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

This guide covers physicians licensed by the Oregon Medical Board, which licenses both MDs and DOs. Both follow the same rules in Oregon Administrative Rules chapter 847, division 8. The Board's continuing education page sums it up: to renew, you must meet requirements in three areas, general education, pain management and cultural competency.

The short version

Requirement	Hours	How often	Who
General: maintenance of certification or CME	60 hours of CME (30 if licensed in the second year)	Every two-year registration period	Every active MD and DO
Pain management (Oregon Pain Management Commission course)	1	At initial licensure and every two years	Every MD and DO (few exceptions)
Cultural competency	An average of 1 a year (4 in a four-year audit period)	Reported at least every other renewal	Every MD and DO except residents
License expires	December 31 of odd-numbered years	Every two years	Everyone (next: December 31, 2027)

The pain management hour and cultural competency CME can count toward the 60 hours.

General requirement: certification or 60 hours

OAR 847-008-0070(1) gives an active-status physician two ways to show ongoing competence:

• Ongoing participation in a recertification or maintenance of certification program of an American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) board or the AOA Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists (AOA-BOS). If you are audited, Board staff verify this with your specialty board. Lifetime certification without participation in maintenance of certification does not count; those physicians must do the CME hours.
• 60 hours of CME per two years relevant to your current practice, or 30 hours if you were licensed during the second year of the biennium. The hours must be:
  • AMA Category 1 (AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™);
  • AOA Category 1-A or 2-A;
  • from APMA Council on Podiatric Medical Education approved sponsors; or
  • AAPA Category 1.

The rule applies to every licensee, so MDs may count AOA 1-A or 2-A credit and DOs may count AMA credit. AOA Category 1-B and 2-B count only for physicians renewing in Emeritus status, who need 15 hours a year. The rule was last amended in January 2026 (a name change for an acupuncture board), with no change to the physician hours.

AAFP Prescribed credit is not on the list. It counts only if the activity is also certified for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. If most of your hours are AAFP Prescribed, confirm with the Board.

The rule says CME on cultural competency, on suicide risk assessment, treatment and management, and on Alzheimer's disease (detection, early diagnosis and antipsychotic prescribing) is relevant to every licensee's practice, so it counts toward the 60. The Board encourages suicide risk and Alzheimer's education but does not require it.

Physicians who perform Level II office-based surgery and are not eligible for or maintaining specialty certification need 50 hours of relevant CME every year (OAR 847-008-0070(7)). Physicians in residency training are exempt from the rule.

When your license expires

Physicians renew their registration on or before December 31 of each odd-numbered year (OAR 847-008-0005). The current registration period is the 2026-2027 biennium, so the next renewal is due December 31, 2027. The Board's Fall 2025 newsletter warns that a license not renewed by the deadline lapses, and practicing on a lapsed license is a felony and grounds for discipline.

The required topics

Pain management: 1 hour, at initial licensure and every two years

OAR 847-008-0075 requires every licensee to complete "one-hour of continuing education in pain management at initial licensure and every 24 months provided by the Pain Management Commission." Only the Commission's course counts. The Board names it: the free one-hour online course "Transforming Pain Management: A Journey to Better Care," which the Commission updates every two years. You check a box on the renewal form; if you are audited, the Board confirms completion with the Commission. Lapsed, teleradiology and telemonitoring licenses are exempt. The hour counts toward the 60.

Cultural competency: an average of 1 hour a year

OAR 847-008-0077 requires at least one hour of cultural competency education per year, approved by the Oregon Health Authority or meeting OAR 943-090-0020. The Board counts it over an audit period of two renewal cycles, usually four years. Any part of a year licensed needs one hour; a physician licensed 3.5 years in the period needs four. You can earn the hours at any time in the period, all at once or spread out. The current audit period for most licensees is 2024-2027, audited at the fall 2027 renewal.

The education does not have to be CME. The Board lists courses, experiential or service learning, cultural or linguistic immersion, volunteering in a rural clinic, employer training, implicit bias training and courses on the Oregon Health Authority's list. At renewal you check a box and report the number of hours. Residents and Volunteer Camp licensees are exempt. If the education is CME, it also counts toward the 60 hours.

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 Oregon's rules.

Your first renewal

If you were licensed during the second year of the biennium, you need 30 hours of CME instead of 60 (OAR 847-008-0070(1)(b)). The pain management course is due at initial licensure and every 24 months after. Cultural competency is counted by the years you were licensed in the audit period.

Reporting and audits

At renewal you report how you met the general requirement, attest to the pain management course, and attest to and report your cultural competency hours. The Board audits licensees at random. If you are selected, you are notified by email and mail and have 60 days to send course certificates (OAR 847-008-0070(8)). Documentation must show your name, the date, the number and type of credits (for example, AMA Category 1), and the course name and topic.

If your CME is deficient or poorly documented, the Board fines you $250 and gives you 120 days from the audit to comply. After 120 days the fine rises to $1,000; after 180 days the license is suspended for at least 90 days (OAR 847-008-0070(9)). The Board has partnered with the ACCME on its Program and Activity Reporting System (PARS) to simplify CME reporting.

Checklist before you renew

1. Your next renewal is due December 31, 2027.
2. Confirm you are in an ABMS or AOA-BOS maintenance of certification program, or count 60 hours of AMA Category 1 or AOA 1-A or 2-A credit for 2026-2027.
3. Take the Oregon Pain Management Commission's one-hour course in this period.
4. Make sure you have an average of one cultural competency hour per year for 2024-2027 (usually four).
5. Keep certificates where you can produce them within 60 days.

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