Arkansas DO CME requirements

At a glance: DO (osteopathic physician)

Hours

20 hours every year

Renewal cycle

Every year

Deadline

Your birth month each year (renewal is annual unless you choose the two-year option)

Required topics

2

Hours carry over

No

First renewal

Confirm with your Board 17 CAR § 140-1101 has no exemption or proration for the first renewal, and the Board's FAQ does not mention one. We plan for the full 20 hours (including the opioid and benzodiazepine hour); confirm with the Board if your first renewal comes less than a year after licensure. Separately, prescribers must complete 3 hours of prescribing education within the first two years of licensure.

Credit minimum

17 CAR § 140-1101(a): fifty percent of the hours (10 of 20) must be in subjects pertaining to your primary area of practice and designated as Category 1 as defined in (b)(4) (AMA, AOA or Board Category 1, or AAFP Prescribed). The Board's FAQ repeats this.

Reporting

You certify under penalty of perjury on the renewal application that you met the CME requirement (17 CAR § 140-1101). The Board runs random audits every month; if selected, send your certificates of completion. Keep CME records for at least three years. Non-compliance can lead to suspension or revocation.

Board

Arkansas State Medical Board

17 CAR § 140-1101(a): 20 credit hours per year. The Board's FAQ says the hours must be earned 'from birth month of previous year through birth month of current year.' Ark. Code § 17-95-414 (Act 803 of 2021) lets a physician choose a two-year license instead of annual renewal, with proof of CME equivalent to the period (40 hours for two years); the Board's fee rule lists one-year and two-year renewals. Secondary summaries say the license expires on the last day of the birth month; we could not read that in the statute or a Board page, so confirm the exact date with the Board.

Deadline

In Arkansas, the date depends on your license: your birth month each year (renewal is annual unless you choose the two-year option).

Find your Arkansas DO deadline and add it to your calendar

Required topics

• Prescribing of opioids and benzodiazepines1 hour · Every renewal · Every licensee
• Prescribing education for new prescribers (Arkansas rules and laws, controlled substances, record keeping, professional boundaries) Confirm with your Board3 hours · Once · Only some physicians — see the rule note
  17 CAR § 140-202(b)(6)(C)(iii): prescribers licensed after December 31, 2015 must obtain at least 3 hours of Board-approved prescribing education within the first two years of being licensed in Arkansas. The education covers Arkansas prescribing rules and laws, prescribing controlled substances, record keeping and maintaining safe professional boundaries. The underlying statute, Ark. Code § 20-7-704, appears in an online copy with 2 hours; the Board's rule says 3. Plan on 3 and confirm with the Board which courses it approves.

Credit that counts

• AOA Category 1-A17 CAR § 140-1101(b)(4): activities approved for Category 1 by the AOA Council on Continuing Medical Education.
• AOA Category 1-B Confirm with your BoardThe rule says AOA 'Category 1' without separating 1-A and 1-B. AOA Category 1-B is part of AOA Category 1, so it appears to count toward the Category 1 half; confirm with the Board.
• AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™17 CAR § 140-1101(b)(4): activities designated Category 1 by an ACCME- or state-medical-society-accredited provider, or approved for Category 1 by the AMA or the Board.
• AAFP Prescribed credit17 CAR § 140-1101(b)(4) names 'activities designated as prescribed hours by the American Academy of Family Physicians' within its definition of Category 1.
• AMA PRA Category 2 Confirm with your BoardThe rule does not use the term Category 2. For the half that need not be Category 1, 17 CAR § 140-1101(b)(5)–(8) accepts other medical education programs, teaching, publishing or presenting, self-instruction, journal reading, board exam preparation and quality-review committee work. Confirm with the Board how to document these hours.