Each state’s medical licensing board has its own set of licensure requirements for continued accreditations so that medical professionals remain in CME compliance. To follow is our roundup of required CME credit hours and licensure periods.
Updated as of October 6, 2026. Check the medical board for your state for the latest updates on CME credits.
Federal Requirement for all DEA Registrants
Under the federal MATE Act, every practitioner who registers or renews with the DEA must attest to a one-time 8 hours of training on treating and managing patients with opioid or other substance use disorders. The requirement took effect with registrations and renewals on or after June 27, 2023. Training can be spread across multiple sessions, past training counts, and state-required opioid CME can often be applied toward the 8 hours. Physicians board-certified in addiction medicine or addiction psychiatry are deemed to have met it.
Alabama
The Alabama State Board of Medical Examiners requires 25 hours of AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ every year, and credits can’t roll over. Physicians who hold an Alabama Controlled Substance Certificate must also complete 2 hours every 2 years on controlled substance prescribing, recognizing abuse or misuse, or prescribing for chronic pain.
All licensed physicians had to complete a Board-designated professional boundaries course by December 31, 2025, and new licensees must complete it within 12 months of licensure. ABMS board certification or MOC completed during the year can count as equivalent credit.
Alaska
The Alaska State Medical Board requires 50 hours every 2 years, all AMA Category 1 or AOA Category 1 or 2. Physicians who hold a DEA registration must include at least 2 hours on pain management and opioid use and addiction. Initial certification or recertification by an AMA- or AOA-recognized specialty board during the licensing period can count as equivalent credit.
Arizona
MD: The Arizona Medical Board requires 40 hours of MD CME over a two-year licensure period. The board does not allow for rollover credits.
DO: The Arizona Board of Osteopathic Examiners in Medicine and Surgery specifies that not more than 16 hours of annual credits be obtained by completing CME requirements in AMA PRA Category 1™ approved by an ACCME-accredited CME provider.
The DO AOA 1-A requirements in Arizona is 24 CME credits and the DO CME requirement is 40 hours. Both should be completed during the two-year licensure term.
Arkansas
The Arkansas State Medical Board requires 20 hours every year. Half must be AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ in your primary area of practice, and 1 hour must cover prescribing opioids or benzodiazepines. New licensees also have a one-time requirement of 3 hours of prescribing education within their first 2 years of licensure.
California
MD: The Medical Board of California requires 50 hours of Category 1 CME every 2 years, or 25 hours if your initial license was issued for less than 13 months. All physicians except pathologists and radiologists must complete a one-time 12 hours on pain management and care of the terminally ill by their second renewal or within 4 years, whichever comes first. As an alternative, physicians can complete a one-time 12-hour course on treating opiate-dependent patients that includes 8 hours of buprenorphine training.
General internists and family physicians whose patient population is more than 25% age 65 or older must earn at least 20% of their CME in geriatric medicine. Passing a specialty board certifying or recertifying exam earns 100 hours of credit.
DO: Since January 1, 2024, the Osteopathic Medical Board of California has required 50 hours every 2 years, at least 20 of them AOA Category 1A or 1B. DOs must also complete a course on the risks of addiction associated with Schedule II drugs every renewal cycle. The one-time 12-hour pain management requirement and the geriatrics rule above also apply.
Colorado
Starting January 1, 2026, the Colorado Medical Board requires 30 hours of CME every 2-year renewal period. Qualifying programs include AMA PRA Category 1 activities, AAFP Prescribed credit, ACOG-approved programs, and programs required to maintain national board certification. The Board may audit up to 5% of renewals each year.
Physicians must also complete at least 2 hours each renewal cycle on opioid prescribing, recognizing and referring substance use disorders, and using Colorado’s prescription drug monitoring program. Physicians who don’t prescribe opioids, or whose board certification requires equivalent training, are exempt.
Connecticut
The Connecticut Medical Examining Board requires 50 hours every 2 years in your area of practice. Starting with your first renewal that requires CME, and once every 6 years after that, you must complete at least 1 hour in each of these topics: infectious disease, risk management, sexual assault, domestic violence, cultural competency, and behavioral health. The behavioral health hours may include 2 hours on suicide prevention or on diagnosing and treating cognitive or mental health conditions.
Delaware
The Delaware Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline requires 40 hours of AMA or AOA Category 1 credit every 2 years. Of those, 2 hours must cover controlled substance prescribing, treatment of chronic pain, or related prescribing topics.
District of Columbia
The DC Board of Medicine requires 50 hours of Category 1 credit every 2 years. At least 10% (5 hours) must cover topics the DC Department of Health has named as public health priorities. Physicians must also complete 2 hours on LGBTQ cultural competency and at least 1 course in pharmacology.
Florida
MD: The Florida Board of Medicine requires 40 hours every 2 years: 38 general hours plus a 2-hour course on preventing medical errors, which is required every renewal. Physicians must complete 1 hour on HIV/AIDS, and 2 hours on domestic violence every third renewal. DEA registrants must complete 2 hours on prescribing controlled substances every renewal. Starting July 1, 2026, that course must also cover pain management for patients with sickle cell disease.
DO: The Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine requires 40 hours every 2 years, including 1 hour each on risk management, Florida laws and rules, and controlled substances, 2 hours on preventing medical errors, and 20 hours of AOA Category 1-A. A one-time 1-hour HIV/AIDS course is due by the first renewal, and 2 hours on domestic violence are due every third renewal. DEA registrants also need the 2-hour controlled substance prescribing course, including the sickle cell update.
Georgia
The Georgia Composite Medical Board requires 40 hours every 2 years. Accepted credit includes AMA and AOA Category 1, AAFP Prescribed, ACOG Cognates Category 1, and ACEP Category 1. Physicians with a DEA registration who prescribe controlled substances must complete 3 hours of Category 1 CME on responsible opioid prescribing. All licensees must also complete a one-time 2-hour course on sexual misconduct and professional boundaries.
Physicians without pain or palliative certification whose patients are 50% or more opioid pain management patients need 20 hours of pain management or palliative CME every 2 years. The Board waives 1 CME hour for every 4 hours of documented uncompensated care.
Hawaii
Every two years, the Hawaii Medical Board requires 40 CME credits and 40 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.
Idaho
The Idaho State Board of Medicine requires 40 CME and 40 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ every two year licensure period. The Board may accept certification or recertification by an ABMS member board, the AOA, or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in place of CME during the cycle it’s granted.
Illinois
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation requires 150 hours every 3 years, at least 60 of them Category 1. CME completed for another state’s license or for board certification counts toward the total.
Each 3-year cycle must include 1 hour on sexual harassment prevention and 1 hour on implicit bias. Every 6 years, physicians must complete 1 hour each on opioids, cultural competency, and dementia. The dementia requirement applies to physicians who treat adults age 26 and older. Starting July 1, 2026, physicians who provide maternal health care must also complete 1 hour of implicit bias training that covers maternal health risks for groups with higher maternal mortality rates.
Indiana
Indiana physicians have no continuing education requirements from the Medical Licensing Board of Indiana. Licenses renew every 2 years.
Iowa
The Iowa Board of Medicine requires 40 hours every 2 years, and up to 20 extra hours can carry over from the previous period. Participation in an approved residency program, or ABMS or AOA board certification or recertification during the period, counts as equivalent to 50 hours of Category 1 credit.
Physicians who provide primary care to children or adults must complete 2 hours of training on identifying and reporting child or dependent adult abuse. Physicians who prescribed opioids during the previous license period must complete 2 hours of Category 1 CME on the CDC’s opioid prescribing guidelines every 5 years. Physicians who regularly care for dying patients must complete end-of-life training every 5 years.
Kansas
The Kansas Board of Healing Arts lets physicians report CME on a 1-, 2-, or 3-year cycle: 50 hours (at least 20 Category I) over 1 year, 100 hours (at least 40 Category I) over 2 years, or 150 hours (at least 60 Category I) over 3 years. Each cycle must also include 1 hour per year of “Category III” CME on pain management, opioid prescribing, or prescription drug monitoring programs.
Note that Kansas defines its CME categories differently from other states, so Kansas Category I isn’t the same as AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.
Kentucky
The Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure requires 60 hours every 3 years, at least 30 of them AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians authorized to prescribe or dispense controlled substances must include at least 4.5 hours each cycle on KASPER, pain management, addiction disorders, or a combination. Primary care physicians must complete a one-time domestic violence course.
In place of the 60 hours, the Board accepts current CME certification from an AMA- or AOA-recognized specialty organization, passing an ABMS or AOA certification or recertification exam, or time in an accredited postgraduate training program.
Louisiana
The Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners requires 20 hours of Category 1 CME every year. Physicians with a state CDS license must complete a one-time 3-hour course on drug diversion, best practices for prescribing controlled substances, and addiction treatment. New licensees must also complete a one-time Board orientation course.
Physicians certified or recertified by an ABMS or AOA board within the past year are exempt from the annual CME requirement. Under a 2025 law, the Board is setting rules that will require physicians in family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, and OB-GYN to complete 1 hour every 2 years on nutrition and metabolic health.
Maine
MD: The Maine Board of Licensure in Medicine requires 40 hours of Category 1 CME every 2 years, including 3 hours on prescribing opioid medication. ABMS certification or recertification in the 24 months before renewal can count for up to 25 of the Category 1 hours.
DO: The Maine Board of Osteopathic Licensure requires 100 hours every 2 years, at least 40 of them osteopathic medical education. Primary care DOs must earn all hours in AOA Category 1, and specialists may use AOA, ACGME, or AMA Category 1 credit. DOs who prescribe controlled substances must complete 3 hours on opioid prescribing every 2 years.
Maryland
The Maryland Board of Physicians requires 50 hours every 2 years, at least 25 of them Category 1. Physicians applying for a Controlled Dangerous Substance registration must attest to 2 hours of CME on prescribing or dispensing controlled substances. Physicians also had to complete approved implicit bias training the first time they renewed after April 1, 2022.
Physicians who hold an active, time-limited certification from an ABMS member board, AOA certifying board, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, or the College of Family Physicians of Canada meet the CME requirement.
Massachusetts
The Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine requires 50 credits every 2 years, in Category 1 or 2. Those credits must include 10 in risk management, which in turn must include 2 on implicit bias and 2 on the Board’s regulations. Physicians must also complete 3 credits on electronic health records, 3 on opioid education and pain management if they prescribe controlled substances, and the state-required child abuse and neglect, domestic violence, and sexual violence trainings.
One-time requirements include 2 credits on end-of-life care and, for physicians who serve adults, training on Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Physicians can also claim 1 credit for each hour spent reading journals or point-of-care resources while delivering patient care.
Michigan
MD: The Michigan Board of Medicine requires 150 hours every 3 years, at least 75 of them Category 1. Each cycle must include at least 1 hour on medical ethics and 3 hours on pain and symptom management. New licensees need at least 2 hours of implicit bias training, and renewing physicians need at least 1 hour every year. Activities completed for ABMS maintenance of certification can count for up to 30 Category 1 hours.
DO: The Michigan Board of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery requires 150 hours every 3 years, at least 60 of them Category 1. Each cycle must include 1 hour on medical ethics and 3 hours on pain and symptom management, 1 of which must cover controlled substance prescribing. DOs must complete a one-time human trafficking training and the same implicit bias training as MDs.
Minnesota
The Minnesota Board of Medical Practice requires 75 hours of Category 1 CME every 3 years. The Board may accept certification or recertification by an ABMS member board, the AOA, or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in place of CME during the cycle it’s granted.
Mississippi
The Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure requires 40 hours of Category 1 CME every 2 years. Instead of keeping an account with a Board-approved CME tracking organization, physicians can maintain active certification with an ABMS-recognized board. Lifetime certification without ongoing maintenance doesn’t qualify.
Missouri
The Missouri State Board of Registration for the Healing Arts requires 50 hours every 2 years of AMA Category 1 or AOA Category 1A or 2A credit, or 40 hours of Category 1 or AOA Category 1A credit with proof of post-testing. Each cycle must include 1 hour on the health benefits of nutrition. Physicians who earn specialty board certification or recertification during the reporting period meet the requirement.
Montana
The Montana Board of Medical Examiners does not require continuing physician education.
Nebraska
The Nebraska Board of Medicine and Surgery requires 50 hours of Category 1 CME every 2 years. Physicians who earn more than 50 hours can carry over up to 25 hours to the next cycle. An AMA Physician’s Recognition Award or AOA CME certification earned in the 24 months before renewal can be used in place of CME credit.
Physicians who prescribe controlled substances must complete at least 3 hours every 2 years on prescribing opioids, including 30 minutes on the Nebraska prescription drug monitoring program.
Nevada
MD: The Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners requires 40 hours of Category 1 CME every 2 years. Of those, 20 must be within your specialty and 2 must cover medical ethics, pain management, or addiction care. Physicians licensed to prescribe controlled substances must include 2 hours on misuse and abuse of controlled substances, opioid prescribing, or addiction.
All physicians must complete 2 hours on suicide detection, intervention, and prevention every 4 years, and a one-time 2 hours on Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT). Psychiatrists need 2 hours on cultural competency and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Physicians who provide or supervise emergency care in a hospital or primary care facility need a one-time 2 hours on stigma, discrimination, and unrecognized bias related to HIV.
DO: The Nevada State Board of Osteopathic Medicine requires 35 hours every year, increasing to 40 hours per year in 2027. At least 10 must be AOA or AMA Category 1A, and 2 must cover misuse and abuse of controlled substances, opioid prescribing, or addiction. Each 2-year period must include 2 hours on ethics, pain management, and addiction care or SBIRT, and DOs must complete 2 hours on suicide prevention every 4 years.
New Hampshire
The New Hampshire Board of Medicine requires 100 hours every 2 years, at least 40 of them Category 1 and no more than 60 in Category 2. Of those, 3 hours must be on pain management. Passing an American specialty board exam, whether for initial certification or recertification, counts as 100 Category 1 hours. Physicians report their credits to the New Hampshire Medical Society.
New Jersey
The New Jersey State Board of Medical Examiners requires 100 hours every 2 years, at least 40 of them Category 1 and no more than 60 in Category 2. Of the Category 1 hours, 2 must cover end-of-life care, 1 must cover prescription opioids, and, starting July 1, 2025, 2 must cover sexual misconduct prevention. Physicians who provide perinatal care must also complete 1 Category 1 hour on explicit and implicit bias.
Physicians must complete 6 hours of cultural competence training, and those licensed before March 2005 must complete it in addition to the 100 hours. Newly licensed physicians must attend a Board orientation program, which doesn’t earn CME. Physicians who completed an accredited residency within 12 months before licensure are exempt for their first renewal period.
New Mexico
The New Mexico Medical Board and the New Mexico Board of Osteopathic Medicine require 75 hours of Category 1 CME every 3 years. Physicians who hold both a DEA registration and a New Mexico controlled substances registration must complete 5 hours of pain management CME during their first year of licensure. The Board also accepts an AMA Physician’s Recognition Award, ABMS certificates of CME, or ABMS certification or recertification during the renewal period.
New York
New York doesn’t set a required number of CME hours for physician license renewal, but it does require specific trainings. All physicians must complete a one-time 2-hour course on identifying and reporting child abuse and maltreatment, and infection control and barrier precautions training every 4 years. Physicians with a DEA registration, including residents prescribing under a facility DEA number, must complete at least 3 hours of training in pain management, palliative care, and addiction.
North Carolina
The North Carolina Medical Board requires 60 hours of Category 1 CME every 3 years, relevant to your current or intended specialty. Physicians who prescribe controlled substances must include at least 3 hours on controlled substance prescribing practices, recognizing abuse or misuse, and prescribing for chronic pain. Physicians enrolled in an ABMS, AOA, or RCPSC maintenance of certification or recertification program are deemed to meet the full CME requirement for the cycle.
North Dakota
The North Dakota State Board of Medicine requires 40 hours of Category 1 CME every 2 years. Physicians who hold current certification, maintenance of certification, or recertification from an ABMS member board, the AOA, or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada at the time of a CME audit are exempt.
Ohio
The State Medical Board of Ohio requires 50 hours of Category 1 CME every 2 years, including 1 hour on a licensee’s duty to report. Physicians who own or operate pain management clinics must complete at least 20 hours of Category 1 pain medicine CME every 2 years, including coursework on the potential for addiction, and those hours count toward the 50.
Oklahoma
The Oklahoma State Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision requires 60 hours of Category 1 CME every 3 years. Physicians with a DEA registration must complete 1 hour of education on pain management or opioid use and addiction each year before renewal. All licensees must also watch a 1-hour training on the rights and responsibilities of health care providers every 2 years. The Board accepts a current AMA Physician’s Recognition Award, or ABMS board certification or recertification earned during the period, as verification.
The Oklahoma State Board of Osteopathic Examiners annually requires 16 hours of AOA Category 1A or 1B CME every year. One hour each year must cover prescribing, dispensing, and administering controlled substances, unless the DO doesn’t hold state and DEA authority to handle controlled substances.
Oregon
The Oregon Medical Board requires 60 hours every 2 years, or 30 hours if you were licensed during the second year of the cycle. Credits must be AMA Category 1 or AOA Category 1A or 2A. Ongoing participation in an ABMS or AOA maintenance of certification program also meets the requirement.
All licensees must complete a 1-hour pain management course from the Oregon Pain Management Commission at initial licensure and every 24 months after. Licensees, except residents, must also complete 1 hour of cultural competency CME each year.
Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine requires 100 credit hours of CME every two years. At least 20 must be Category 1, 12 must cover patient safety or risk management, and 2 must cover child abuse recognition and reporting. The remaining hours can be Category 1 or 2.
Within 12 months of initial licensure, physicians must complete 2 hours on pain management or identifying addiction and 2 hours on prescribing or dispensing opioids. Each later renewal requires 2 hours on pain management, addiction, or prescribing practices. Starting May 1, 2026, physicians must also complete a one-time 2 hours on organ and tissue donation within 5 years of initial licensure or of their next renewal, whichever comes first.
The Pennsylvania State Board of Osteopathic Medicine requires 100 hours every 2 years, with the same breakdown as MDs except that the 20 Category 1 hours must be AOA Category 1-A. The opioid and organ donation requirements above also apply.
Rhode Island
The Rhode Island Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline requires 40 hours of AMA Category 1 or AOA Category 1A CME every 2 years. Recent renewal cycles haven’t required specific topics, but every physician must complete a one-time, per-career 1 hour on Alzheimer’s disease. Participation in an ABMS maintenance of certification program counts as meeting the CME requirement.
South Carolina
Every two years, the South Carolina Board of Medical Examiners requires 40 hours of Category 1 CME every 2 years. At least 30 must relate directly to your practice area, and at least 2 must cover approved procedures for prescribing and monitoring Schedule II–IV controlled substances. Board certification of added qualifications or recertification by an ABMS, AOA, or other approved specialty board can be used instead.
Physicians must also complete a 1-hour course on human trafficking awareness and prevention. Physicians licensed before January 1, 2026, must complete it by January 1, 2028, and those licensed after that date must complete it within 2 years of licensure. The course must be repeated every 6 years.
South Dakota
The South Dakota Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners do not require physicians to continue their education.
Tennessee
The Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners requires 40 hours of Category 1 CME every 2 years. At least 2 hours must cover controlled substance prescribing, including the Tennessee Department of Health’s treatment guidelines for opioids, benzodiazepines, barbiturates, and carisoprodol. Physicians who treat intractable pain must complete specialized pain management CME.
The Tennessee Board of Osteopathic Examination requires 40 hours of AOA Category 1A or 2A CME every 2 years, including at least 2 hours on prescribing practices.
Texas
The Texas Medical Board requires 48 hours every 2 years. At least 24 must be AMA Category 1 or AOA Category 1A, and 2 of those must cover medical ethics or professional responsibility, which must include a human trafficking prevention course. The remaining 24 hours can come from informal self-study, hospital lectures, grand rounds, or case conferences.
Physicians with direct patient care must complete 2 hours on safe and effective opioid pain management in each of their first 2 renewal periods, then every 8 years. Physicians in pain management clinics need 10 hours of pain management CME each year. Physicians who earned ABMS board certification or recertification in the preceding 36 months are exempt from CME requirements.
Utah
The Utah Department of Commerce Division of Occupational and Professional Licensure requires 40 hours every 2 years. At least 34 must be Category 1, up to 6 may come from Division-sponsored programs, and up to 15% may come from volunteer health care, at 1 hour of credit for every 4 hours of service. Controlled substance prescribers must complete at least 3.5 hours on controlled substance prescribing. All physicians must also complete 1 online suicide prevention course from the Division’s approved list.
Vermont
Every two years, the Vermont Board of Medical Practice requires 30 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ including 1 hour on hospice, palliative care, or pain management. Physicians with a DEA registration must include at least 2 hours on safe and effective prescribing of controlled substances and pain management.
The Vermont Board of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons requires 30 hours every 2 years that meet the Board’s CME rules.
Virginia
The Virginia Board of Medicine requires 30 hours every 2 years, all Category 1 activities or courses from an accredited sponsor or organization recognized by the profession.
Washington
Every four years, the Washington State Board of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery requires 200 hours Physicians may earn all 200 hours in Category 1, or up to 80 hours each in Categories 2 through 5. Each cycle must include at least 2 hours on health equity. All physicians must complete a one-time 6-hour course on suicide assessment, treatment, and management, and physicians licensed to prescribe opioids must complete a one-time course of at least 1 hour on opioid prescribing best practices.
In place of CME hours, physicians can hold a current AMA Physician’s Recognition Award in at least 2 of the 4 years before renewal, earn ABMS certification in those 4 years, or participate in ABMS maintenance of certification at renewal.
Every three years, the Washington State Medical Quality Assurance Commission requires 150 hours every 3 years, at least 60 of them Category 1. The suicide, opioid, and health equity requirements above also apply. The Board may accept ABOMS or ABMS certification or recertification within the last 6 years as an equivalent.categories.
West Virginia
The West Virginia Board of Medicine requires 50 hours of Category 1 CME every 2 years, at least 30 of them in your specialty. Up to 20 hours of medical student teaching or preceptorship can count. Physicians who prescribe, administer, or dispense controlled substances must complete the Board-approved 3-hour course on risk assessment, responsible prescribing, and drug diversion, which counts toward the 50 hours. Starting July 1, 2026, CME must also include nutrition.
Physicians can meet every requirement except the 3-hour prescribing course by passing an ABMS certification or recertification exam, actively participating in ABMS maintenance of certification, or completing a full year of ACGME-approved training during the period.
The West Virginia Board of Osteopathy requires 32 hours every 2 years, at least 16 of them AOA Category 1A or 1B. Every DO must complete 3 hours of Board-approved drug diversion and controlled substance prescribing training each cycle. Starting July 1, 2026, CME must also include nutrition.
Wisconsin
The State of Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services requires 30 hours of AMA or AOA Category 1 CME every 2 years, including 2 hours on prescribing opioids and other controlled substances. These courses no longer need separate Board approval, and courses taken for the federal DEA MATE Act requirement can count toward the 30 hours.
Wyoming
Every three years, the Wyoming Board of Medicine requires 60 hours of Category 1 or 2 CME every 3 years. Physicians with a controlled substance registration must complete 1 hour every 2 years on responsible prescribing of controlled substances or treating substance use disorders. A current AMA Physician’s Recognition Award or a qualifying ABMS specialty board certificate can count toward the hours.
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