New York physician (MD and DO) CME requirements for registration

In New York, MDs and DOs hold the same license. The New York State Education Department (NYSED), Office of the Professions, issues it, and the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) runs two of the three mandated trainings. This guide applies to both degrees.

The short version

Requirement	Hours	How often	Who
General CME	None	—	New York sets no general CME hours for physicians
Infection control and barrier precautions (including sepsis)	No minimum in law (NYSED expects 2 to 4)	At initial licensure and every 4 years	Every physician practicing in New York
Identification and reporting of child abuse and maltreatment	2	Once, before licensure, plus the updated curriculum by November 17, 2026	Every physician, unless exempt
Pain management, palliative care and addiction	3	Within one year of DEA registration, then once every 3 years	Physicians with a DEA registration

Each training must come from an approved provider or meet NYSDOH's content rules. Hours from other CME do not count unless the course meets those rules.

Registration

A New York license is valid for life, but you must re-register every two years to practice (Education Law 6502; section 6524 sets the "biennial registration" fee). Your registration period is personal to you and is printed on your registration certificate. Online renewal opens in the final 5 months of the period. The mandated trainings below run on their own schedules, not your registration period.

The mandated trainings

Infection control and barrier precautions: every 4 years

Public Health Law 239 says every physician practicing in New York "shall, on or before July first, nineteen hundred ninety-four and every four years thereafter, complete course work or training ... regarding infection control, which shall include sepsis, and barrier precautions". The course must come from a provider approved by NYSDOH or NYSED and cover the seven core elements. Graduates of New York medical schools or residency programs are credited with the initial training; four years later they need the course.

Neither law nor regulation sets a length. NYSED says "we anticipate that a minimum of two to four hours will be needed to cover the content."

You can apply to NYSDOH for an exemption if you have equivalent training (for example, infectious disease specialists), are not practicing in New York, or do not provide direct patient care. Exemptions must be renewed every four years.

Child abuse identification and reporting: once, with a 2026 update

Education Law 6507(3)(a) requires two hours of coursework from a NYSED-approved provider before you are licensed. It covers the physical and behavioral signs of child abuse and maltreatment and the reporting duties in Social Services Law 413 to 420. If you graduated from a NYS-registered program on or after September 1, 1990, you already have it. Training during residency does not count. NYSED can exempt you if your practice involves no professional contact with children.

As mandated reporters, physicians also have to complete curriculum updates:

Chapter 56 of the Laws of 2021 added implicit bias, adverse childhood experiences and signs of abuse during virtual visits. The deadline was April 1, 2025.
Chapter 25 of the Laws of 2024 added identifying abuse of children with intellectual or developmental disabilities. NYSED says mandated reporters, "including those who have previously undergone the current training, complete the updated training curriculum by November 17, 2026." Approved providers began teaching the updated course on September 1, 2025. If you completed mandated reporter training between November 1, 2022 and August 31, 2025, a 15-minute addendum is available from most providers.

Pain management, palliative care and addiction: every 3 years (DEA registrants)

Under Public Health Law 3309-a(3), New York-licensed prescribers who hold a DEA registration must complete at least three hours of course work. This includes registrations held in any state and retired physicians who keep their DEA registration. The course must cover all eight NYSDOH topics:

New York State and federal requirements for prescribing controlled substances
pain management
appropriate prescribing
managing acute pain
palliative medicine
prevention, screening and signs of addiction
responses to abuse and addiction
end of life care

New prescribers complete it within one year of DEA registration, then "once within each three-year period thereafter." Live, home study and online courses all count. NYSDOH approves accredited CME courses that include the required topics "for the number of hours for which they are accredited". It names accreditors including the ACCME, the AOA, MSSNY and the New York Chapter of the ACP. The list "include[s], but [is] not limited to" those organizations and does not name the AAFP, so confirm with NYSDOH before counting AAFP Prescribed credit on its own. Extra hours do not carry over to the next three-year cycle. NYSDOH sponsors a free course from the University at Buffalo that covers all eight topics.

Federal requirement (not a New York topic)

NYSDOH notes that federal law also requires DEA-registered practitioners to complete a one-time 8 hours of training on substance use disorders. This is "in addition to the New York State Mandatory Prescriber Education."

Optional: nutrition coursework

NYSED lists free and low-cost nutrition CME for physicians under Chapter 743 of the Laws of 2023. It is "not required for physicians to complete".

Your first registration

There are no general hours to prorate or waive. You document the child abuse training with your license application. Infection control is due at initial licensure and registration. If you hold a DEA registration, the prescriber course is due within a year of registering with the DEA.

Reporting and records

Child abuse training: the provider gives you a Certification of Completion within ten days. Upload it to NYSED with your license application or at re-registration.
Infection control: if you are affiliated with a hospital, keep the certificate (hospitals check it when credentialing). If you are not, send it to NYSDOH.
Prescriber course: attest online in NYSDOH's Narcotic Education Attestation Tracker (NEAT) on the Health Commerce System, where you can also see your past attestations. Keep proof for at least 6 years from the attestation: provider, course title, location, date and hours.

Checklist before you re-register

Check your registration end date on your certificate.
Confirm your infection control course is within the last 4 years, or your exemption is current.
Confirm your child abuse training is on file with NYSED, and complete the updated curriculum or the 15-minute addendum by November 17, 2026.
If you hold a DEA registration, confirm your last NEAT attestation is less than 3 years old and that the course covered all eight topics.
Keep your certificates; keep prescriber course records for 6 years.

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