How do I obtain a CME Certificate? (This information is at the beginning of every Challenger course.)

Receiving CME credit for coursework through Challenger is fast, easy and free. The following instructions will outline our general CME processing requirements and guide you to the submittal process best suited for you.

First, we require that at least 10 credits be completed before submission (except in cases where a given course awards less than 10 credits).

Challenger clients (other than residents) are eligible to receive CME credit for any assessment in which they score 80% or better. Credit totals are rounded down to the nearest quarter-credit.

As a standard, Challenger processes ALL credits completed with a score of 80% or better at the time of CME submission (certificate request).

NOTE: We strongly recommend that you complete coursework until you have passed (80%) in enough testing assessments to acquire your sum total of desired CME. That is, work through the course as a whole and submit for CME once at the end of your testing (or as needed to apply for a desired CME sum). Submitting a request on an individual assessment basis will take up your time, result in multiple certificates, and possibly extend processing time. It's usually more convenient for you to "cash out" the total of accumulated credits earned in one single submission.

There are numerous assessments in most Challenger courses so credit is earned topic by topic (some topics have multiple assessments). Credit designations per topic are listed in each course's Table of Contents section (approximately 1 credit for every 20 questions). If you don't obtain a passing score (80%) for a particular assessment, any assessment can be retaken to improve your score so that you are eligible for CME credit in that subsequent assessment.

Finally, as part of our CME process, our CME joint sponsors require users to complete a quick User Evaluation Form upon CME submission which we provide in several convenient forms as you'll see.

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Determining Your "Method Of Use" (Helpful tips for finding your scores)

Challenger's programs are very versatile. They can be accessed and utilized by using your product CD-ROM in your computer (offline) and without the CD-ROM through our learning portal at www.challengercme.com (online).

In order to process your scores, we need to either receive them from you (from your computer), or you just need to tell us to get them from our servers. So, we need to know how you worked and completed your scores (offline or online).

Here's the simplest way to determine your next step...

Which of the following scenarios sounds like you?

Scenario ONE:

• "I am running my program directly from the CD-ROM (disc)."
• "I installed the program from the CD-ROM (disc) to my hard-drive."
• "I am NOT logged onto the Internet at www.challengercme.com."
• "When I start my program I click a Challenger icon on my computer."

If scenario one sounds like you, you are working "offline" and are saving scores to your hard drive.
Click here for submission options and instructions for "offline" scores.

Note: You might think, "No, I see Internet Explorer (my browser) open and the Challenger information is in there!?" That does NOT mean you are working over the Internet or "online." Challenger programs use browsers such as Internet Explorer to display program contents.

Scenario TWO:

• "I am logged onto the Internet at www.challengercme.com."
• "I am NOT running my program directly from the CD-ROM (disc)."
• "I am NOT running an installed program on my hard-drive."

If scenario two sounds like you, you are working "online" and are saving scores at Challenger.
Click here for submission instructions for "online" scores.

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Submitting Offline Scores (Scenario ONE)

If you are working "offline" and your scores are being saved to your computer's hard drive, there are two options to send us your scores:

Option 1: Print your Scores and send them via Mail/Fax
Option 2: Submit scores via Email (two steps)

Option 1: Print your Scores and send them via Mail/Fax

• If you are not already running your program from which you are submitting scores, load your Challenger CD-ROM in to your CD tray or launch your installed program from the hard drive, and access the course.
• On the main page of the program (where chapters and topics are listed), along the top of the screen you will see buttons for "Save," "Print," "Email," etc.
• Click "Save" to save your scores to your hard-drive.
• Click the "Print" button at the top of the main page of the program (from which you wish to submit scores.) You must have a printer connected to your computer when you print your scores.
• When you select the "Print" button, the program will generate a report in a separate popup window titled "CME Hours Information." The report will contain the contact information you provided when first launching the course, the Challenger address and fax number for submitting scores for CME certificates, the required User Evaluation form, and the details of your scores.
• Verify your contact information. You can adjust it by clicking the "Configuration" button and editing the information.
• Select "Print" from the toolbar at the top of the CME Hours Information window (or right-click your mouse while pointing anywhere within this window and select "Print" from the popup menu that appears.)
• Complete the User Evaluation form on the printed score report.
• Mail or fax your scores to Challenger Corporation via the information on the form.

Option 2: Submitting scores via Email (a quicker, but two-step process)

Note: You must be actively connected to the Internet through an Internet Service Provider (ISP) for this function to work. For example, if you maintain a dial-up Internet connection, you must dial into your account and log in before clicking the email button.

Step 1:

• If you are not already running your program from which you are submitting scores, load your Challenger CD-ROM in to your CD tray or launch your installed program from the hard drive, and access the course.
• On the main page of the program (where chapters and topics are listed), along the top of the screen you will see buttons for "Save," "Print," "Email," etc.
• Click "Save" to save your scores to your hard-drive.
• Click the "Email" button at the top of the main page of the program (from which you wish to submit scores.) When you select the email button, your current scores are automatically exported and forwarded as an email attachment to Challenger Corporation.
• A message will appear to tell you that the scores were successfully sent.
• If you receive a "failure" message, read the Troubleshooting Email Submissions section.

Step 2: Complete the User Evaluation Form and return it to Challenger.

If you have an Internet connection, go to Challenger's Online CME Request and Evaluation Form

If you do not have an Internet connection:

• On the main page of the program (where chapters and topics are listed), along the top of the screen you will see buttons for "Save," "Print," "Email," etc.
• Click the "Print" button at the top of the main page of the program. Print the form, fill it out, and mail or fax it in.

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Submitting Online Scores (Scenario TWO)

If you are working "online" and your scores are being saved directly to Challenger's secure servers, you simply need to tell us your scores are ready to be processed.

• Log into your Challenger account at www.challengercme.com.
• On the main page of your online account (where you select your course and expand the table of contents), you will see a list of hyperlinks down the left margin.
• Select the link "Assessment Results and CME Hours." A new window will appear containing score access and request information.
• Click the link labeled "Request for CME Credit." A CME submission and evaulation form will open.
• Follow the instructions provided. Verification will be immediate and you will be in our queue for processing.

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Troubleshooting Email Submissions

If you receive a "failure" message after clicking the "Email" button, your computer and/or ISP may have certain security measures that may deny submission of your .xml score file. There is a quick solution to this problem.

Since your scores are located on your hard-drive, we simply need to help you manually find them and send them in an email to cme@chall.com.

Here is what to do: when you "Save" your scores, the offline program asks you the location where score file should be saved on your local hard-drive, for example: C:\WINDOWS\java\result.xml. The "results.xml" file at this location is what we need to process your scores.

• Click the "Save" button on the main page of the program from which you are submitting scores.
• Note the location of the "results.xml" score file.
• Open a blank email and use your email client's file attachment capabilities to navigate to the "results.xml" file and attach the file to the email.
• Send the file, your contact information, and the title of your course to cme@chall.com. An auto-reply will confirm transmission.

If you are not successful, please use the Mail/Fax submission process outlined above or contact Challenger Technical Support.

Challenger Technical Support
(888) 242-5536 or (901) 762-8449
[8am - 6pm Central Time]
[Monday - Friday] - Excluding Holidays
techsupport@chall.com

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How long is the CME good on my Challenger course before it expires?

The time in which you must complete the CME on your Challenger course depends upon the product title and the sponsoring institution for CME for that particular course. To identify the CME provider for a course, please access its product page. Once you identify the CME provider for a Challenger product, you can use the following list to determine the time frame in which you can submit CME for credit on the course:

Sponsoring Accreditors:
AAP - 1 year from your date of purchase
ACEP - 3 years from your date of purchase
Emory University - 3 years from your date of purchase
Temple University - 2 years from your date of purchase
University of Arizona - 2 years from your date of purchase
University of Colorado - 5 years from your date of purchase
University of Miami - 3 years from your date of purchase
Vanderbilt University - 6 years from your date of purchase

Independent of how long you are able to submit for CME on your product, Challenger recommends upgrading your program every 2-3 years to ensure your product remains current. Challenger offers discounts to current customers wishing to upgrade their software to the latest edition. For information about updating an old Challenger program, please call Challenger Sales at 800-676-0822.

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All of your materials indicate that Challenger courses are accredited for AMA Category 1 CME credit. Can I earn other types of credit for completing Challenger courses?

Yes.

For physician assistants, the AAPA recognizes AMA Category 1 credit on a one-for-one basis.

For osteopaths, the AOA recognizes AMA Category 1 credit as AOA Category 2B credit on a one-for-one basis. 70% of your annual CME requirement consists of Category 2B hours.

Challenger ECG Cases and Challenger Heart Sounds both offer you the choice of receiving ACEP CME credit and AMA Category 1 credit.

Challenger Pediatric Psychiatry offers you the choice of receiving AAP CME credit and AMA Category 1 credit.

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