1.2 Recertification, Continuing Education (CE) Credits & ISMPP U

Recertification, Continuing Education Credits & ISMPP Learning

Two Routes to Recertification

A CMPP can maintain the credential by either:

1. completing the continuing education (CE) pathway and submitting the recertification application, or
2. taking and passing the current CMPP certification examination.

Under the current handbook, the CE pathway requires 50 approved credits during the 5-year cycle. The examination pathway is not a way to carry an incomplete CE total forward; it is a separate route with the current examination fee and eligibility procedures stated by ISMPP.

Credit Distribution

The 50-credit total has both breadth and pacing requirements:

After earning at least 5 credits in each domain, the remaining 35 credits may be earned in any of the three domains, subject to the annual and activity rules. The domain minimums prevent a certificant from renewing entirely through education in a single familiar area. The annual minimum prevents deferring all learning until the final year.

The three CE domains correspond to the examination blueprint:

• Developing a Publication Plan
• Implementing a Publication Plan
• Fostering Ethical and Compliant Behavior

When an activity crosses domains, classify it according to the content and the credit documentation available in LearningBuilder. Do not assign duplicate credit to multiple domains unless the current program rules expressly permit it.

Self-Paced and Live Learning

ISMPP offers educational opportunities such as meetings and ISMPP U programming, and the handbook also describes acceptable external or independent learning routes. However, attending something related to medical communications does not automatically make it creditable. A certificant should verify the activity category, credit value, domain, and documentation requirement before relying on it.

The 8-credit annual cap applies to self-paced credits, not to the complete annual total. For example, a certificant could not claim 10 self-paced credits in one year merely because the five-year total remains below 50. Conversely, the rule does not mean that only 8 total credits may be earned during a year; qualifying non-self-paced activities may allow a higher annual total.

ISMPP U can be useful for maintaining year-by-year progress, but the current number of credits for a webinar or recording should be taken from the event listing or LearningBuilder record. A study guide should not promise that every webinar always awards a fixed amount or is always free.

Active Professional Practice

Continuing education alone is not sufficient. The current handbook requires the certificant to remain active in medical publication practice during at least 3 years of the 5-year cycle. Practice may involve publication planning, writing, editing, management, ethical oversight, or related professional responsibilities that fit the program's scope.

A career break does not necessarily make recertification impossible because the rule is not five uninterrupted years. The certificant should document the years in which qualifying practice occurred and consult ISMPP early if unusual employment, leave, or role circumstances create uncertainty.

Recording and Documentation

The current process uses LearningBuilder to record activities and upload required evidence. Good recordkeeping is part of recertification, not an optional cleanup at the end. For each activity, retain enough information to establish:

• activity title and provider;
• date completed;
• delivery type, including whether it was self-paced;
• credit value;
• applicable blueprint domain;
• certificate, attendance confirmation, agenda, transcript, or other required support.

The handbook instructs certificants to retain supporting records for at least 12 months after the certification cycle ends. This is important because approximately 10% of recertification applications are selected for audit. An audit is a verification process, not an accusation of misconduct. If selected, provide the requested evidence through the specified process and deadline.

A useful quarterly control is to export or review the LearningBuilder record, reconcile it against personal certificates, and check four values: total credits, credits by domain, credits by year, and self-paced credits by year.

Deadline and Fees

The ordinary recertification deadline is December 31 of the final cycle year. The current handbook publishes:

These amounts and dates are subject to later revision. A candidate approaching renewal should open the current handbook and LearningBuilder account well before the final quarter, confirm the cycle end date, and resolve missing documentation while providers can still supply it.

Five-Year Planning Example

Suppose a certificant earns 8 credits in Year 1, 9 in Year 2, 11 in Year 3, 10 in Year 4, and 12 in Year 5. The total is 50 and every year exceeds the 5-credit minimum. That alone does not establish compliance. The certificant must also confirm:

1. at least 5 credits are assigned to each of the three domains;
2. no year contains more than 8 self-paced credits;
3. the certificant was active in professional practice for at least 3 years;
4. each claimed activity is an approved type with adequate documentation.

Now consider a person who earns 45 credits in Years 1 through 4 but earns only 4 in Year 5. The total is 49 and the final year is below 5, so the application is deficient on two independent grounds. Adding one approved credit in the final year would fix both, provided all other rules are met.

Practical Tracking Matrix

Maintain a simple matrix throughout the cycle:

Review it against LearningBuilder, not as a substitute for the official system. A strong plan aims above the bare minimum early enough to absorb a canceled activity or rejected claim.