Description
About the Bioidentical Hormone Therapy (BHRT) and Saliva Testing Certification Course
This fully online, self-paced course delivers ACCME-accredited certification training in modern bioidentical hormone optimization and salivary hormone testing for female, male, thyroid, and adrenal patient populations, jointly provided by Amedco LLC and PracticalCME, LLC. The course is designed for the clinician launching a BHRT, hormone optimization, or integrative wellness practice, and for the medical director evaluating what hormone replacement services the practice can safely and defensibly offer. Both an RN or NP and her medical director can take the course for direct certification credit, enabling an entire wellness team to onboard through one program.
Why This Course Is Different
Modern Bioidentical Hormone Optimization is the oldest continuously-accredited CME offering in the PracticalCME catalog, first released in 2008 and now in Version 15. Three things set it apart from the proliferation of newer BHRT programs:
The bioidentical principle is clearly defined. The curriculum teaches clinicians to give back what the body is missing: the same molecular hormone, in the amount the body itself would produce, over the duration the body itself would release it. Not a synthetic analog, not a drug that alters physiology, not a supplement blend marketed by a vendor.
Stress physiology is the organizing framework. Female hormone imbalance, male hypogonadism, thyroid dysfunction, and adrenal fatigue are rarely isolated endocrine events. They are the downstream consequence of chronic physiologic stress: workplace demand, undernutrition, poor sleep, perimenopause and andropause transitions, and systemic inflammation. The curriculum teaches diagnosis and treatment of the imbalance while addressing the stressor that produced it.
Minimal regulatory gray area. Bioidentical hormone replacement operates squarely within the FDA-approved 503A compounding pharmacy framework and conventional manufacturers. Unlike peptide prescribing (which currently depends on HHS enforcement discretion) or elective IV therapy (which operates in state-by-state scope variance), BHRT practice does not depend on any enforcement discretion policy. The clinical and legal framework has been stable for 18 years of this curriculum.
What’s Included in Your Tuition
- Full online course access to all 8 topics (approximately 12 hours of structured instruction)
- ACCME double-accredited CME certificate: 12 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ for physicians (AAPA reciprocity for PAs), 12 ANCC contact hours including 7 pharmacotherapeutic hours for nurses and nurse practitioners
- Jointly accredited through Amedco LLC and PracticalCME, LLC (Amedco Joint Accreditation Provider Number: 4008163)
- Downloadable syllabus PDF with 170+ clickable scientific references
- Desiccated thyroid conversion table for direct clinical use
- Case series integrated throughout the curriculum
- Printable CME certificate upon passing the post-test
- Two years of online course access with all content updates included at no additional charge
Course Curriculum (8 Topics, Approximately 12 Hours)
- Topic 1: Foundations, Stress Physiology, and Standard of Care (~45 min)
- Topic 2: Female Hormone Imbalance (~165 min)
- Topic 3: Male Hormone Imbalance (~75 min)
- Topic 4: Principles of Salivary Hormone Testing (~45 min)
- Topic 5: Thyroid Testing and Treatment (~105 min)
- Topic 6: Stress-Induced Adrenal Dysfunction (~135 min)
- Topic 7: Confounding Factors and Stressors (~30 min)
- Topic 8: Practice Implementation and Case Studies (~120 min)
Who Should Take This Course
Physicians (MD/DO), nurse practitioners, physician assistants, registered nurses, naturopathic doctors (NDs), and physicians serving as medical directors of hormone optimization, BHRT, wellness, aesthetic, or integrative medicine clinics. The course is designed for clinicians who want evidence-based, vendor-neutral training before offering bioidentical hormone replacement, salivary testing, thyroid optimization, or adrenal dysfunction protocols. Attendees receive genuine CME credit that counts for licensure, hospital credentialing, and professional liability insurance audits. The dual accreditation (AMA Category 1 and ANCC) allows an entire practice team, from RN through medical director, to earn direct certification credit from the same program.
Who Teaches This Course
Founder and Medical Director, PracticalCME. Board-certified physician and surgeon. Author of the Modern Bioidentical Hormone Optimization curriculum (first released 2008, now Version 15). 18 years of continuous BHRT CME authorship. Active medical director for multiple cash-pay hormone optimization practices operating within the FDA-approved 503A compounding framework.
Pair With the Peptides, IV Therapy, and GLP-1 Course for Full Wellness Practice Coverage
BHRT, peptide therapy, GLP-1 weight loss, and IV wellness are often offered together in modern integrative and wellness practices. Clinicians building a comprehensive wellness menu can purchase BHRT alongside the Peptides, IV Therapy, and GLP-1 certification course as a bundle at a meaningful discount compared to buying each course individually. Together, the two courses deliver 23.5 total CME hours across the four most-requested cash-pay wellness service lines.
About PracticalCME’s Beyond Injectables™ Series
This course is part of PracticalCME’s Beyond Injectables™ suite of fully accredited online CME training for clinicians expanding beyond injectable aesthetics into regenerative, wellness, and non-injectable services. Companion courses include Peptides, IV Therapy, and GLP-1 Certification, Evidence-Based Weight Loss and GLP-1 Master Course, Neurotransmitter and GI Testing and Treatment, and a new Non-Injectable Aesthetics course arriving in 2027. Each course in the series is taught by a board-certified physician, vendor-neutral, and designed for the same compliance-first standard.
Course Access and Credit Policy
Course login and password are delivered via email within a few hours of order completion. The course is fully online and self-paced; there is no live or scheduled component. Online course access and all content updates continue for two years from purchase. The CME certificate is downloadable upon passing the post-test.
Common Questions About Registering
How soon can I start the course after I register?
Your login credentials arrive by email within minutes of order completion. You can start the course the same day you register.
Is this really 15 versions of continuous revision, or is that marketing language?
It is genuinely Version 15. PracticalCME originally authored this BHRT curriculum over 15 years ago and has revised it approximately annually as the field evolves. The current 2026 edition, released October 1, 2026, incorporates updated dosing frameworks, revised salivary testing standards, peptide-era integration considerations, and 170+ current scientific references. Each revision is a genuine content update, not a cosmetic refresh.
Is this course accredited for CME and CE credit?
Yes. The activity is jointly accredited by Amedco LLC and PracticalCME, LLC, and is active for full CME and CE credit through October 1, 2028. Physicians earn 12 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (with AAPA reciprocity for physician assistants), and nurses and nurse practitioners earn 12 ANCC contact hours including 7 pharmacotherapeutic contact hours. This is genuine accreditation, not a certificate of completion or vendor-sponsored training.
Does the ANCC credit count for nurse practitioners?
Yes. ANCC contact hours are accepted by nurse practitioner licensing boards nationwide for NP continuing education requirements, including the pharmacotherapeutic hours required for prescriptive authority renewal in most states. Separate AANP accreditation is not required when ANCC is in place.
Does the course cover adrenal fatigue specifically?
Yes. Topic 6 (approximately 135 minutes) is dedicated to stress-induced adrenal dysfunction, including HPA axis physiology, cortisol rhythm assessment through salivary testing, differential diagnosis of adrenal symptoms, and evidence-based treatment protocols. Adrenal content is a differentiator vs. most BHRT courses that limit coverage to sex hormones and thyroid.
Does the course teach salivary hormone testing or just serum?
Both. The course covers salivary hormone testing in depth as its own topic (Topic 4), and integrates salivary testing throughout the female, male, thyroid, and adrenal clinical sections. Salivary testing is especially useful for cortisol rhythm and tissue-level hormone assessment, which serum testing cannot capture. The course teaches when to use each testing modality.