North Dakota MD CME requirements

At a glance: MD (medical doctor)

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 MD deadline and add it to your calendar

Required topics

• Nutrition and metabolic health Confirm with your Board1 hour · Every renewal · Every licensee
  N.D.C.C. 43-17-27.1(2), added by Senate Bill 2401 in the January 2026 special session and effective on filing: the Board 'shall require physicians to complete a minimum of one hour of continuing education on nutrition and metabolic health each renewal cycle.' As of October 7, 2026 the Board's CME page and rule 50-04-01 do not yet mention it, so the start date, whether it counts within the 40 hours, and whether board certification in lieu of CME also covers it are not settled. Plan on one hour inside your 40 and confirm with the Board.

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.