Alabama physician (MD and DO) CME requirements for license renewal

This guide covers physicians licensed to practice medicine in Alabama, both MDs and DOs. The Alabama Board of Medical Examiners sets the CME rules (Alabama Administrative Code Chapter 540-X-14), and the Medical Licensure Commission issues the annual registration. The same rules apply to MDs and DOs.

The short version

Requirement	Hours	How often	Who
Total CME	25	Every calendar year (January 1 to December 31)	Every MD and DO who lives or practices in Alabama
Controlled substance prescribing (within the 25)	2	Every two years	Holders of an Alabama Controlled Substances Certificate (ACSC)
Professional boundaries (Board-designated course)	2	One time	Every licensee; new licensees within 12 months
Category 1 credit (AMA, AOA 1-A or AAFP Prescribed)	all 25	Every year	Every MD and DO

How many hours, and what kind

Rule 540-X-14-.02(1) requires every physician who resides or practices in Alabama to "earn in each calendar year, on or before December 31, not less than twenty five (25) AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ or the equivalent." The rule counts these as Category 1 or equivalent:

AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ from providers accredited by the ACCME or the Medical Association of the State of Alabama;
AOA Category 1-A credit from AOA-accredited providers;
AAFP Prescribed credit from AAFP-accredited providers;
ACOG Cognate Credits on obstetric and gynecologic subjects;
programs the Board designates;
nationally recognized advanced life support or resuscitation courses not otherwise accredited, up to 2 credits per course (basic life support does not count).

The Board's page also lists completing an ABMS board certification or Maintenance of Certification process (credit goes to the year you complete it, with a dated certificate) and documented grand rounds.

Hours count only in the calendar year they are earned; the rules have no carryover provision. Physicians who do not live in Alabama and do not practice there more than ten days a year are exempt (rule 540-X-14-.03). Retired physicians can ask for a waiver, which restricts the license to no practice (rule 540-X-14-.04). Residents and fellows on limited licenses and physicians deployed on military service are exempt for that calendar year.

When your registration is due

Alabama runs CME on the calendar year. Every physician renews the annual registration on or before December 31 and certifies on the application that the 25 hours have been met or will be met by December 31 (rule 540-X-14-.09).

The required topics

Controlled substance prescribing — 2 hours every two years (ACSC holders)

Rule 540-X-4-.09 requires every holder of an Alabama Controlled Substances Certificate to earn 2 AMA PRA Category 1 credits in controlled substance prescribing every two years, as part of the yearly 25 hours. The education must cover prescribing practices, recognizing signs of abuse or misuse, or prescribing for chronic pain. The Board's page says the two-year period runs from the calendar year you received your ACSC through December 31 of the second year, and you attest to it when you renew the ACSC. Any two hours of the Board's 12-hour Prescribing and Pharmacology of Controlled Drugs course count.

Professional boundaries — 2 hours, one time

Since January 1, 2025, rule 540-X-14-.02(1) requires a Board-designated course on professional boundaries. Every actively licensed physician had to finish it by December 31, 2025. Every new licensee must finish it within 12 months of the license issue date. The Board designates "Navigating Professional Boundaries in Medicine," a two-hour on-demand course from PBI Education, free to Alabama licensees. Courses from other providers do not satisfy this rule. The only exemption is for limited licensees in residency or fellowship. If you were licensed before 2025 and have not finished it, confirm with the Board how to come into compliance.

Courses the Board may prescribe

Under rule 540-X-14-.02(4) the Board may require every physician to complete a course on a subject it chooses. It must give written notice and at least 12 months to complete it. Such courses count toward the 25 hours in the year you complete them.

Federal requirement

The federal DEA requires a one-time 8-hour training on treating and managing patients with opioid or other substance use disorders (the MATE Act) when you first register or renew a DEA registration. It is a federal requirement, separate from Alabama's rules.

Your first year

You are exempt from the 25 hours for the calendar year in which you receive your first Alabama license (rule 540-X-14-.05). The full 25 hours apply from the next calendar year. The professional boundaries course is still due within 12 months of your license date.

Reporting and audits

You certify on the annual registration application; you do not send certificates. The Board runs random audits each year and asks selected physicians for documentation (rule 540-X-14-.14). Keep certificates of attendance or completion for three years after the year the credit was earned (rule 540-X-14-.10). The Board encourages using the CME repository in the Licensee Gateway. A physician found out of compliance faces formal charges before the Medical Licensure Commission, and the discipline is public and reported to the National Practitioner Data Bank.

If illness, disability or other hardship keeps you from meeting the requirement, you can apply for a waiver for that calendar year (rule 540-X-14-.07).

Checklist before you renew

Count 25 hours of AMA PRA Category 1, AOA Category 1-A or AAFP Prescribed credit earned between January 1 and December 31 of this year.
If you hold an ACSC, make sure 2 of your hours in the current two-year period were on controlled substance prescribing.
Make sure you have completed the Board's professional boundaries course.
Keep certificates for three years after this year.
Renew your registration on or before December 31.

Requirements change. This guide was checked against the sources below in October 2026; confirm with the Board before you rely on it.