MCSPT is the FAA's online Medical Certification Standards and Procedures Training. It is not a standalone credential: the FAA allows it only as a prerequisite for a Basic Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) Seminar or as staff training, and it does not carry Continuing Medical Education (CME) credit or substitute for AME refresher training. If you are pursuing AME designation, you must first apply through the FAA Designee Management System and be approved by the appropriate FAA region; only then should you complete MCSPT alongside the Clinical Aerospace Physiology Review for AMEs (CAPAME) before attending a Basic AME Seminar.
What the MCSPT course is
MCSPT is an online course the Federal Aviation Administration offers through its Aviation Medical Examiner training program. The FAA restricts its use to two purposes: as a prerequisite for a Basic AME Seminar, or as training for staff.
The full name is Medical Certification Standards and Procedures Training. It sits inside the FAA's online AME training program, alongside courses such as CAPAME and the Multimedia AME Refresher Course.
Before you begin, the course page asks you to acknowledge a statement confirming you understand that MCSPT is limited to those two uses. That acknowledgement exists because physicians sometimes assume the course can serve other purposes, such as counting toward their ongoing training requirements. It cannot, and the next sections explain why.
The FAA's course page carries a last-updated date of September 5, 2024. Because the FAA can revise course pages, check the live page before you enroll.
Who the course is for
Two groups take MCSPT: physicians working toward AME designation, and staff who support AME work. Physician applicants must be an MD or DO and must be approved by the FAA before completing any online training course.
The FAA's course catalog describes MCSPT as something you complete either as part of the requirement to become an AME or for staff training. If you are a clinic employee supporting an AME rather than applying yourself, the staff-training use is the one that applies to you.
If you are pursuing designation, the eligibility basics are specific. You must be a physician, and the FAA requires applicants to hold an MD or DO for an application to be considered. You apply online through the Designee Management System (DMS), and the FAA contacts you only if your area needs an additional AME at the clinic address you list. You must also update your application at least once a year to keep it active on the selection list.
One sequencing rule matters more than any other at this stage. The FAA instructs applicants not to complete the online courses until they have submitted a DMS application and been approved by the appropriate FAA region to attend training. Starting early does not put you ahead; completing courses without approval is outside the process.
- Physician applicants must hold an MD or DO
- Apply through the FAA Designee Management System and keep the application updated yearly
- The FAA selects applicants based on area need
- Do not start any online AME course until the FAA region approves your training
Official sources: AME Online Training | Federal Aviation Administration — Course selection guidance and refresher training notes; Become an AME | Federal Aviation Administration — Requirements and prerequisites
Where MCSPT fits on the path to becoming an AME
MCSPT is one of two online prerequisites. Both it and CAPAME must be completed before you can attend the Basic AME Seminar in Oklahoma City, which is the in-person requirement for designation.
The FAA's AME training page is explicit about the order. Prospective AMEs are required to complete MCSPT and the Clinical Aerospace Physiology Review for AMEs (CAPAME) prior to attending a Basic AME Seminar. The Become an AME page adds that these online prerequisites must be finished before the physician can be invited to the seminar, which is held in Oklahoma City.
The pathway is therefore sequential, and each gate depends on the previous one. Your DMS application starts the process, regional approval opens the online courses, and the completed prerequisites qualify you for the seminar invitation. Only after the seminar and meeting the training requirements can you be designated as an AME.
Whether you are ever invited depends on need. The FAA states that it contacts applicants only when an additional AME is needed in the area of the requested clinic address, so approval to proceed is not guaranteed by submitting an application.
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1. Apply in DMS | Submit your application in the FAA Designee Management System and keep it updated at least yearly |
| 2. Regional approval | The FAA contacts you only if your area needs another AME, and the region approves you for training |
| 3. Online prerequisites | Complete MCSPT and CAPAME |
| 4. Basic AME Seminar | Attend the seminar in Oklahoma City; training requirements must be met before designation |
Official sources: AME Online Training | Federal Aviation Administration — Course selection guidance and refresher training notes; Become an AME | Federal Aviation Administration — Requirements and prerequisites
What MCSPT does not do
MCSPT is not accredited for CME credit, and the FAA does not accept it as a substitute for AME refresher training. For current AMEs, different courses serve those purposes under specific conditions.
These limits come straight from the FAA's course page, and the acknowledgement step at enrollment reinforces them. Completing MCSPT will not earn CME credit, and it will not satisfy the refresher training an AME must complete on a recurring basis.
If you are already an AME, the refresher rules work differently. The Multimedia Aviation Medical Examiner Refresher Course (MAMERC) 3.0 can fulfill mandatory refresher training if you have attended an AME seminar within the last three years, and it extends that seminar attendance by 36 months. However, attendance at an AME seminar is still required every six years regardless of when MAMERC was last completed. CAPAME likewise cannot substitute for seminar training.
CME credit and refresher training are separate matters. You may complete MAMERC 3.0 or CAPAME at any time for CME credit, but that credit is distinct from your refresher-training obligation. None of these routes run through MCSPT.
Official sources: Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) Training: Medical Certification Standards and Procedures Training (MCSPT) | Federal Aviation Administration — Course purpose, restrictions, and account requirements; AME Online Training | Federal Aviation Administration — Course selection guidance and refresher training notes
Enrolling and getting help
MCSPT requires an account created with a valid email address and your assigned pseudo AME number. If you hit problems with sign-in or your training account, the FAA's AME Training Help Desk is the contact point.
The account requirement is specific: you need a valid email address and the pseudo AME number assigned to you. This is one more reason the approval step comes first, since that number is part of the assignment process rather than something you generate yourself.
For training questions or account trouble, the FAA directs you to the AME Training Help Desk, which you can email or call at (405) 954-4831. For DMS application questions, a separate DMS Helpdesk is listed on the Become an AME page.
The short exercise below checks that you have the sequence right before you invest time in the course.
Practice check
A physician who wants to become an Aviation Medical Examiner lists four steps in random order: (A) attend a Basic AME Seminar in Oklahoma City; (B) submit an application in the FAA Designee Management System; (C) complete MCSPT and CAPAME; (D) receive approval from the appropriate FAA region to attend training. Put the steps in the order the FAA requires.
Show answer
B, D, C, A.
The FAA instructs applicants not to complete the online courses until they have submitted a DMS application and been approved by the appropriate FAA region, so B and D come first. Prospective AMEs must complete MCSPT and CAPAME before attending a Basic AME Seminar, so C precedes A. The seminar is the in-person step held in Oklahoma City, after which the training requirements must be met before designation.
Official sources: Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) Training: Medical Certification Standards and Procedures Training (MCSPT) | Federal Aviation Administration — Course purpose, restrictions, and account requirements; AME Online Training | Federal Aviation Administration — Course selection guidance and refresher training notes; Become an AME | Federal Aviation Administration — Requirements and prerequisites
Next steps and official sources
Confirm your pathway first, then enroll: current or prospective AME applicants should verify their DMS application status and regional approval before starting MCSPT, and staff should confirm the assignment with their supervising AME or FAA contact.
For details the retrieved FAA pages do not cover, such as the course's internal lessons, expected time commitment, or how completion is recorded, go to the FAA's MCSPT course page itself once you have your account, or ask the AME Training Help Desk. Those pages are also the authoritative check if anything in this guide looks out of date.
If your longer-term goal is AME designation, review the Become an AME requirements and the AME seminar schedule on the FAA site, and keep your DMS application current so you remain on the selection list for your area.
- Verify regional approval before starting any online AME course
- Complete MCSPT and CAPAME once approved, then plan for the Basic AME Seminar
- Current AMEs: use MAMERC 3.0 or CAPAME for refresher or CME purposes, not MCSPT
Official sources: Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) Training: Medical Certification Standards and Procedures Training (MCSPT) | Federal Aviation Administration — Course purpose, restrictions, and account requirements; AME Online Training | Federal Aviation Administration — Course selection guidance and refresher training notes; Become an AME | Federal Aviation Administration — Requirements and prerequisites
Official sources
Facts checked September 18, 2026: