AMA Impairment Rating
Certification for
Physicians Nationwide.
Impairment ratings end up in depositions, hearings, and court decisions. The physicians whose reports get challenged are the ones without credentials. We have been preparing physicians to produce defensible, statutory-compliant impairment ratings since 1996, before most certification programs existed.
What Sets AAEME Apart in AMA Impairment Rating Training?
The American Academy of Expert Medical Evaluators (AAEME) provides a clinician-led approach to AMA Impairment Rating education. Unlike generic training programs, AAEME offers credentials built on 30+ years of workers' compensation expertise, ensuring that certifications like CIRS™ and NIRSAT™ hold up in legal proceedings. Our curriculum is designed by practicing physicians for busy clinicians who require defensible, statutory-compliant reporting skills.
We do not take a generic approach to impairment rating education. Every course, every exam question, and every credentialing standard at AAEME is developed by practicing MDs and DCs who perform impairment evaluations in active clinical practice. The result is a curriculum that reflects actual workers' compensation and motor vehicle case requirements, not theoretical frameworks. Physicians who earn their CIRS or NIRSAT credential through AAEME produce reports that are accurate, defensible, and legally sound.
How Do I Earn My CIRS™ or NIRSAT™ Certification?
Earning your certification follows a streamlined three-step process: First, choose the specific AMA Guides edition required for your jurisdiction. Second, complete the comprehensive on-demand course at your own pace. Finally, pass the secure certification exam to receive your official CIRS or NIRSAT credentials. This structured path ensures physicians can master impairment ratings while maintaining a full-time practice.
What AMA Guides Courses Are Currently Available?
AAEME offers two paid certification courses, the 5th Edition Advanced and the Nevada IR Stress Disorders Seminar, plus IR Fundamentals, a free training library available to all registered physicians. All courses are online and self-paced.
Course content is always free. More free courses will be added continuously.
What Certification Exams Does AAEME Offer?
AAEME offers three certification exams: NIRSAT for Nevada-licensed physicians (required under NV Rev. Stat. 616C.110), the AMA Guides 5th Edition exam for national workers' compensation and motor vehicle cases, and the AMA Guides 6th Edition exam for states that have adopted the current edition. All exams are online, self-scheduled, 4 hours in length, and require a 75% passing score. Certificates are issued immediately upon passing.
What Do Physicians Say About AAEME Training?
Physician testimonials for AAEME highlight the practical, defensible nature of our impairment rating certification. Practitioners across specialties consistently cite our 30-year legacy and clinical depth as the primary reasons for choosing CIRS and NIRSAT over other training providers.
The NIRSAT course was clinically thorough and directly applicable to the cases I handle. I felt prepared for the exam and confident in applying the methodology from day one.
I have used AAEME's training alongside impairment rating software for years. The combination produces reports that consistently hold up in workers' compensation proceedings without challenge.
The 5th Edition course addressed methodology nuances I had not encountered in practice. The free training library has become a standard reference for my team between certifications.
How Do I Generate Defensible Impairment
Rating Reports After Certification?
Certification establishes your credential. WholePerson® software translates that credential into reports that hold up in legal proceedings. Built on 30+ years of clinical logic developed alongside AAEME's own training methodology, WholePerson® covers AMA Guides 4th, 5th, and 6th Editions across all body regions, producing documentation that meets the defensibility requirements of workers' compensation and motor vehicle cases. Used by CIRS-certified physicians nationwide.
Continue to WPIRS Reporting SoftwareHow Do Nevada-Licensed Physicians Meet State Impairment Rating Requirements?
Your state has specific certification requirements.
Learn about the law, your certification options, renewal rules for MDs, DOs, and DCs, and the new Stress Disorders requirements for psychological impairment ratings in workers' compensation cases.
Nevada physicians must adhere to specific statutory requirements for impairment ratings and the new Stress Disorders evaluation rules. AAEME provides a dedicated Nevada-compliant track that covers the mandatory law updates, renewal procedures, and the latest impairment rating standards required by the state.
From the AAEME Blog
Impairment rating requirements change. Stay ahead of them.
State guidelines, AMA Guides edition updates, new course announcements, and certification requirement changes, delivered directly to you. No spam. Relevant information only.