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

This guide covers physicians licensed by the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice, which licenses both MDs and DOs. Both degrees follow the same rules, Minnesota Rules chapter 5605, and the same requirements.

The short version

Requirement	Hours	How often	Who
Total CME (Category 1)	75	Every three-year cycle	Every MD and DO
Required topics	None at present	—	—
Registration renewal	—	Every year, by the end of your birth month	Every MD and DO
Board certification in lieu of CME	Counts as the full requirement	In the cycle it is granted or kept current	MDs and DOs with ABMS, AOA or RCPSC certification

How many hours, and what kind

Minn. R. 5605.0100 says: "During three-year cycles, each physician licensed to practice by this board shall obtain 75 hours of continuing medical education credit." The Board's page states the same: "75 hours of continuing medical education (CME) category 1 credit every three years."

All 75 hours must be Category 1. Minn. R. 5605.0300 requires activities "designated by an accredited sponsor as Category 1 of the Physician's Recognition Award of the American Medical Association," with sponsors accredited by the ACCME or an ACCME-recognized state medical society. The same rule says the Board accepts "the equivalent of Category 1 credit hours as defined by the American Osteopathic Association," the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, or "organizations that have reciprocal arrangements with the Physician Recognition Award program." So MDs may count AOA Category 1 credit and DOs may count AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Category 2 credit does not count.

AAFP Prescribed credit is not named in the rule. It would count through the "reciprocal arrangements" clause, since the AMA accepts AAFP Prescribed credit as equivalent to AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™, but the Board has not said so in writing. Confirm with the Board if most of your hours are AAFP Prescribed. The rule also does not separate AOA 1-A and 1-B; Category 1-B is part of AOA Category 1, so it appears to count.

Board certification can replace CME. Under Minn. R. 5605.0700 the Board may accept certification or recertification by an ABMS member board, the AOA or the RCPSC "in lieu of compliance with the continuing education requirements during the cycle in which certification or recertification is granted." The Board's page goes further: it "accepts (re)certification or current Maintenance of Competency issued by ABMS, RCPSC or AOA in lieu of CME."

Nothing in chapter 5605 lets you carry extra hours into the next cycle.

When your cycle ends and when you renew

Minnesota has two clocks.

Registration renews every year. Minn. R. 5600.0605 sets annual renewal cycles "that begin on the last day of the month of the licensee's birth." An application received after the last day of that month is not processed until you pay the late fee. Minn. Stat. § 147.01 lists the annual renewal fee as $192 and the late fee as $60.
The CME cycle is three years. Minn. R. 5605.0200 says your first three-year cycle "will start on the first day of the individual's month of birth" after initial licensure, and "future cycles will run consecutively from that point." You report CME on the renewal at the end of each cycle.

Required topics

Minnesota has no topic the Board requires for physicians today.

Opioid prescribing (expired). Minn. Stat. § 214.12, subd. 6 required prescribers to complete two hours on best practices in prescribing opioids and controlled substances, but the subdivision said, "This subdivision expires January 1, 2023." The current statute lists subd. 6 as expired. Some CME vendors still list it as current; it is not.
Fetal alcohol syndrome. Minn. Stat. § 214.12, subd. 3 directs the Board to require education on fetal alcohol syndrome for family physicians, pediatricians and obstetricians, but sets no hours or reporting, and the Board's CME page lists no such requirement.
Nutrition (proposed only). A February 2026 House amendment to HF 1925 would have added two hours of nutrition CE per cycle from January 1, 2027. HF 1925 did not advance past committee referral, and the current statute has no such subdivision. Watch for it in future sessions.

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 Minnesota's rules.

Your first cycle

Your first cycle begins on the first day of your birth month after you are licensed, and it runs a full three years. CME you take between the date you were licensed and the start of that first cycle "may be credited towards the first cycle" (Minn. R. 5605.0200). Physicians in full-time residency or fellowship training at an accredited institution may be exempted (Minn. R. 5605.1000).

Reporting and audits

At the renewal "coinciding with the end of their cycle," licensees "provide a signed statement to the board … indicating compliance" (Minn. R. 5605.0900). The Board may ask for more evidence. Its page says documentation "must be retained by each licensee in the event they are selected for an audit." No retention period is set; keep certificates at least until the next cycle's report is accepted.

If you do not comply, the Board may refuse to renew, suspend, condition or limit your license (Minn. R. 5605.1100). Physicians with emeritus registration are exempt from CME (Minn. R. 5605.1000).

Checklist before you renew

Find the end of your three-year cycle: it ends the month before your birth month, three years after it began.
Count 75 hours of AMA PRA Category 1 credit or AOA or RCPSC equivalents in the cycle, or check that your board certification or maintenance of certification is current.
Keep certificates in case you are audited.
Renew your registration every year by the last day of your birth month, and attest to CME on the renewal that ends your cycle.

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