Commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers in the U.S. must pass an initial commercial driver license physical examination and regularly renew their certification. To administer these physicals, the Department of Transportation turns to NRCME-certified medical examiners.

Learn more about how healthcare professionals can obtain this certification and how you can maintain that certification over time.

What Is Required for Initial NRCME Certification?

To be eligible for National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners certification, you must be a licensed medical practitioner who's authorized to perform physical exams. Practitioners who are eligible include, but aren't limited to: medical doctors, doctors of osteopathy, doctors of chiropractic, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and advanced practice nurses.

Eligible candidates must complete required training before registering on the NRCME website, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Registering enables you to receive a unique National Registry number.

From there, candidates are eligible to take the two-hour National Registry Medical Examiner certification test. You’ll receive instant notification of whether you passed or failed. If you receive a passing score of at least 71%, those results will be passed along to the FMCSA.

The agency will then verify your state-level certification to perform physical exams. At that point, you'll receive your DOT examiner certificate via email. Only then can you begin performing exams.

What Is Required for Recertification?

As with any certification, you need to periodically recertify and refresh your knowledge. The NRCME requires medical examiners to review refresher material every five years.

In addition, medical examiners are required to take the FMCSA recertification assessment every 10 years. Before taking the exam, the NRCME requires medical examiners to complete training using private sector training providers.

What Are My Online Options for NRCME Certification and Recertification?

You can prepare for your NRCME exam with online, self-guided options. Oakstone CME offers the NRCME Plus Examiner Training System™, which was developed by one of the primary consultants who developed the original FMCSA guidelines.

NRCME Plus is an online program containing self-guided modules that can be easily accessed across desktop and mobile devices. The training course usually takes about 12 hours to complete, and your progress is automatically saved as you go, so you can break up your study sessions as needed.

This training system accommodates different levels of familiarity with NRCME. It includes a pretest to evaluate basic pre-training competencies and a post-test to see whether you're ready for the formal exam. Most modules have a follow-up quiz to evaluate your grasp of the most important concepts.

After completing our NRCME training system and passing the post-test with an 80% or better score, you can print and upload your training certificate of completion to the National Registry account.

Practitioners can claim up to 12 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ for completing this program. NRCME Plus also provides up to 12 contact hours from the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission and up to 12 CEUs from the Providers of Approved Continuing Education, which serves chiropractors.

At Oakstone, we're committed to providing valuable resources for all healthcare providers who are dedicated to their CME journeys. To prepare for your upcoming NRCME initial or recertification exam, learn more about our NRCME Plus Examiner Training System™ today!