Zapier Automation: CE Credit Email Tracker and Digest

What This Builds

An automated system that catches every CE opportunity that arrives in your email — from ASRT, vendor modules, RSNA, and specialty societies — labels it automatically, adds it to your CE tracking spreadsheet, and sends you a weekly digest of available CE credits you haven't completed yet. You'll never scramble for CE credits before your ARRT renewal again.

Prerequisites

• Zapier account at zapier.com (free tier covers this workflow — up to 100 tasks/month)
• Gmail account (the automation works with Gmail; Outlook requires a Zapier paid plan)
• Google Sheets CE tracker (from Level 2 guide)
• CE-related emails arriving in your Gmail (ASRT newsletter, vendor training invites, RSNA announcements)

The Concept

Zapier is an automation tool that connects different apps. Think of it as a set of "if this, then that" rules running automatically in the background.

Here's what we're building:

• Rule 1: When an email arrives that contains "continuing education" or "CE credit" → Gmail automatically labels it "CE Opportunity"
• Rule 2: When a "CE Opportunity" label is applied → Zapier extracts the course title and credit count and adds a new row to your Google Sheets tracker with status "Available"
• Rule 3: Every Sunday at 6pm → Zapier compiles all "Available" CE rows from your spreadsheet and sends you a summary email with the week's opportunities

Build It Step by Step

Part 1: Set Up Gmail Label Filtering (10 minutes — no Zapier needed yet)

1. In Gmail, click the gear icon → See all settings → Filters and Blocked Addresses → Create a new filter
2. In the "Has the words" field, type: continuing education OR CE credit OR CE credits OR ARRT approved
3. Click "Create filter" → Check "Apply the label" → Create a new label: "CE Opportunity"
4. Check "Also apply filter to matching conversations" to catch past emails
5. Click "Create filter"

Test: Search Gmail for label:CE-Opportunity — you should see existing CE emails now labeled.

Part 2: Create Your Zapier Account

1. Go to zapier.com → click "Sign up for free"
2. Create an account with your Gmail address
3. Connect your Gmail account when prompted (Zapier will ask for Gmail access — this is required for the automation to read your labels)
4. Connect your Google Sheets account (same process)

Part 3: Build Zap 1 — Label to Spreadsheet

1. Click "+ Create" → "Zaps" → "New Zap"

2. Trigger: Search for "Gmail" → Select "New Labeled Email" → connect your Gmail → select label: "CE Opportunity" → click Continue

3. Action: Search for "Google Sheets" → Select "Create Spreadsheet Row" → connect your Google Sheets → select your CE tracker spreadsheet

4. Map the fields:

   • Date Completed → Leave blank (you'll fill in when you complete it)
   • Course Title → Map to Gmail "Subject" field
   • CE Category → Type: "Available - To Review" (default text)
   • Credits Earned → Map to Gmail "Body Plain" field (note: this won't be perfect — AI can't always extract credit counts from email bodies, so review these manually)
   • Source → Map to Gmail "From Name" field

5. Click Test → verify a new row appears in your spreadsheet

6. Click "Publish Zap" → name it "CE Email to Tracker"

Part 4: Build Zap 2 — Weekly Digest

1. Click "+ Create" → "New Zap"
2. Trigger: Search for "Schedule by Zapier" → Select "Every Week" → set Day: Sunday, Time: 6:00 PM
3. Action 1: Search for "Google Sheets" → Select "Lookup Spreadsheet Row" → select your CE tracker → filter for rows where "CE Category" = "Available - To Review"
4. Action 2: Search for "Gmail" → Select "Send Email" → to: your email address → subject: "Your Weekly CE Digest" → body: paste this template:

Your CE Credit Digest — [Date]

ARRT renewal: [your renewal date]
Credits needed: [formula from your spreadsheet]

--- CE OPPORTUNITIES IN YOUR INBOX THIS WEEK ---
[Zapier will insert the rows it found here]

--- TO LOG COMPLETED CREDITS ---
Update your CE tracker: [link to your Google Sheet]

---
This digest is automatic. Reply to this email with questions.

1. Click Test → verify a digest email arrives in your inbox
2. Click "Publish Zap" → name it "Weekly CE Digest"

Part 5: Maintain the System

Each week when your digest arrives:

1. Open the digest
2. For each CE opportunity, click through and complete the ones that fit your schedule
3. Update the Google Sheet row: change "Available - To Review" to the actual CE category, fill in credits earned and completion date

Real Example: ASRT Newsletter CE Catch

What happens automatically:

1. Monday: ASRT sends its weekly newsletter with a link to a free 1-credit webinar on "CT Dose Optimization"
2. Gmail detects "CE credit" in the email body → applies the "CE Opportunity" label
3. Zapier sees the new label → adds a new row to your Google Sheet: "CT Dose Optimization | Available - To Review | From: ASRT"
4. Sunday at 6pm: You receive a digest showing this opportunity (and 2 others from the week) sitting in your tracker

What you do: 5. Click through from the digest, complete the 30-minute webinar 6. Update your tracker row: "CT Dose Optimization | 1.0 credit | Radiation Protection | ASRT | Completed 2026-03-22"

Time saved over 2-year CE cycle: You stop losing track of free CE opportunities. Estimate: 2–4 hours saved hunting for last-minute credits before renewal.

What to Do When It Breaks

• "Gmail isn't triggering the Zap" → Check that the Gmail filter (Part 1) is correctly applying the label. Test by forwarding yourself an email containing "CE credit" and confirming the label appears.
• "The spreadsheet row is blank or has wrong data" → Email bodies are messy — Zapier's text extraction isn't perfect. Treat the auto-created rows as placeholders and manually verify the credit count and course title.
• "The weekly digest isn't sending" → In Zapier, open the Zap and check the Task History for errors. The most common issue is the Google Sheets lookup returning zero rows — make sure your "Available - To Review" text matches exactly what's in your spreadsheet.
• "I'm on Gmail free tier and hitting Zapier's task limit" → The free Zapier plan allows 100 tasks/month. If you're getting more than 100 CE emails per month (unlikely), upgrade to Zapier Starter ($20/mo) or reduce the filter keywords.

Variations

• Simpler version: Skip Zapier entirely — just use the Gmail filter to label CE emails, and manually review the label every 2 weeks. Still much better than nothing.
• Extended version: Add a Zap that creates a calendar event for CE webinar deadlines — when a CE email with a date in the body is labeled, Zapier creates a Google Calendar reminder 3 days before the deadline.

What to Do Next

• This week: Set up the Gmail filter (Part 1) — takes 5 minutes and immediately organizes your CE emails without Zapier
• This month: Build both Zapier automations
• Advanced: Add a CE deadline calendar integration so you never miss a webinar registration deadline

Advanced guide for radiologic technologist professionals. Zapier free tier supports this workflow. Gmail filter setup requires no paid subscription.