North Dakota Board of Medicine
North Dakota DO CME requirements
40 hours every 2 years. Renews every 2 years; licenses expire on your birthday every other year (a new license expires on the second birthday after the Board approves it).
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
- 40 hours every 2 years
- Renewal cycle
- Every 2 years
- Deadline
- Your birthday every other year (a new license expires on the second birthday after the Board approves it)
- Required topics
- 1
- Hours carry over
- No
- First renewal
- Confirm with your Board N.D. Admin. Code 50-04-01-02(2) exempts physicians who have not yet renewed for the first time since receiving a regular license. But 50-04-01-04(1) and the Board's CME page also prorate by time licensed: under 1 year none, 1 to 2 years 20 hours, 2 to 3 years 40 hours. Because a new license runs to the second birthday after approval (often more than a year), confirm with the Board whether 20 hours apply at your first renewal.
- Reporting
- You certify compliance (or an exception) on the online renewal form; no documents are sent unless you are audited (50-04-01-04). Audited physicians must show provider, program, hours, dates, credit designation and attendance; CME reported to ACCME (CME Passport) can be verified by the Board directly. Failing to verify compliance brings a $500 fee and possible discipline. Keep records at least one year after you report them. Physicians with current ABMS, AOA or Royal College (Canada) certification, MOC or recertification at the time of the audit are excepted from the hours (50-04-01-02(5)).
- Board
- North Dakota Board of Medicine
Board FAQ: since August 1, 2023 physician licenses expire on your birthday every other year, and renewal opens 59 days before. N.D. Admin. Code 50-04-01-01 (amended April 1, 2024): 40 hours of Board-approved CME every two years, one hour per clock hour. You certify compliance on the renewal form. An expired license can be renewed within three years (N.D.C.C. 43-17-26.1), with up to three times the fee if you practiced while it was expired.
Deadline
In North Dakota, the date depends on your license: your birthday every other year (a new license expires on the second birthday after the Board approves it).
Find your North Dakota DO deadline and add it to your calendar
Required topics
Credit that counts
- AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™50-04-01-03(1): AMA PRA Category 1 credit certified by ACCME-accredited providers or providers accredited by ACCME-recognized accreditors. The Board's page describes the requirement as 40 AMA Category 1 hours.
- AAFP Prescribed credit50-04-01-03(3) names AAFP Prescribed credit, and AAFP Elective credit approved for Category 1 by the AAFP.
- AOA Category 1-A50-04-01-03(2): AOA Category 1 credit certified by AOA-accredited providers. The rule applies to MDs and DOs alike.
- AOA Category 1-B Confirm with your BoardThe rule says AOA "category 1" without separating 1-A and 1-B. Category 1-B is part of AOA Category 1, so it appears to count; confirm with the Board.
Facts marked “Confirm with your Board” are unsettled in the sources; the note says what to check.
What to do next
Sources
- North Dakota Board of Medicine: Continuing Medical Education
- North Dakota Board of Medicine: Renew or reactivate a medical license
- North Dakota Board of Medicine: Physician FAQs (license expiration)
- North Dakota Board of Medicine: ND abortion laws training
- N.D. Admin. Code chapter 50-04-01 — Continuing medical education standards (amended April 1, 2024)
- N.D. Century Code chapter 43-17 (section 43-17-27.1, physician continuing education)
- Senate Bill 2401 (2026 special session) — adds one hour of nutrition and metabolic health CME
Last verified October 7, 2026. Confirm with your Board: requirements change, and the Board's rules decide.