Featured | Jul 4, 2025
Arkansas physicians must complete 20 CME credits yearly, including 10 in their specialty. Prescribers must also complete 1 hour on controlled substances annually and a one-time 3-hour course during their first renewal cycle.
As healthcare advances, Arkansas’s CME requirements serve as a cornerstone in upholding high standards in medical practice. In this dynamic field, where progress is constant, Continuing Medical Education (CME) ensures healthcare providers remain at the forefront of medical knowledge. This guide explores Arkansas's CME requirements for medical license renewal, offering healthcare practitioners a roadmap to meet their obligations and excel in a demanding, innovative environment.
The Arkansas State Medical Board oversees the licensure and regulation of physicians in the state. Here's an overview of the CME requirements-
http://www.armedicalboard.org/Professionals/pdf/mpa.pdf
Profession: Medical Doctor (MD) and Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO)
CME Credits Required: 20
Licensure Cycle: Annual
Special CME Requirements:
One-time CME requirements:
“Pursuant to Ark. Code Ann. 17-80-104, each person holding an active license to practice medicine in the State of Arkansas shall complete twenty (20) credit hours per year of continuing medical education. Fifty (50%) percent of said hours shall be in subjects pertaining to the physician’s primary area of practice, and designated as Category I as defined in Paragraph B.4 below”
“Each year, each physician and physician assistant shall obtain at least one (1) hour of CME credit specifically regarding the prescribing of opioids and benzodiazepines. The one hour may be included in the twenty (20) credit hours per year of continuing medical education required in Paragraph A of this rule and shall not constitute an additional hour of CME per year.”
More information on Arkansas' CME requirements for physicians on the state medical board.
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Your credential requirements
Arkansas MD
Due: 31 Dec, 2025
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Medical doctors in Arkansas must complete 20 CME credits every year. Of these, at least 10 hours must be Category 1 credits related to the physician’s primary area of practice. Additionally, all prescribers must complete 1 credit hour in Controlled Substance Prescribing annually and a one-time 3-hour Arkansas-Approved Prescribing Education course during their first renewal. Refer to the Arkansas State Medical Board for the latest requirements.
To maintain licensure in Arkansas, medical doctors must complete 20 CME credits per year. This includes 10 Category 1 credits in their practice area, 1 hour annually on opioid and benzodiazepine prescribing, and a one-time 3-hour course on prescribing education at the first renewal for licensed prescribers.
CME topics must include:
3-hour Arkansas-approved prescribing course (one-time, first renewal only for licensed prescribers)
Medical doctors in Arkansas must complete 20 CME credits every year. Each annual renewal must also include 1 hour in Controlled Substance Prescribing, and during the first renewal only, licensed prescribers must complete an additional 3-hour course in Arkansas-approved prescribing education.
Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (DOs) in Arkansas have the same CME requirements as MDs: 20 CME credits annually, with 10 Category 1 hours specific to their practice area. They must also complete 1 hour per year in Controlled Substance Prescribing, and 3 hours of Arkansas-approved prescribing education during their first renewal, if they are licensed prescribers.
DOs in Arkansas must complete 20 CME credits each year, including 10 Category 1 credits in their area of practice. Prescribing DOs must complete 1 hour annually on opioid/benzodiazepine prescribing and a 3-hour one-time course in prescribing education during their first renewal.
Required CME topics for DOs include:
DOs in Arkansas must complete 20 CME credits each year. Every renewal cycle must include 1 hour of Controlled Substance Prescribing, and if the DO is a licensed prescriber, a one-time 3-hour prescribing course must be completed during their first renewal.
