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California CME and nursing CE requirements
Continuing education and license renewal rules for physicians, advanced practice clinicians and nurses licensed in California, as recorded by ClinLicense for planning.
Planning aid only. ClinLicense 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
- Medical Board of California
- License lookup
- Public license verification
- License renewal
- Every 2 years, based on end of your birth month
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
- 50 hours every 2 years, with at least 50 in Category 1 or the equivalent
- License renewal
- Every 2 years, based on end of your birth month
Required topics
| Topic | Hours | How often | Applies to | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pain management | 12 | Once | Everyone | One-time: 12 hours of pain management and end-of-life care, due by the second license renewal |
| Implicit bias | No minimum | Every cycle | Everyone | Cultural/linguistic competency and implicit bias content must be incorporated into CME courses; no separate hour minimum |
Notes. 50 hours per 2 years, all Category 1 (AMA PRA, or prescribed credit such as AAFP). If more than 25% of patients are 65+, 20% of CME must be geriatrics. Geriatric and one-time pain/end-of-life rules need confirmation against the Board.
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
- 100 hours every 2 years, with at least 50 in Category 1 or the equivalent
- License renewal
- Every 2 years, based on end of your birth month
- Board for this profession
- Osteopathic Medical Board of California
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. Osteopathic Medical Board of California: 100 hours per 2 years, at least 50 AOA Category 1-A. Confirm any mandated topics 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. 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
- 30 hours every 2 years
- License renewal
- Every 2 years, based on end of your birth month
Required topics
| Topic | Hours | How often | Applies to | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Implicit bias | 1 | Every cycle | Some licensees, see the note | One hour in the first two years after initial licensure, Board-approved course |
| Geriatric medicine | 6 | Every cycle | Some licensees, see the note | NPs whose primary-care panel is over 25% age 65+ must take 6 of the 30 hours in gerontology, dementia or care of older patients |
Notes. 30 contact hours every 2 years for all RNs including NPs; Board-recognized providers only. Page did not address furnishing or Schedule II course requirements; confirm with the board.
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. Always confirm with the board before you rely on it.
- Total hours
- 50 hours every 2 years
- License renewal
- Every 2 years, based on end of your birth month
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. 16 CCR 1399.615: 50 hours of approved CME every two years; the requirement is deemed met by current NCCPA certification at renewal. Records kept four years.
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
- 30 hours every 2 years
- License renewal
- Every 2 years, based on end of your birth month
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. 16 CCR 1451 and the BRN page require 30 hours of Board-recognized continuing education every two years for every RN licensee. A CRNA in California holds an RN license with a CRNA certificate and the BRN sets no separate CRNA CE rule in the pages read.
CAA 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
- Not recorded, and the renewal cycle is not recorded
- License renewal
- Every 2 years, based on end of your birth month
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. Secondary source; confirm with the board. The CU Anschutz AA program list (states where AAs work by license, regulation or certification, or by physician delegation) and the BYU 2023 list of authorized states do not include California, so no state licensure for anesthesiologist assistants was found. This is not confirmed on a board or statute page.
California nursing CE requirements
Nursing boards usually count continuing education in contact hours rather than CME credits, and the nursing license renews on its own schedule, which may differ from the medical board dates above. Nurse practitioners and nurse anesthetists have their own sections above.
Nurse Licensure Compact California is not a member of the Nurse Licensure Compact. Nurses practicing in California need a California license, and a multistate license from a compact state does not cover practice there. The compact covers RN and LPN/LVN licenses only, and advanced practice authority is still granted state by state. This compact list was last reviewed on November 3, 2026. Read the compact guide for RNs and LPNs.
Registered nurses (RN)
Reviewed 2026-11-03 This entry was last reviewed on 2026-11-03 against the source linked below. That date records our own review and is not a board approval.
- Continuing education
- 30 contact hours every 2 years
- Nursing license renewal
- Every 2 years, based on end of your birth month
- Board
- California Board of Registered Nursing
- Source
- The board page this entry was checked against
Required topics
| Topic | Contact hours | How often | Applies to | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Implicit bias | 1 | At first renewal | Everyone | One hour of direct participation in a Board-approved implicit bias course within the first two years after initial licensure (B&P 2811.5) |
Notes. 30 contact hours every two years from Board-recognized providers. RNs are exempt from CE in the first two years after initial licensure, and a first renewal after passing the NCLEX within two years is exempt, but the one-hour implicit bias course is still required. The license expires on the last day of the month following the birth date.
Licensed practical and vocational nurses (LPN/LVN)
Reviewed 2026-11-03 This entry was last reviewed on 2026-11-03 against the source linked below. That date records our own review and is not a board approval.
- Continuing education
- 30 contact hours every 2 years
- Nursing license renewal
- Every 2 years
- Board
- California Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians (LVN)
- Source
- The board page this entry was checked against
No mandated topics are recorded for this license. That is not the same as the board having none, so confirm with the board.
Notes. California vocational nurses (LVNs) are licensed by the Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians. 30 contact hours are required in the two years before each renewal to keep an active license, and the requirement does not apply to the first renewal after initial licensure. Incomplete CE leaves the license current-inactive. The BVNPT pages list no mandatory topics.
Certified nurse-midwives (CNM)
Not yet verified This nursing entry has not been checked against the board’s own published rules, so confirm it with the board before you rely on it.
- Continuing education
- 30 contact hours every 2 years
- Nursing license renewal
- Every 2 years, based on end of your birth month
- Board
- California Board of Registered Nursing
- Source
- The board page this entry was checked against
No mandated topics are recorded for this license. That is not the same as the board having none, so confirm with the board.
Notes. The nurse-midwife certificate renews with the RN license and carries an additional fee. The 30-hour RN requirement applies to the underlying RN license, but the board renewal page does not say whether the certificate has separate CE, so confirm with the board.
Clinical nurse specialists (CNS)
Not yet verified This nursing entry has not been checked against the board’s own published rules, so confirm it with the board before you rely on it.
- Continuing education
- 30 contact hours every 2 years
- Nursing license renewal
- Every 2 years, based on end of your birth month
- Board
- California Board of Registered Nursing
- Source
- The board page this entry was checked against
No mandated topics are recorded for this license. That is not the same as the board having none, so confirm with the board.
Notes. The clinical nurse specialist certificate renews with the RN license and carries an additional fee. The 30-hour RN requirement applies to the underlying RN license, but the board renewal page does not say whether the certificate has separate CE, so confirm with the board.
See nursing CE requirements by state to compare California with other states.
Plan this renewal
Use the free opioid CME planner to see the controlled-substance rules for California 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. Nurses who hold licenses in more than one state can read the Nurse Licensure Compact for RNs and LPNs.
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