Frequently Asked Questions

NRCME Training

  • In order to perform DOT physical exams, certification by the NRCME – the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners – is required. The National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners (NRCME) is a Federal program that establishes requirements for healthcare professionals that perform physical qualification examinations and issue medical certificates for Commercial Motor Vehicle drivers.

    The first step to NRCME certification is to complete the accredited NRCME training course at www.NRCMEweb.com. You will receive a certificate of completion in your account immediately upon completing the course. Next, you will apply for your NRCME Registry ID number directly from the Federal Motor Carrier Administration (FMCSA). You will typically receive your NRCME Registry ID number in 1 - 2 weeks after applying.

    Once you obtain your Registry ID number, you will locate an FMCSA-approved testing center and schedule the NRCME certification exam, which must be taken in person. You will need a copy of the certificate of completion from the training course and your Registry ID number to sit for the exam. The NRCME certification exam fee is typically $79. The NRCME certification exam is a 2-hour multiple choice exam consisting of 120 questions, 20 of which are questions that are being evaluated and are not scored. A score of 71% is required to pass the NRCME certification exam.

    Upon passing the NRCME certification exam, you will receive confirmation from the NRCME and are now able to perform DOT physical exams. NRCME certification is valid for 10 years.

  • The National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners (NRCME) is a Federal program that establishes requirements for healthcare professionals that perform physical qualification examinations and issue medical certificates for Commercial Motor Vehicle drivers.

    To become a certified Medical Examiner to perform DOT physical exams, you must be licensed, certified, or registered in accordance with applicable state laws and regulations to perform physical qualification examinations of interstate commercial motor vehicle drivers. In all states, Doctors of Medicine and Doctors of Osteopathy (MD/DO), Physician Assistants, Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN), Doctors of Nursing Practice (DNP), and Nurse Practitioners (NP's) are eligible to obtain NRCME certification to perform DOT physical exams. In most states, chiropractors are eligible to obtain NRCME certification to perform DOT physical exams, but notable exceptions include New York, Michigan, and Washington.

    Various other healthcare providers may be eligible to obtain NRCME certification depending upon the specific state. This would include naturopaths, registered nurses, physical therapists, acupuncturists, among others.

  • Our accredited NRCME Training course offers providers the best opportunity to pass the NRMCE certification exam on the first attempt, and properly prepare providers to immediately perform DOT exams with confidence. Our pass rate on the NRCME exam is over 99%. Here at EMedHome.com, we have been offering quality online continuing education for 25 years. Our NRCME training course was developed and is continually reviewed and updated by our editorial board consisting of board-certified physicians who are all certified medical examiners with expertise in the NRCME exam curriculum. Be wary of courses run by a single person or by non-clinical administrators from a professional society.

    When our editorial board members obtained NRCME certification, we were all disappointed by the quality of the available courses and the high cost. Therefore, we decided to launch our own course of the highest quality and priced reasonably. We are very proud of the course and are obsessive about constantly evaluating it to make sure it meets the needs of providers and is completely up to date. Our training course offers the most up-do-date training available. Over 15,000 providers have successfully used our course to obtain NRCME certification, and that number is increasing daily.

    Our NRCME training course is unique in that we offer over 350 sample questions, including a sample NRCME exam that mimics the actual NRCME certification exam. In addition, the course includes the lecture “What You Will Be Asked on the NRCME Exam”. Our course includes 9 Category 1 AMA PRA CME credit, not 6 like other courses.

    Here is the bottom line: We want you to pass the NRCME exam, we want you to become a qualified certified medical examiner, and we are here to help.

  • The DOT Physical exam is a thorough general bedside physical examination with vital signs. In addition, the required components include:

    • Vision testing using a Snellen eye chart

    • Hearing testing using with a forced whisper test or, alternatively, an audiometric test. Most examiners will refer the driver to an audiologist for the audiometric test if the driver fails the simple forced whisper test.

    • Urine dipstick checking for: Specific gravity, Glucose, Blood, and Protein.

    The DOT physical exam also includes completion of the appropriate FMCSA forms, including the Medical Evaluation Report Form and the Medical Examiner’s Certificate.

  • Yes, our course includes 9 Category 1 AMA PRA CME credits at no additional charge. For advanced practice nurse practitioners, our CME credit is equal to AANP CE credit.

  • Absolutely. The name of our educational firm is EMedHome.com, and we have been offering accredited continuing education for 25 years. We are fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education which sets and enforces standards in continuing education within the United States. You can confirm our accreditation by going to www.ACCME.org and searching for EMedHome.com under the “Find a CME Provider” tab.

  • Viewing the course content itself is approximately 6 hours, but then the provider will need to review the material and prepare, just as you would for any board-type exam.

  • Once I sign up, for how long do I have access to the course?

  • No, our course includes everything you need to take and pass the NRCME exam. We actually ask providers NOT to use any outside materials or question banks since most are outdated and contain errors.

  • Absolutely. Please contact us at mail@EMedHome.com or use the Contact Us tab above for details. We offer many advantages to Urgent Care clinics who sign up their providers, including your own admin portal where you can track your providers’ progress through the training course. In addition, our customer service is awesome and we sign up new providers right away.

10 Year NRCME Recertification Course

  • Our accredited 10 Year NRCME Recertification course offers medical examiners the best opportunity to pass the NRMCE certification exam on the first attempt, and bring you up to speed with all of the latest FMCSA rules and regulations. Our pass rate on the NRCME exam for recertification is over 99%. Here at EMedHome.com, we have been offering quality online continuing education for 25 years. Our 10 Year NRCME Recertification course was developed and is continually reviewed and updated by our editorial board consisting of board-certified physicians who are all certified medical examiners with expertise in the NRCME exam curriculum. Be wary of courses run by a single person or by non-clinical administrators from a professional society.

    Moreover, our 10 Year NRCME Recertification course is specifically designed for medical examiners recertifying at 10 Years, unlike other courses which offer the same curriculum for both first-time certifications and 10 Year Recertification.

    When our editorial board members obtained NRCME certification, we were all disappointed by the quality of the available courses and the high cost. Therefore, we decided to launch our own training course of the highest quality and priced reasonably. We then applied the same principles to our 10 Year NRCME Recertification course. We are very proud of the course and are obsessive about constantly evaluating it to make sure it meets the needs of providers and is completely up to date. Our 10 Year NRCME Recertification training course offers the most up-do-date curriculum.

    Our 10 Year NRCME Recertification course is unique in that we offer over 350 sample questions, including a sample NRCME exam that mimics the actual NRCME certification exam. In addition, the course includes the lecture “What You Will Be Asked on the NRCME Exam”. Our course includes 9 Category 1 AMA PRA CME credit, not 6 like other courses.

    Here is the bottom line: We want you to easily obtain recertification and we are here to help.

  • The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations require Certified Medical Examiners to complete the recertification process no sooner than 9 years and no later than 10 years after the date of issuance of the medical examiner’s certification credential.

    In order to recertify, the medical examiner must complete the accredited training (www.NRCMErecert.com). After successfully completing the training and uploading proof of training completion (i.e., training certificate) to the examiner's NRCME national registry account, the examiner will be eligible to take the 10-year NRCME recertification test. The 10-year certification test taken at an FMCSA-approved computerized testing center in the same manner as the initial National Registry Medical Examiner Certification Test.

    If the medical examiner does not complete this process and obtain a passing score on the National Registry Medical Examiner Certification Test by his/her 10 year anniversary date, the examiner will be removed from the National Registry and will be unable to continue to perform DOT physical exams.

    It is recommended that the medical examiner complete the recertification process as early as possible to avoid any risk of being removed from the National Registry.

  • In order to maintain your ability to perform DOT physical exams, you must complete the recertification process before your National Registry certification expires on the tenth anniversary of your initial NRCME certification If you do not complete your NRCME recertification by this date, you will be removed from the National Registry for noncompliance with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations and lose the ability to perform DOT exams.

    In order to recertify, the medical examiner must complete the accredited training (www.NRCMErecert.com). After successfully completing the training and uploading proof of training completion (i.e., training certificate) to the examiner’s NRCME national registry account, the examiner will be eligible to take the 10-year NRCME recertification test. The 10-year certification test taken at an FMCSA-approved computerized testing center in the same manner as the initial National Registry Medical Examiner Certification Test.

    You can complete the recertification process as early as one year before the expiration of your current NRCME certification. It is recommended that the medical examiner complete the recertification process as early as possible to avoid any risk of being removed from the National Registry.

  • Yes, our course includes 9 Category 1 AMA PRA CME credits at no additional charge. For advanced practice nurse practitioners, our CME credit is equal to AANP CE credit.

  • Absolutely. The name of our educational firm is EMedHome.com, and we have been offering accredited continuing education for 25 years. We are fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education which sets and enforces standards in continuing education within the United States. You can confirm our accreditation by going to www.ACCME.org and searching for EMedHome.com under the “Find a CME Provider” tab.

  • Viewing the course content itself is approximately 6 hours, but then the provider will need to review the material and prepare, just as you would for any board-type exam.

  • Even though the course takes less than a day to complete, you have a full year of access after signing up.

  • Initially, the FMCSA intimated that the recertification exam would be different from the exam for initial NRCME certification. It is now apparent that the exams are the same, although there are variations of the certification exam that are offered.

Certified Medical Examiners

  • FMCSA regulation and guidance change often and the onus is on the certified medical examiner to stay up to date. easyDOTexam.com is the only completely up to date, accurate, user-friendly clinical decision support tool for DOT exams. Thousands of medical examiners log in to www.easyDOTexam.com each day to make sure that their certification decisions are accurate.

  • In order to maintain your listing on the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners and the ability to continue to perform DOT physical exams, the certified medical examiner must:

    Complete the 5-year periodic training requirement

    When the certified medical examiner reaches the 4-year anniversary date from certification with the National Registry, the periodic training will be released to the examiner’s NRCME account for completion prior to 5 years from the certification date with the National Registry. Medical examiners that do not complete the periodic training by 5 years from the certification date will be removed from the National Registry for noncompliance with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations.

    Complete the 10-year NRCME certification testing requirement

    The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations require Certified Medical Examiners to complete the recertification process no sooner than 9 years and no later than 10 years after the date of issuance of the medical examiner’s certification credential. This process consists of completing accredited recertification training (www.NRCMErecert.com) followed by obtaining a passing score on the 10-year NRCME certification exam.

  • One of the requirements to maintain your NRCME certification is to complete the 5 year periodic training before your 5 year certification anniversary. Failure to do so will result in removal from the national registry which will result in the loss your ability to perform DOT exams. The link to the 5 year periodic training will appear in your national registry account at year 4 of your certification. The 5 year periodic training can ONLY be completed via your national registry account.

  • One of the fundamental concepts underlying DOT exam certifications is that of regulation versus guidance.

    FMCSA guidance is not regulatory, meaning the examiner has discretion whether or not to follow such guidance. It is important to understand that FMCSA guidance is not composed of arbitrary recommendations created by administrators. Rather, such guidance is the result of expert panels made up of clinical experts and traffic safety experts that are convened to address how examiners should best approach various clinical conditions. Such guidance and expert recommendations serve as the de facto standard of care.

    Should the medical examiner choose not to follow such guidance, s/he should document the reason for deviating from guidance so that if an accident or other adverse event occurs, you can defend yourself. You can be sure that plaintiff counsel is very familiar with FMCSA guidance.