2026 physician guide · MD & DO

California CME requirements for physicians

Both MDs and DOs generally need 50 hours every two years. Different boards set the accepted categories, topic requirements and renewal details. Start with the degree on your California license.

By Michael Rushton, DO · Physician founder of ClearCME

Last verified: · Verification methodology

Published: · Updated:

At a glance

MD · Medical Board of California

50 hours

Renewal cycle
Two-year renewal cycle; use your actual license expiration. The MD renewal month follows issuance, not your birthday.
Accepted credit types
AMA PRA Category 1 or another board-accepted pathway.

DO · Osteopathic Medical Board of California

50 hours, including 20 AOA Category 1-A or 1-B

Renewal cycle
Two-year license renewal period. Issue-month and legacy birth-month schedules differ; use the board record.
Accepted credit types
Remaining 30 hours may be AOA or AMA accredited. An AMA certificate does not automatically meet the AOA floor.

Mandatory topics

Find your license type below. Some requirements also depend on your specialty, practice setting or prescribing authority.

MD requirements

DO requirements

Related courses are a starting point for your search. Before enrolling, confirm that the activity meets your board’s provider, content, category and completion-date requirements.

Exceptions and first renewals

Your initial license period, residency or fellowship participation, or specialty-board examination history may affect the usual requirement. Your board’s instructions explain which rules apply to your first renewal.

OMBC permits training-related waivers with documentation from the residency or fellowship program; inactive status and discretionary waivers have separate rules. Ask the relevant board before relying on an exemption.

Sources: Medical Board of California · CME, exemptions and records · Osteopathic Medical Board · CME guidance effective October 2025

Carryover and documentation

Complete CME within the period immediately preceding your license expiration. Excess hours from an earlier period do not become new training in the next period. Keep proof of one-time requirements available for future renewals.

Keep course title, dates, hours, sponsor, accreditor and completion documentation for at least four years. Both boards can audit. OMBC asks for accepted documentation formats and submission through the instructions provided with an audit.

Sources: Medical Board of California · CME, exemptions and records · Osteopathic Medical Board · CME guidance effective October 2025

What’s tricky about California

The same 50-hour headline hides different category rules. A DO with 50 AMA hours can still miss the 20-hour AOA Category 1-A/1-B minimum. A course’s topic and its accreditation category are separate checks.

Use the actual board expiration date. MD issue-month renewal and DO legacy schedules make a birthday-based assumption unreliable. One-time training evidence also needs to outlive the current renewal cycle.

Sources: Medical Board of California · CME, exemptions and records · Osteopathic Medical Board · CME guidance effective October 2025 · Business and Professions Code §2423 · MD expiration

Change history

Reviewed September 18, 2026. Both boards continue to require 50 hours for a standard two-year renewal, with different category and topic requirements for MDs and DOs. The geriatrics and dementia provision predates 2026.

Sources: Medical Board of California · CME, exemptions and records · Osteopathic Medical Board · CME guidance effective October 2025

Questions physicians ask next

Do California MDs and DOs need the same number of hours?

Generally, both need 50 hours per two-year renewal. DOs also need at least 20 AOA Category 1-A/1-B hours and a recurring Schedule II/opioid hour. The degree-specific rules matter as much as the total.

Does my California license renew in my birth month?

Check your board record. California MD renewal is tied to issuance. California DOs can have issue-month or legacy birth-month schedules; the recorded expiration is the reliable starting point.

Can my existing pain-management course count?

Possibly. Confirm the course’s content, accepted accreditation, completion date and whether it met the 12-hour requirement or approved alternative. Keep the certificate even after the current CME cycle ends.

Do I owe separate implicit-bias hours in California?

California’s implicit-bias provision is a course-content standard, not a separate universal hour quota. A generic implicit-bias course alone does not establish that all of your CME meets California standards.

Can I carry extra hours into my next renewal?

Complete the applicable hours within the board’s current renewal period. Excess hours from the previous cycle do not count as newly completed training.

Does uploading to ClearCME report my hours to the California board?

No. ClearCME helps organize records. You remain responsible for board renewal attestations and for providing documentation if selected for audit.

Primary sources

Board guidance and controlling law support this guide. Your board’s current rules and individual determination govern your renewal.

  1. Medical Board of California · CME, exemptions and records ↗
    “a minimum of 50 hours of approved Continuing Medical Education (CME) hours during each biennial renewal cycle”
  2. Osteopathic Medical Board · CME guidance effective October 2025 ↗
  3. Business and Professions Code §2190.5 · pain management ↗
  4. Business and Professions Code §2190.6 · alternative opioid pathway ↗
  5. Business and Professions Code §2190.1 · course content ↗
  6. Business and Professions Code §2423 · MD expiration ↗

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