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North Carolina CME requirements
Continuing medical education and license renewal rules for clinicians licensed in North Carolina, as recorded by MedLicense for planning.
Planning aid only. MedLicense is not legal or compliance advice. Boards change rules between cycles, so confirm every requirement with the board before you rely on it.
- Licensing board
- North Carolina Medical Board
- License lookup
- Public license verification
- License renewal
- Every 1 year
MD CME requirements
Reviewed 2026-10-31 This entry was last reviewed on 2026-10-31. That date records our own review and is not a board approval. Some details below are marked for confirmation, so treat those as unverified until the board confirms them. Always confirm with the board before you rely on it.
- Total hours
- 60 hours every 3 years, with at least 20 in Category 1 or the equivalent
- License renewal
- Every 1 year
Required topics
| Topic | Hours | How often | Applies to | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opioid & controlled-substance prescribing | 3 | Every cycle | DEA registrants | Controlled-substance prescribing, per 3-year cycle, for DEA-registered prescribers |
Notes. 60 hours per 3 years, at least 20 Category 1 (confirm).
DO CME requirements
Not yet verified Not yet verified, confirm with the board. This entry has not been checked against the board’s own published rules.
- Total hours
- 60 hours every 3 years, with at least 20 in Category 1 or the equivalent
- License renewal
- Every 1 year
Required topics
| Topic | Hours | How often | Applies to | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opioid & controlled-substance prescribing | 3 | Every cycle | DEA registrants | Controlled-substance prescribing, per 3-year cycle, for DEA-registered prescribers |
Notes. Copied from the MD block as a planning default; the osteopathic rules were not separately confirmed. Confirm with the board.
NP CME requirements
Reviewed 2026-11-01 This entry was last reviewed on 2026-11-01. That date records our own review and is not a board approval. Always confirm with the board before you rely on it.
- Total hours
- 50 hours every 2 years
- License renewal
- Every 1 year
Required topics
| Topic | Hours | How often | Applies to | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opioid & controlled-substance prescribing | 1 | Every cycle | DEA registrants | One contact hour on controlled substance prescribing practices, signs of abuse or misuse, and chronic pain prescribing; included within the 50; for NPs who prescribe controlled substances without national certification |
Notes. Rule 21 NCAC 36.0807: NPs maintain national certification or earn 50 contact hours every 2 years (at least 20 from ANCC/ACCME/other national body or higher-education courses; remaining 30 at advanced practice level). A current national certification is deemed compliance with the 50-hour paragraph. Renewal falls in the birth month.
PA CME requirements
Reviewed 2026-11-01 This entry was last reviewed on 2026-11-01. That date records our own review and is not a board approval. Some details below are marked for confirmation, so treat those as unverified until the board confirms them. Always confirm with the board before you rely on it.
- Total hours
- 50 hours every 2 years, with at least 50 in Category 1 or the equivalent
- License renewal
- Every 1 year
Required topics
No mandated topics are recorded for this profession in this state. That is not the same as the board having none, so confirm with the board.
Notes. NC Medical Board PA renewal page: at least 50 hours of NCCPA Category I CME every two years; not required to report on the annual renewal if currently NCCPA-certified or within two years of graduation (attestation). Search results for the rule text (21 NCAC 32S .0216) indicate 2 hours of controlled substances CME for prescribers within the 50, but that rule PDF could not be read; Confirm with the board. PA licenses renew annually.
CRNA CME requirements
Reviewed 2026-11-01 This entry was last reviewed on 2026-11-01. That date records our own review and is not a board approval. Always confirm with the board before you rely on it.
- Total hours
- Not recorded every 2 years
- License renewal
- Every 1 year
Required topics
No mandated topics are recorded for this profession in this state. That is not the same as the board having none, so confirm with the board.
Notes. 21 NCAC 36 .0226 (Cornell LII): a nurse anesthetist must be credentialed as a CRNA by the Council on Certification and maintain recertification through the Council on Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists. The NC Board of Nursing rule sets no separate state CE hour count for CRNAs; the 50-hour/1 controlled-substance-hour rule in .0807 applies to nurse practitioners only. RN license renewal (biennial) carries the board continued-competence requirement, not read here.
CAA CME requirements
Reviewed 2026-11-01 This entry was last reviewed on 2026-11-01. That date records our own review and is not a board approval. Some details below are marked for confirmation, so treat those as unverified until the board confirms them. Always confirm with the board before you rely on it.
- Total hours
- 40 hours every 2 years
- License renewal
- Every 1 year
Required topics
No mandated topics are recorded for this profession in this state. That is not the same as the board having none, so confirm with the board.
Notes. NC Medical Board AA renewal page: anesthesiologist assistants complete at least 40 hours of CME as required by the NCCAA for every two-year period, keep documentation for inspection, and comply with NCCAA recertification including the CDQ exam. The board page lists an annual renewal fee of $125 (late fee $25), which differs from the $200 in the October 2026 fee schedule PDF cited in the earlier note; confirm the current fee with the board.
Plan this renewal
Use the free opioid CME planner to see the controlled-substance rules for North Carolina next to other states, or the license cost calculator to estimate fees. Read how multi-state CME works if you hold more than one license.
Nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurse anesthetists and anesthesiologist assistants usually also maintain national certification, which has its own cycle. The recertification basics guide explains how that fits alongside state rules.
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