card of up to $1,000 or a discount of the same amount, and get an additional free $100 gift card when you make a purchase of $399 or more from our link below.
Subscribe to Audio Digest CME (extra $100 gift card) here.
6. GibLib
- Subscription Length: 1 year
- CME Credits Available: unlimited
GibLib is one of the highest value CME subscriptions out there right now. The CME plan is 1 year in length and is billed at $990/year (which comes out to $83/mo).
However, that's not even the best reason to go for this CME subscription. This is the only CME provider I've seen with video production of this caliber. And that's important because they not only have recorded lectures, but intraoperative video CME and physical examination and procedure modules.
Their extensive library covers 36 specialties including cardiothoracic surgery, healthcare leadership & management, laboratory medicine & pathology, medical education, pharmacology, public health, radiology, wound care, and more.
Choose your GibLib CME subscription today with a 4 day free trial.
7. CME Professional
- Subscription Length: up to 1 year
- CME Credits Available: up to 100
CME Professional is quite possibly the fastest way to earn a boatload of CME credits in less time than you’d like to admit.
There are more than 30 specialties from which to choose, and at least two-thirds of them offer 45 category 1 CME credits or more.
Specifically:
Cardiology (65 CME credits), child neurology (100 CME credits), dermatology (70 CME credits), hospital medicine (70 CME credits), pathology (60 CME credits), and surgery (60 CME credits) offer some of the most credits and MOC points.
You can also choose your subscription length of either 6 or 12 months.
Whichever specialty or CME subscription length you choose, you’ll have access to thousands of case-style vignettes with detailed explanations and references.
Subscribe to CME Professional here.
8. Master Clinicians Membership Access Pass
- Subscription Length: 1 year to lifetime
- CME Credits Available: 100+
Master Clinicians is an all around key resource for urgent care healthcare professionals. They have built an impressive catalogue of virtual CME conferences, shorter courses, and even a free podcast, with some episodes (like this one on patient experience) accredited for CME.
This is some of the most practical and actionable urgent care CME out there. It’s billed as an essential guide for new urgent care physicians, PAs, and NPs, whether you just graduated or are coming from another specialty.
You have the option to purchase each individual course, pre-built course/conference bundles, or now, a one year membership that gives you access to two years worth of CME; last year's and this year's content.
Starting in 2023, they are introducing Membership Access Passes (MAPs). These will allow you to ‘bank' your CME money with them to purchase CME activities in the future (near or far). A nice perk of this program is that the MAPs never expire, so you won't be rushing to use up any leftover CME money before it expires.
Subscribe to Master Clinicians CME here.
9. StatPearls Founding Member CME
- Subscription Length: lifetime
- CME Credits Available: unlimited
StatPearls Founding Member CME is unique for a CME subscription. First of all, it’s a true lifetime CME subscription. Some CME subscriptions give you access to their old stuff for life, but that’s not what this is.
The Founding Member plan gives you continuous access to CME updates for the rest of your life. StatPearls has clearly put in massive amounts of time and energy to create their massive library. Plus, there is a good volume of unique CME in specialties and subtopics including aerospace medicine, spinal surgery, and hyperbaric medicine.
I’m talking about aerospace medicine, tropical medicine, clinical informatics, emergency ultrasound, and more than 150 others.
Plus, their content has been indexed in PubMed, which really speaks to the quality of their work. PubMed is also one of my go-to sources for a quick article search. Many times, StatPearls is the best result. Now those same articles are available for CME.
Subscribe to StatPearls Founding Member CME here.
10. PainExam Complete CME
- Subscription Length: 1 year
- CME Credits Available: 49.5
PainExam is a respected board preparation tool and CME opportunity for clinicians specializing in pain management, interventional radiology, degenerative spine conditions, and anesthesiology.
Get 12-month access to the entire library with 49.5 CME credits and all audio and video lecture series included for $1,199.
Discover Specialty CME Topics with the New CME Finder
Our new CME finder searches for topics or specialties of your choice in each of the CME providers listed above and many others.
Try it for free!
Further Reading
Should You Choose CME with a Gift Card or Take the Discount?
When deciding on a CME activity, consider that some companies offer free gift cards or equivalent discounts as incentives. Which is better?
In Person CME Conferences 2023
Here are the top live & in person CME conferences taking place in 2023. Featured CME conferences, real-time updates, & more.
VisualDx CME Disclaimer
*This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the ACCME through the joint providership of Med-IQ and VisualDx.
Med-IQ is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
Med-IQ designates this point of care activity for a maximum of 0.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™
Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
