California MD CME requirements

At a glance: MD (medical doctor)

Hours

50 hours every 2 years

Renewal cycle

Every 2 years

Deadline

The last day of the month your license was issued, every two years (the expiration date printed on your license)

Required topics

2

Hours carry over

No

First renewal

16 CCR 1336(a) requires the full 50 hours at every renewal; only an initial license issued for less than 13 months needs 25. Current initial terms are 24 or 26 months. Licenses issued on or after January 1, 2022 also need proof of 36 months of Board-approved postgraduate training (or current enrollment) at the first renewal.

Reporting

You certify under penalty of perjury at renewal that you completed the CME; documentation is not sent unless you are audited. The Board audits a random sample every year (16 CCR 1338) and can verify credits that ACCME-accredited providers report to ACCME's PARS (free CME Passport transcript). Keep records for at least 4 years: course title, dates, hours, sponsor and accrediting organization (16 CCR 1338(e)).

Board

Medical Board of California

16 CCR 1336(a): at least 50 hours of approved CME in the two-year period immediately before your license expires. Business and Professions Code 2423 sets a two-year term ending on the last day of the month the license was issued; the Board says licenses issued on or after January 1, 2024 have a 26-month first term, then 24 months. The Board's page gives 11:59 p.m. without naming a time zone; California time is assumed.

Deadline

In California, the date depends on your license: the last day of the month your license was issued, every two years (the expiration date printed on your license).

Find your California MD deadline and add it to your calendar

Required topics

• Pain management and the treatment of terminally ill and dying patients12 hours · Once · Every licensee
• Geriatric medicine, the special care needs of patients with dementia, or the care of older patients10 hours · Every renewal · Only some physicians — see the rule note
  Business and Professions Code 2190.3: general internists and family physicians whose patient population is over 25 percent age 65 or older must complete at least 20 percent of their CME hours (10 of 50) in this field. It counts within the 50.

Credit that counts

• AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™16 CCR 1337(a)(1): programs that qualify for Category I credit from the California Medical Association or the AMA. The Board's CME page names CMA-, AMA- and ACCME-accredited programs that qualify for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit.
• AAFP Prescribed credit16 CCR 1337(a)(2): programs that qualify for prescribed credit from the American Academy of Family Physicians. The Board's CME page lists AAFP Prescribed credit among approved courses.