New Jersey MD CME requirements

At a glance: MD (medical doctor)

Hours

100 hours every 2 years

Renewal cycle

Every 2 years

Deadline

June 30 of odd-numbered years (a 30-day late renewal with a late fee is allowed; then the license is suspended)

Required topics

5

Hours carry over

Yes

First renewal

N.J.A.C. 13:35-6.15(f): a physician who finished an accredited graduate medical education program within 12 months before licensure is exempt from CME for the initial biennial period, but must complete a Board-presented or Board-approved orientation course within 24 months of licensure. Everyone else owes the full 100 credits.

Credit minimum

N.J.A.C. 13:35-6.15(b): at least 40 of the 100 credits must be Category I — AMA PRA Category 1 or AOA Category 1. Whether AOA 1-B and AAFP Prescribed count as Category I is not stated in the rule (confirm with the Board). The mandated end-of-life, opioid, sexual misconduct prevention and perinatal bias credits must all be Category I and come out of these 40. Up to 10 credits for free volunteer care may count toward the 100 but not toward the 40.

Reporting

You certify on the biennial renewal application that you completed the required credits; the Board may audit at random (N.J.A.C. 13:35-6.15(g) and (k)). Keep all evidence of your CME for six years after completing the credits and send it to the Board on request. Up to 25 credits beyond the 100 may be carried into the next biennial period only (N.J.A.C. 13:35-6.15(h)).

Board

New Jersey State Board of Medical Examiners

Every physician license expires June 30 of each odd-numbered year. N.J.A.C. 13:35-6.15 counts CME by biennial renewal period beginning July 1 (the current period is July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027). N.J.A.C. 13:35-3.14 lets you renew within 30 days after expiration with a late fee; after that the license is suspended without a hearing.

Deadline

• June 30, 2027

Find your New Jersey MD deadline and add it to your calendar

Required topics

• End-of-life care2 hours · Every renewal · Every licensee
• Prescription opioid drugs1 hour · Every renewal · Every licensee
• Sexual misconduct prevention2 hours · Every renewal · Every licensee
• Explicit and implicit bias (perinatal care)1 hour · Every renewal · Only some physicians — see the rule note
  N.J.S.A. 45:9-7.9 (P.L.2021, c.79) and N.J.A.C. 13:35-6.15(r), from the biennial period beginning July 1, 2025: physicians who provide perinatal treatment and care to pregnant persons need one of the 40 Category I credits in evidence-based explicit and implicit bias training covering the ten elements in the rule, including review of the New Jersey Maternal Mortality Review Committee's annual report.
• Cultural competency training Confirm with your Board6 hours · Once · Only some physicians — see the rule note
  N.J.S.A. 45:9-7.3 and N.J.A.C. 13:35-6.25: a one-time program of at least 6 hours for physicians who did not receive cultural competency instruction in medical school. If you were licensed on or after June 30, 2007, complete it by the end of the first complete renewal cycle after licensure, and it may count within your CME. For physicians licensed before March 24, 2005 it was due at the first renewal after March 24, 2008 and is in addition to the 100 credits. The Board may waive it if you had substantially equivalent training. Confirm whether your medical school curriculum satisfied it.

Credit that counts

• AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™N.J.A.C. 13:35-6.15(a) and (b): Category I as recognized by the AMA, AOA, APMA, ACCME or comparable organizations recognized by the Board. At least 40 of the 100 credits must be Category I.
• AMA PRA Category 2Category II counts toward the 60 credits beyond the 40 Category I credits (N.J.A.C. 13:35-6.15(b)).
• AOA Category 1-AThe rule's Category I and II include the categories recognized by the American Osteopathic Association.
• AOA Category 1-B Confirm with your BoardAOA Category 1-B is an AOA Category 1 credit, so it should count as Category I, but the rule does not name 1-A or 1-B separately. Confirm with the Board before counting 1-B toward the 40 Category I credits.
• AAFP Prescribed credit Confirm with your BoardN.J.A.C. 13:35-6.15 does not name AAFP Prescribed credit; Category I is defined by the AMA, AOA, APMA, ACCME 'or other comparable organizations recognized by the Board.' The cultural competency rule (N.J.A.C. 13:35-6.25(a)) does name AAFP Prescribed credit as CME. Confirm with the Board before counting it toward the 40 Category I credits.