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

Vermont has two separate boards. MDs are licensed by the Vermont Board of Medical Practice, part of the Department of Health. DOs are licensed by the Vermont Board of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons, administered by the Secretary of State's Office of Professional Regulation (OPR). Both require 30 hours every two years, but the deadlines, the accepted credit and the required topics differ.

The short version

Requirement	Hours	How often	Who
Total CME, MDs (AMA PRA Category 1 or AAFP)	30	Every two years, by November 30 of even years	Every MD
Hospice, palliative care or pain management (within the 30)	1	Every renewal	Every MD
Controlled substance prescribing (within the 30)	2	Every renewal	MDs with a DEA number or pending application
Total CME, DOs (AOA-approved)	30	Every two years, by September 30 of even years	Every DO (after two years of licensure)
Controlled substances (may count toward the 30)	2	Every renewal	DOs with a DEA number or pending application, or who dispense

MDs: Board of Medical Practice

How many hours, and what kind

Board Rule 24.1.1: each physician applying for renewal "must complete at least thirty hours of qualifying CME during the most recent two-year licensing period." The statute, 26 V.S.A. 1400(b), requires the Board to set at least 10 hours; the Board set 30.

• AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ qualifies (Rule 24.2.1), including the AMA's two credits per hour for presenting.
• AAFP Prescribed credit qualifies. The Board's 2026 CME guidance says that in 2025 the Board approved AAFP CME activity, so for the 2026 renewal the requirement is 30 hours "of either AMA PRA Category 1 or AAFP activity." The rule text (effective May 1, 2024) still names only AMA PRA Category 1.
• AOA credit is not named for MD licensees; confirm with the Board before counting AOA-only credit.
• A year of full-time residency or fellowship can count for 15 hours if you write to the Board (Rule 24.2.4).

Except for the required subjects, your CME should keep you current in your own specialties and in fields you refer to; "own area of practice" is read broadly. Physicians not in active practice must still complete all 30 hours, including the required subjects, to renew.

The required subjects

Hospice, palliative care or pain management — 1 hour, every renewal. 26 V.S.A. 1400(b) requires evidence of competence in recognizing the need for timely consultations and referrals, including hospice, palliative care and pain management services. Rule 24.1.5: every physician who must complete CME certifies at each renewal that at least one of the hours was on hospice, palliative care or pain management.

Prescribing controlled substances — 2 hours, every renewal. Rule 24.1.6: physicians who prescribe controlled substances certify at each renewal at least two hours on controlled substance prescribing, covering abuse and diversion, safe use, storage and disposal; the Vermont Prescription Monitoring System; risk assessment for abuse or addiction; pharmacological and nonpharmacological alternatives to opioids for pain; tapering and stopping controlled substances; and state and federal law on prescribing opioids. Anyone with a DEA number, or a pending DEA application, is presumed to prescribe and must meet it.

Both count toward the 30 hours.

When your license expires

MD licenses renew on a fixed two-year schedule (Rule 7.1). The current period ends November 30, 2026; the next ends November 30, 2028. The Board emails a renewal notice 90 days before. A physician who practices on an unrenewed license is an illegal practitioner until reinstated (26 V.S.A. 1400(f)); reinstating a lapsed license requires certifying all the CME you would have needed to stay licensed (Rule 24.1.9).

Your first renewal

Rule 24.1.2: time is counted from the date the Board approved your license to the expiration date.

• Licensed less than one year: no CME at the first renewal. For 2026, that means licensed after December 1, 2025.
• Licensed one year or more but less than two: at least 15 hours, including the required subjects. For 2026, that means licensed between December 1, 2024 and November 30, 2025.
• Licensed the full two years: 30 hours.

Members of the armed forces mobilized or deployed for part of a cycle are treated the same way (Rule 24.1.8).

Reporting, audits and make-up plans

You certify on the renewal application; you do not send certificates. Keep documentation for four years; the Board may audit for up to four years and audits a random sample after every renewal cycle (Rules 24.1.1.1–24.1.1.2).

If you are short of hours or a required subject, do not certify. Instead, file a make-up plan with your renewal application listing the activities you will complete; you have up to 120 days to finish, and you must contact the Board at least 30 days before the plan ends if you need more time (Rule 24.3).

DOs: Board of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons

How many hours, and what kind

26 V.S.A. 1836(c): "As a condition of renewal, a licensee shall complete a minimum of 30 hours of continuing medical education, during the preceding two-year period." Board Rule 3.6(e): "The Board requires continuing education which is approved by the AOA or a successor or equivalent organization approved by the Board."

• AOA Category 1-A credit qualifies. AOA Category 1-B is AOA-approved too, so it appears to qualify; the rule does not separate them.
• AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ and AAFP Prescribed credit are not named in the osteopathic rules. Confirm with the Board before relying mostly on them.
• Only CE taken within two years of the renewal date counts. One quarter college credit equals 10 hours and one semester college credit equals 15 hours; only time spent learning counts, not breaks or meals.

The old osteopathic-hours rule. Until 2023, the statute required at least 40 percent of the 30 hours to be osteopathic medical education. 2023 Act 77 removed that sentence, and the current statute sets no osteopathic minimum. The Board's 2015 rule still says the statute "sets the number of continuing education hours which must be osteopathic in nature," so confirm with the Board whether it expects any osteopathic hours.

The Board of Medical Practice's hospice and palliative care subject is set by 26 V.S.A. 1400, which applies to MDs. We found no matching requirement for DOs.

The required subject: controlled substances — 2 hours, every renewal

Under Act 173 (2016), Sec. 9, as described in OPR's notice, licensees with a DEA registration number, a pending DEA application, or who dispense controlled substances must complete at least two hours of CE as a condition of each renewal, on: abuse and diversion, safe use, storage and disposal of controlled substances; the Vermont Prescription Monitoring System; risk assessment for abuse or addiction; pharmacological and nonpharmacological alternatives to opioids for pain; tapering and stopping controlled substances; and state and federal law on prescribing opioids. OPR does not endorse specific courses.

When your license expires

OPR lists osteopathic physician licenses as expiring September 30 of even-numbered years; the most recent was September 30, 2026 and the next is September 30, 2028. If you do not renew, all privileges are suspended from the expiration date; a lapsed license can be renewed with the renewal fee and a late penalty (26 V.S.A. 1836(a)).

Your first renewal

Rule 3.6(a): the 30 hours are due "with the first renewal application after two years of licensure, and with each subsequent renewal application." A renewal that comes before you have held the license for two years needs no CME hours. The controlled substance hours are a separate condition of renewal for DEA registrants; confirm with the Board whether they apply at that first renewal.

Audits

The Board audits randomly selected licensees and licensees whose licenses are conditioned, and may audit late renewers and anyone found short in either of the two previous cycles. If audited, you send a detailed account of the hours claimed. The Board may give you 90 days to complete a corrective plan for a shortfall; not following it can lead to discipline (Rule 3.7).

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 Vermont's rules.

Checklist before you renew

1. Check your board: MDs renew by November 30 of even years (Board of Medical Practice); DOs by September 30 of even years (OPR).
2. Count 30 hours from the two-year period: AMA PRA Category 1 or AAFP for MDs; AOA-approved for DOs.
3. MDs: make sure at least 1 hour was on hospice, palliative care or pain management.
4. If you hold or have applied for a DEA number, make sure 2 hours were on controlled substances.
5. MDs keep certificates for four years; DOs keep them ready for an audit.

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