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

In Utah, physicians are licensed by the Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL). MDs are licensed under the Utah Medical Practice Act and DOs under the Utah Osteopathic Medical Practice Act, each with its own licensing board. The CME rules are almost the same: 40 hours every two years, with at least 34 in Category 1. The main differences are which Category 1 credit counts and when each license expires.

The short version

Requirement	MD	DO
Total CME	40 hours every two-year cycle	40 hours every two-year cycle
Category 1 minimum	34 hours ACCME category 1	34 hours AOA or ACCME category 1
Controlled substance prescribing (within the 40)	3.5 hours every renewal, Division-approved	Same
SBIRT (within the 40)	3.5 hours, once	Same
Who needs those two	Holders of a Utah controlled substance license	Same
Suicide prevention module	One 0.5-credit DOPL training at renewal	Same
License expires	January 31 of even-numbered years	May 31 of even-numbered years

How many hours, and what kind

Utah Code 58-67-304 and 58-68-304 make CME a condition of renewal and leave the hours to DOPL's rules. R156-67-304 (MD) and R156-68-304 (DO) require at least 40 hours during each two-year licensure cycle:

• at least 34 hours in Category 1. For MDs, that means category 1 offerings "as established by the ACCME." For DOs, it means category 1 offerings "as established by the AOA or ACCME";
• up to 6 hours from the Division;
• up to 15 percent from documented volunteer health care, at 1 hour of credit for every 4 hours of service;
• residency in an AOA- or ACCME-approved program counts pro rata for the part of the cycle you spend in it.

All CE must be relevant to your practice, taught by qualified presenters, and have a way to verify attendance and completion. Credit is counted in 50-minute hours.

For MDs, AAFP Prescribed credit is not named, but credit from an ACCME-accredited provider appears to fit "ACCME category 1." AOA credit is not named in the MD rule. For DOs, the rule says AOA category 1 without separating 1-A and 1-B. If most of your hours are AAFP Prescribed or AOA Category 1-B, confirm with DOPL.

When your license expires

• MD: physician licenses expire on January 31 of even-numbered years (next: January 31, 2028). DOPL emails a renewal notice at least 60 days before.
• DO: osteopathic physician and surgeon renewals are due May 31 of even-numbered years (next: May 31, 2028). DOPL emails a renewal notice 90 days before.

Your controlled substance license renews at the same time as your medical license.

The mandatory topics

Controlled substance prescribing — 3.5 hours, every renewal

If you hold a Utah controlled substance license that lets you prescribe Schedule II and Schedule III opioids, hypnotic depressants or psychostimulants, Utah Code 58-37-303 requires at least 3.5 hours each licensing period in controlled substance prescribing classes. (This section was 58-37-6.5 until it was renumbered on May 6, 2026; DOPL's pages still use the old number.) For MDs and DOs the classes must:

• qualify for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™;
• come from a provider DOPL recognizes, and be approved by DOPL, in consultation with the Utah Medical Association Foundation, as meeting the content rules;
• include a post-course knowledge assessment;
• cover the scope of controlled substance abuse in Utah and the nation, the FDA opioid analgesic REMS education blueprint, national and Utah prescribing resources, documentation, office policies, and some training on medical cannabis.

The hours count toward your 40, not on top of them. A federal waiver to treat opioid dependency, obtained on or after July 1, 2017, can satisfy the 3.5 hours for two consecutive licensing periods.

SBIRT — 3.5 hours, once

Controlled substance prescribers must also complete a 3.5-hour SBIRT class (screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment), for licensing periods beginning after January 1, 2024. You take it once during your Utah licensure, and it satisfies the 3.5-hour controlled substance requirement for the period in which you complete it.

Suicide prevention — one short DOPL training

DOPL's renewal pages for MDs and DOs list completing at least one of three online suicide prevention trainings: Suicide Safety Planning with Patients, Talking to Patients About Suicide, or Counseling on Access to Lethal Means. Each is worth 0.5 credit and counts as CE. We could not find this requirement in the statute or the CME rules, so confirm with DOPL whether you need it at every renewal.

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). It is a federal requirement, separate from Utah's rules.

Your first renewal

Utah Code 58-67-304(2) and 58-68-304(2) say that if a renewal period is shortened or extended, the CE hours go down or up proportionally. If your first license was issued partway through a cycle, you should need fewer than 40 hours, but DOPL does not publish the formula. Confirm your number with DOPL. If you prescribe controlled substances, the 3.5 hours and the one-time SBIRT class still apply.

Reporting and audits

You attest to your CE when you renew. Keep documentation that proves you met the requirement for two years after the end of the cycle for which the CME was due (R156-67-304(4) and R156-68-304(4)). A CME self-reporting log can be part of that record.

Checklist before you renew

1. Find your expiration date: January 31 (MD) or May 31 (DO) of an even-numbered year.
2. Count 40 hours in the two-year cycle, with at least 34 in ACCME (MD) or AOA or ACCME (DO) category 1.
3. If you hold a controlled substance license, include 3.5 hours of DOPL-approved prescribing CE, and complete the one-time SBIRT class if you have not.
4. Complete one of DOPL's suicide prevention trainings.
5. Keep certificates for two years after the cycle ends.

Requirements change. This guide was checked against the sources below on October 7, 2026; confirm with the Board before you rely on it.