Alabama Board of Medical Examiners
Alabama DO CME requirements
25 hours every year. Renews every year; licenses expire at December 31 (CME is earned January 1 through December 31; the annual registration application is due on or before December 31).
Last verified against the sources below. Requirements change — confirm with your Board before you rely on this page. This is general information, not legal advice.
At a glance: DO (osteopathic physician)
- Hours
- 25 hours every year
- Renewal cycle
- Every year
- Deadline
- December 31 (CME is earned January 1 through December 31; the annual registration application is due on or before December 31)
- Required topics
- 2
- Hours carry over
- No
- First renewal
- Ala. Admin. Code r. 540-X-14-.05: physicians are exempt from the 25-hour requirement for the calendar year in which they receive their initial Alabama license. The professional boundaries course is still due within 12 months of the license issue date.
- Reporting
- You certify on the annual registration application that you have met or will meet the 25 hours by December 31 (Ala. Admin. Code r. 540-X-14-.09). The Board audits a random sample each year (r. 540-X-14-.14); do not send certificates unless asked. Keep certificates for three years after the year the credit was earned (r. 540-X-14-.10). Non-compliance can lead to public discipline by the Medical Licensure Commission.
- Board
- Alabama Board of Medical Examiners
Ala. Admin. Code r. 540-X-14-.02(1): every physician who resides or practices in Alabama must earn at least 25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits or the equivalent in each calendar year, on or before December 31. Rule 540-X-14-.09: you certify on the annual registration application, due on or before December 31, that you have met or will meet the requirement by December 31. Physicians who neither live in Alabama nor practice there more than ten days a year are exempt (r. 540-X-14-.03). Hours count only in the calendar year they are earned; the rules have no carryover provision.
Deadline
Required topics
- Professional boundaries (Board-designated course: Navigating Professional Boundaries in Medicine)2 hours · Once, by December 31, 2025 · Every licensee
Ala. Admin. Code r. 540-X-14-.02(1)(a)–(b), effective January 1, 2025: every actively licensed physician had to complete a Board-designated course on professional boundaries by December 31, 2025, and every new licensee must complete it within 12 months of the license issue date. The Board designates the two-hour on-demand PBI Education course 'Navigating Professional Boundaries in Medicine', free to Alabama licensees. Limited licensees in residency or fellowship are exempt. Courses from other providers do not count. - Controlled substance prescribing (Alabama Controlled Substances Certificate holders)2 hours · Once every 2 years · Physicians registered with the DEA
Credit that counts
- AOA Category 1-AAla. Admin. Code r. 540-X-14-.02(3)(a): AOA Category 1-A credit from AOA-accredited providers is deemed equivalent to AMA PRA Category 1 Credit. The rule names 1-A only.
- AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™Ala. Admin. Code r. 540-X-14-.02(2): activities designated AMA PRA Category 1 Credit by providers accredited by the ACCME or the Medical Association of the State of Alabama.
- AAFP Prescribed creditAla. Admin. Code r. 540-X-14-.02(3)(b): AAFP Prescribed credit from AAFP-accredited providers is deemed equivalent to AMA PRA Category 1 Credit.
What to do next
Sources
- Alabama Board of Medical Examiners — Licensure and registration CME requirements
- Alabama Board of Medical Examiners — Prescribing and Pharmacology of Controlled Drugs (ACSC 2-hour requirement)
- Alabama Administrative Code Chapter 540-X-14 — Continuing Medical Education (revised October 14, 2024)
- Alabama Administrative Code r. 540-X-4-.09 — Risk and abuse mitigation strategies (Cornell LII)
Last verified October 7, 2026. Confirm with your Board: requirements change, and the Board's rules decide.