New Jersey physician (MD and DO) CME requirements for license renewal

This guide covers physicians licensed by the New Jersey State Board of Medical Examiners, which licenses both MDs and DOs under the same rules. The CME rule is N.J.A.C. 13:35-6.15; it was last amended effective May 5, 2025.

The short version

Requirement	Credits	How often	Who
Total CME	100, at least 40 of them Category I	Every two-year renewal period	Every MD and DO
End-of-life care	2 (Category I)	Every renewal	Every MD and DO
Prescription opioid drugs	1 (Category I)	Every renewal	Every MD and DO
Sexual misconduct prevention	2 (Category I)	Every renewal, from the period that began July 1, 2025	Every MD and DO
Explicit and implicit bias	1 (Category I)	Every renewal, from the period that began July 1, 2025	Physicians who provide perinatal care to pregnant persons
Cultural competency	6	One time	Physicians who had no cultural competency training in medical school

MDs and DOs have the same requirements. The topic credits come out of the 40 Category I credits; they are not added on top. The cultural competency program is the exception for physicians licensed before March 24, 2005 (see below).

How many credits, and what kind

N.J.S.A. 45:9-7.1 and N.J.A.C. 13:35-6.15(b) require 100 CME credits in Category I or Category II courses each biennial renewal period, of which at least 40 must be Category I. One hour equals one credit.

The rule defines Category I and Category II as "those categories of medical education courses recognized by the American Medical Association, the American Osteopathic Association, the American Podiatric Medical Association, the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education, or other comparable organizations recognized by the Board." In practice:

• AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ and AOA Category 1 credit count as Category I. The rule does not separate AOA 1-A from 1-B; AOA 1-B is AOA Category 1 credit, but confirm before you rely on 1-B for the 40.
• AMA PRA Category 2 (and AOA Category 2) counts toward the other 60 credits.
• AAFP Prescribed credit is not named in the CME rule. It is named in the cultural competency rule (N.J.A.C. 13:35-6.25(a)) as a form of CME. Whether the Board treats it as Category I for the 40 credits is not settled by the rule text, so confirm with the Board before counting it there.
• DOs do not need AOA credit specifically: New Jersey sets no AOA minimum.

You may earn up to 10 credits per biennial period for free medical care given outside your office to low-income patients who have no insurance coverage for it (one credit per two hours). These count toward the 100 but not toward the 40 Category I credits (N.J.A.C. 13:35-6.15(o) and (p)).

Carryover: credits above the 100 may be carried into the next biennial period only, up to 25 credits (N.J.A.C. 13:35-6.15(h)).

When your license expires

Every New Jersey physician license expires June 30 of each odd-numbered year, whatever the date it was first issued (Board of Medical Examiners, Question #30). The current biennial period runs July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027. The rule counts its topic requirements by "biennial renewal period beginning on July 1."

Under N.J.A.C. 13:35-3.14 the Board sends a renewal notice at least 60 days before expiration. You may still renew within 30 days after June 30 with a late fee, and the license stays valid during those 30 days. If you have not applied by then, the license is suspended without a hearing.

The mandated topics

End-of-life care — 2 credits, every renewal

N.J.S.A. 45:9-7.7 and N.J.A.C. 13:35-6.15(c): "two of the 40 credits in Category I courses shall … be in programs or topics related to end-of-life care."

Prescription opioid drugs — 1 credit, every renewal

N.J.S.A. 45:9-7.8 and N.J.A.C. 13:35-6.15(d): one of the 40 Category I credits must be "in programs or topics concerning prescription opioid drugs, including responsible prescribing practices, alternatives to opioids for managing and treating pain, and the risks and signs of opioid abuse, addiction, and diversion." It applies to every licensed physician, not only those who prescribe opioids.

Sexual misconduct prevention — 2 credits, every renewal

New for the period that began July 1, 2025 (N.J.A.C. 13:35-6.15(e)). Two Category I credit hours, from one course or a series, that together address each of these topics:

1. understanding sexual misconduct, including its forms and types;
2. obtaining informed consent for sensitive procedures, including breast, pelvic, genital and rectal procedures;
3. how to interact with patients who have been sexually abused or harassed;
4. the power dynamics that contribute to sexual misconduct in health care;
5. what to do if you experience unwelcome sexual contact;
6. bystander intervention and the duty to report under the Health Care Professional Responsibility and Reporting Enhancement Act, P.L.2005, c.83; and
7. effective methods of identifying human trafficking and how and where to report it.

Check that a course covers all seven before you count it.

Explicit and implicit bias — 1 credit, every renewal (perinatal care)

From the period that began July 1, 2025, a physician "who provides perinatal treatment and care to pregnant persons" needs one of the 40 Category I credits in evidence-based explicit and implicit bias training (N.J.S.A. 45:9-7.9; N.J.A.C. 13:35-6.15(r)). Perinatal care means care during pregnancy, labor, delivery, postpartum and the neonatal period. The rule lists ten required elements, including disparities in perinatal care and how bias may contribute to pregnancy-related deaths, reproductive justice, and a review of the annual report of the New Jersey Maternal Mortality Review Committee. If you do not provide perinatal care, this credit does not apply to you.

Cultural competency — 6 hours, one time

N.J.S.A. 45:9-7.3 and N.J.A.C. 13:35-6.25 require a program of at least six hours for physicians who did not receive cultural competency instruction as part of their medical school curriculum. The program must cover six areas set out in the rule, including the effect of stereotyping on medical decision-making, health care disparities and working with interpreters. When it is due depends on when you were licensed:

• Licensed before March 24, 2005: due at the first renewal after March 24, 2008, and "in addition to the CME required by the Board."
• Licensed March 24, 2005 through June 29, 2007: due at the first renewal after March 24, 2008; it may count within your CME.
• Licensed on or after June 30, 2007: due "by the end of the next complete renewal cycle after he or she was licensed"; it may count within your CME.

The Board may waive it if you completed a substantially equivalent course. Graduates of New Jersey medical schools receive the instruction as a condition of their diploma. If you are unsure whether your training satisfied it, confirm with the Board.

Your first renewal

N.J.A.C. 13:35-6.15(f) exempts you from CME for your initial biennial period if you completed an accredited graduate medical education program within 12 months before licensure. You must still complete an orientation course presented or approved by the Board within 24 months of becoming licensed. If you do not meet the 12-month condition, the full 100 credits apply to your first renewal.

Reporting and audit

New Jersey has no CE tracking system. You certify on the renewal application that you completed the required credits, and 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 when asked. Failing to complete CME, or a false statement on the renewal, can lead to penalties or suspension. The Board may extend the deadline or waive CME for hardship such as severe illness, disability or military service if you apply in writing within 60 days of the end of the biennial period (N.J.A.C. 13:35-6.15(l)).

Federal requirement (not a New Jersey rule): DEA-registered practitioners also have the one-time 8-hour substance use disorder training required by the federal MATE Act. That is a DEA requirement, separate from New Jersey's credits.

Checklist before you renew

1. Count 100 credits earned since July 1 of the last odd-numbered year (plus up to 25 carried over).
2. Confirm at least 40 are Category I.
3. Within those 40: 2 end-of-life care, 1 prescription opioid drugs and 2 sexual misconduct prevention covering all seven listed topics.
4. If you provide perinatal care, add 1 credit of explicit and implicit bias training.
5. Make sure your one-time cultural competency training is on file if it applies to you.
6. Renew by June 30 of the odd-numbered year and keep your certificates for six years.

Requirements change. This guide was checked against the sources below on October 6, 2026; confirm with the Board before you rely on it.