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

The Wyoming Board of Medicine licenses both allopathic (MD) and osteopathic (DO) physicians under the Medical Practice Act (W.S. title 33, chapter 26) and the Board's rules. Both degrees follow the same CME rule, Chapter 3, Section 7, so this guide covers both.

The short version

Requirement	Hours	How often	Who
Total CME	60	In the three years before each annual renewal	Every MD and DO, unless exempt
Responsible prescribing of controlled substances or treatment of substance use disorders	1	Every two years	Physicians registered with the Board of Pharmacy to dispense controlled substances
License renewal	—	Every year, by June 30	Every MD and DO

How many hours, and what kind

Board Rules Chapter 3, Section 7(a): to renew, reinstate or reactivate a license, a physician "shall verify satisfactory completion of not less than sixty (60) hours of continuing medical education (CME) earned in any combination of the following during the previous three (3) years":

• AMA-approved Category I or II CME;
• AOA-approved CME;
• a current AMA Physician's Recognition Award;
• a current certificate from an ABMS specialty board, for the hours the specialty board considers it equivalent to;
• other documented and verifiable self-assessment, quality improvement or other activity that improves your medical skills;
• documented volunteer clinical care for low-income uninsured people in a Wyoming nonprofit facility while holding an emeritus license;
• volunteer service to the Board as a medical consultant, at one hour of CME per two hours of service, up to 20 hours a calendar year.

There is no Category 1 minimum: AMA Category 2 counts in full. The rule applies to every licensee, so MDs may count AOA credit and DOs may count AMA credit. It accepts "AOA-approved" CME without limiting the category.

AAFP Prescribed credit is not named in the rule. It should count as a verifiable activity that improves medical skills, but confirm with the Board if most of your hours are AAFP Prescribed.

Because you renew every year and the window is always "the previous three years," the 60 hours are a rolling total. At each June renewal, count the hours you earned in the three years before it. The rule says nothing about carrying hours forward.

Who is exempt

Chapter 3, Section 7(b) says the CME requirement does not apply to physicians who:

• have held a Wyoming license for less than three years as of the renewal date;
• have been certified or recertified by an ABMS member board within the past three years (the rule names ABMS only, not the AOA);
• are, or within the past three years were, in an ACGME- or RCPSC-approved residency;
• hold an inactive Wyoming license and have told the Board so in writing. The Board stopped issuing inactive licenses on July 1, 2024; existing ones may still be renewed.

The Board may also exempt you from all or part of the requirement for circumstances beyond your control, such as temporary disability, mandatory military service or declared disasters. A written request received by the renewal date can get you an extension of up to one year (§7(c)–(d)).

The mandatory topic

Controlled substances or substance use disorders: 1 hour every two years

W.S. 33-26-202(b)(xiv), added by 2019 Senate File 47, directs the Board to "require licensees who are registered with the board of pharmacy to dispense a controlled substance in this state to complete one (1) hour of continuing education related to the responsible prescribing of controlled substances or the treatment of substance abuse disorders every two (2) years."

It applies if you hold a Wyoming controlled substance registration from the Board of Pharmacy. The Board's CME rule does not restate it, so it does not say whether the hour counts within the 60 or whether the first-three-years exemption covers it. Plan on one hour inside your 60 every two years, and confirm with the Board.

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 Wyoming's rules.

When your license expires

W.S. 33-26-305(a) says licenses lapse annually on a date the Board sets. Board Rules Chapter 1, Section 10 sets it:

• After your first renewal, every physician license must be renewed no later than June 30 each year.
• A license first issued between July 1 and February 28 (29 in leap years) is due the next June 30. One issued between March 1 and June 30 runs until June 30 of the following year.
• If you miss June 30, you can still renew during the grace period with a $100 surcharge (plus $25 for a paper form). The Board must receive it by 5:00 p.m. Mountain Time (7:00 p.m. Eastern) on September 30.

If your license came through the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (the number ends in "C"), renew through the IMLC first; the Board then emails you its renewal form.

Reporting and audits

Each year you sign the Board's affidavit on the renewal application. It says you have met the CME requirement, hold an inactive license or are otherwise exempt (§7(e)). You do not send certificates with it.

The Board audits about 10% of active licensees at random. If you are selected, send a signed statement and all supporting documents within 45 days of the notice. If you are found short, you have up to six months to comply. Failing to answer an audit, or to produce records when asked, may be unprofessional conduct (§7(g)–(h)).

Keep CME records for at least four years (§7(f)). The Board also offers access to the ACCME's CME tracking service; using it is optional.

Checklist before you renew

1. Renew by June 30 each year (grace period to September 30, with a surcharge).
2. Check whether you are exempt: licensed in Wyoming under three years, ABMS certified or recertified in the last three years, or in residency.
3. Otherwise count 60 hours earned in the three years before this renewal (AMA Category 1 or 2, AOA, or another listed activity).
4. If you hold a Wyoming controlled substance registration, make sure you have one hour on responsible prescribing or substance use disorders in the last two years.
5. Keep certificates for four years.

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