Featured | Jul 14, 2025
Connecticut physicians must complete 50 CME hours every two years, with specific topics like infectious disease, behavioral health, and cultural competency required at first renewal and then once every six years.
As healthcare advances, Connecticut’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 Connecticut's CME requirements for medical license renewal, offering healthcare practitioners a roadmap to meet their obligations and excel in a demanding, innovative environment.
Connecticut's CME requirements for physicians are designed to ensure that they maintain and enhance their competence in their respective fields. These requirements are overseen by the Connecticut State Medical Board, which sets guidelines to ensure that licensed physicians uphold high standards of patient care and medical practice.
Your credential requirements
Connecticut MD
Due: 31 Dec, 2025
progress
Profession: Medical Doctor (MD) and Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO)
CME Credits Required: 50
Licensure Cycle: Every Two Years
Special CME Requirements
First renewal CME requirements
“A licensed physician applying for renewal shall earn a minimum of fifty contact hours of qualifying continuing medical education within the preceding twenty-four month period. One contact hour means a minimum of fifty minutes of continuing education activity.”
“Continuing medical education shall be in an area of the physician’s practice, reflect the professional needs of the licensee in order to meet the health care needs of the public and during the first renewal period in which continuing medical education is required and not less than once every six years thereafter, include at least one contact hour of training or education in each of the following topics: (A) Infectious diseases, including, but not limited to, acquired immune deficiency syndrome and human immunodeficiency virus, (B) risk management, including, but not limited to, prescribing controlled substances and pain management, and for registration periods beginning on or after October 1, 2019, such risk management continuing education may also include screening for inflammatory breast cancer and gastrointestinal cancers, including colon, gastric, pancreatic and neuroendocrine cancers and other rare gastrointestinal tumors, (C) sexual assault, (D) domestic violence, (E) cultural competency, and (F) behavioral health, provided further that on and after January 1, 2016, such behavioral health continuing medical education may include, but not be limited to, at least two contact hours of training or education during the first renewal period in which continuing education is required and not less than once every six years thereafter, on the topic of mental health conditions common to veterans and family members of veterans, including (i) determining whether a patient is a veteran or family member of a veteran, (ii) screening for conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, risk of suicide, depression and grief, and (iii) suicide prevention training. “
More information on Connecticut CME requirements for physicians on the state medical board
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Medical doctors (MDs) in Connecticut are required to complete 50 hours of Continuing Medical Education (CME) every two years. These CME credits must relate to the physician’s area of practice and be designed to meet professional and public healthcare needs.
Additionally, there are mandatory CME topics that must be completed:
Source: Connecticut Department of Public Health – Physician Continuing Education
Connecticut MDs must complete 50 contact hours of CME within the 24 months preceding license renewal. One contact hour is defined as 50 minutes of continuing education activity.
For compliance:
The six mandatory topics (e.g., risk management, infectious disease, etc.) must be completed every 6 years and during the first renewal.
Mandatory topics include:
Behavioral Health, especially related to veterans and suicide prevention – 1 hour every 6 years (2 hours required during first renewal)
These topics are required during the first renewal and then once every six years.
Source: Connecticut Department of Public Health – Physician Continuing Education
CME credits for Connecticut MDs must be renewed every two years, with 50 contact hours required per renewal cycle.
Topic-specific CME (e.g., risk management, behavioral health) must be completed:
At least once every six years thereafter
Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (DOs) in Connecticut are subject to the same CME requirements as MDs:
Completion of 1 hour each in six special topics (e.g., infectious disease, cultural competency, etc.) during the first renewal and once every six years thereafter
CME activities must be relevant to the physician’s area of practice and support patient care and public health goals.
Connecticut DOs must earn 50 CME contact hours per biennial renewal cycle. These must include:
The same standards for credit types and provider qualifications apply as for MDs.
DOs must complete CME in the same six mandatory areas:
These must be completed at first renewal and then at least every six years.
DOs in Connecticut must renew their CME every two years with a total of 50 contact hours. They must also ensure timely completion of all one-time and six-year interval topic-specific training as required by the Connecticut State Medical Board.
Source: Connecticut Department of Public Health – Physician Continuing Education
