Nevada CME requirements for physicians
Nevada MD and DO requirements differ substantially. MDs have a biennial specialty-hour requirement and first-cycle phase-down. DOs have a transition: the December 2026 renewal still uses 35 hours from the preceding year.
By Michael Rushton, DO · Physician founder of ClearCME
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At a glance
MD · State Board of Medical Examiners
40 Category 1 hours, including 20 in specialty/scope
- Renewal cycle
- Biennial renewal on June 30 of odd-numbered years. Newly licensed MDs may qualify for the phase-down below.
- Accepted credit types
- AMA PRA Category 1 or board-approved CME; topic and specialty requirements still apply.
DO · State Board of Osteopathic Medicine
2026: 35 hours / preceding year. After 2026: 40 hours / preceding biennium.
- Renewal cycle
- December 31 in even-numbered years. The transition changes the CME lookback, not just the total.
- Accepted credit types
- 2026: at least 10 Category 1A hours; later renewals: at least 20. The Nevada rule recognizes AOA- or ACCME-accredited sponsors for this category.
Mandatory topics
Find your license type below. Some requirements also depend on your specialty, practice setting or prescribing authority.
MD requirements
Ethics, pain management or addiction care
Two hours every two years in ethics, pain management or addiction care. Qualifying SBIRT training may count toward this requirement; suicide-prevention training does not.
Explore related courses →Sources: Nevada medical board · 2025–2027 CME chart · NRS 630.253, 630.2535 and 630.267 · MD topics and renewal
Suicide prevention
Two hours within two years of initial licensure and every four years thereafter. This requirement applies across medical specialties.
Explore related courses →Sources: Nevada medical board · 2025–2027 CME chart · NRS 630.253, 630.2535 and 630.267 · MD topics and renewal
SBIRT
Two hours once, within two years of initial licensure, for screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment. Keep the one-time completion record.
Explore related courses →Controlled substances and opioids
Two hours every two years for physicians registered to dispense controlled substances in Nevada. Eligible topics include controlled-substance misuse and abuse, opioid prescribing or addiction.
Explore related courses →HIV stigma and bias
Two hours within two years after beginning to provide or supervise hospital emergency services or primary care. This requirement applies to physicians in those practice settings.
Sources: Nevada medical board · 2025–2027 CME chart · NRS 630.253, 630.2535 and 630.267 · MD topics and renewal
Cultural competency and DEI
Psychiatrists need two hours every two years in cultural competency and diversity, equity and inclusion. This requirement is specific to psychiatry.
Explore related courses →Sources: Nevada medical board · 2025–2027 CME chart · NRS 630.253, 630.2535 and 630.267 · MD topics and renewal
DO requirements
Ethics, pain management or addiction care
Two hours every two years in ethics, pain management, addiction care or SBIRT. Suicide-prevention training does not count toward the ethics requirement.
Explore related courses →Suicide prevention
Two hours within two years of initial licensure and every four years thereafter. This requirement applies across osteopathic medical specialties.
Explore related courses →Sources: NRS 633.471 · DO renewal and mandatory topics · Approved R092-25 · DO 2026/2027 transition, filed July 1, 2026
SBIRT
Two hours once, within two years of initial licensure, for screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment. Keep the one-time completion record.
Explore related courses →Controlled substances and opioids
For renewal through December 31, 2026: two hours from the preceding year. For later renewals: four hours from the preceding two years. Eligible topics include controlled-substance misuse and abuse, opioid prescribing or addiction.
Explore related courses →Sources: Approved R092-25 · DO 2026/2027 transition, filed July 1, 2026
HIV stigma and bias
Two hours within two years after beginning to provide or supervise hospital emergency services or primary care. This requirement applies to osteopathic physicians in those practice settings.
Cultural competency and DEI
Osteopathic physicians practicing psychiatry need two hours every two years in cultural competency and diversity, equity and inclusion. This requirement is specific to psychiatry.
Explore related courses →
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.
MD first-cycle phase-down · July 2025–June 2027
Licensed before July 1, 2025 or during July–December 2025: 40 total hours, including 20 specialty/scope hours. Licensed January–June 2026: 30 total and 15 specialty/scope hours. Licensed July–December 2026: 20 total and 10 specialty/scope hours. Licensed January–June 2027: 10 total and five specialty/scope hours.
The two-hour ethics/pain/addiction block is not reduced. NAC 630.157 supplies the total-hour phase-down; the board’s current chart supplies the corresponding specialty/scope numbers. This MD phase-down does not establish a DO proration rule.
Sources: Nevada medical board · 2025–2027 CME chart · NAC 630.153 and 630.157 · MD exemptions and phase-down
Exceptions, carryover and documentation
NAC 630.153 provides an MD exemption for a completed residency/fellowship year during the preceding biennium. Inactive-license rules differ from active practice. Confirm the exact pathway and any still-applicable obligations with your board.
Use CME from the applicable lookback rather than assuming unused hours carry forward. Keep certificates, accepted category, specialty/scope content, topic allocation and lifetime-topic records. MDs attest at renewal and can be audited; the DO transition rule requires satisfactory completion evidence.
Sources: NAC 630.153 and 630.157 · MD exemptions and phase-down · Nevada medical board · 2025–2027 CME chart · Approved R092-25 · DO 2026/2027 transition, filed July 1, 2026
What’s tricky about Nevada
The December 31, 2026 DO renewal requires 35 hours over the preceding year, including 10 Category 1A and two controlled-substance/opioid/addiction hours. Later renewals use 40 hours over the preceding biennium, including 20 Category 1A and four prescribing/addiction hours.
MD first-cycle totals depend on the actual issuance block. Specialty/scope hours and topic-specific clocks add separate checks. ClearCME does not yet calculate all of these adjustments. Confirm your required total and specialty hours with the board before renewal.
Sources: Approved R092-25 · DO 2026/2027 transition, filed July 1, 2026 · Nevada medical board · 2025–2027 CME chart
What changed in 2026
AB 56 moved DO renewal to a biennial schedule. The approved R092-25 regulation, filed July 1, 2026, expressly preserves the annual CME lookback for renewals through December 31, 2026 and changes later renewals.
The former MD bioterrorism/WMD statutory mandate was removed effective January 1, 2026. Older regulatory text and third-party summaries can still show it; the current statute and board chart should be read together.
Sources: Approved R092-25 · DO 2026/2027 transition, filed July 1, 2026 · NRS 630.253, 630.2535 and 630.267 · MD topics and renewal · Nevada AB 56 · enrolled legislation · Nevada medical board · 2025–2027 CME chart
Questions physicians ask next
Is Nevada DO renewal in 2026 based on 35, 40 or 70 hours?
For renewal on or before December 31, 2026, the approved transition regulation requires at least 35 hours over the preceding year, including 10 Category 1A and two prescribing/addiction hours. The requirement for that renewal is 35 hours, not 70.
When does the 40-hour DO biennium apply?
The approved regulation applies 40 hours over the preceding biennium to renewals after December 31, 2026, including 20 Category 1A and four controlled-substance/opioid/addiction hours. The next ordinary even-year renewal is December 2028.
I obtained my Nevada MD license in October 2026. What is my first-cycle total?
The board’s July 2025–June 2027 chart assigns the July–December 2026 issuance block 20 total hours, including 10 specialty/scope hours and the unreduced two-hour ethics/pain/addiction block. Check other applicable topics separately.
Is Nevada suicide-prevention CME only for psychiatrists?
No. The two-hour suicide-prevention requirement applies generally, first within two years of licensure and then every four years. Psychiatry-specific cultural-competency training is a different requirement.
Do I still need the four-hour bioterrorism/WMD course?
The former MD statutory mandate was removed. It is absent from the current board chart, although older regulatory language and summaries can still mention it. Use the current statute and board guidance.
Can ClearCME calculate my exact Nevada compliance status?
ClearCME can organize your certificates and completion history, but it does not yet fully account for reduced first-cycle MD totals, specialty-hour minimums or the DO 2026 transition. Confirm your requirements with the board before relying on a dashboard total.
Primary sources
Board guidance and controlling law support this guide. Your board’s current rules and individual determination govern your renewal.
- Nevada medical board · 2025–2027 CME chart ↗
- NAC 630.153 and 630.157 · MD exemptions and phase-down ↗
- NRS 630.253, 630.2535 and 630.267 · MD topics and renewal ↗
- NRS 633.471 · DO renewal and mandatory topics ↗
- Approved R092-25 · DO 2026/2027 transition, filed July 1, 2026 ↗
“during the preceding year at least 35 hours”
- Nevada AB 56 · enrolled legislation ↗