To keep an Alabama medical license active, physicians must earn 25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits every calendar year and physician assistants must earn 50 credits every two calendar years, with additional hours required if you hold a controlled substances certificate.1Alabama Board of Medical Examiners & Medical Licensure Commission. Continuing Medical Education Requirements for Licensees The Alabama Board of Medical Examiners and the Medical Licensure Commission enforce these rules, and fines can reach $10,000 per violation.
Physician CME: 25 Hours a Year
Every physician who resides or practices in Alabama needs at least 25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits (or an equivalent) earned between January 1 and December 31.1Alabama Board of Medical Examiners & Medical Licensure Commission. Continuing Medical Education Requirements for Licensees Each calendar year stands on its own. Excess credits do not roll forward, and shorting one year with plans to double up the next is not allowed.2Alabama Administrative Code. Alabama Administrative Code 545-X-5-.02 – Basic Requirement
Alongside AMA PRA Category 1, the Board accepts several equivalents:3Alabama Administrative Code. Alabama Administrative Code Chapter 540-X-14 – Continuing Medical Education
- AOA Category 1-A credits for osteopathic physicians.
- AAFP Prescribed Credits.
- ACOG Cognate Credits on obstetric and gynecologic subjects.
- Any program specifically approved by the ABME.
- Nationally recognized resuscitation or advanced life support certification courses that are not otherwise accredited for Category 1 credit, capped at two credits per course.
Self-directed study without one of these recognized designations does not count, no matter how useful it was.
PA CME: 50 Hours Every Two Years
Physician assistants need at least 50 hours of AMA PRA Category 1 Credits (or equivalent) across each two-calendar-year cycle, which closes on December 31 of the expiration year.4Alabama Administrative Code. Alabama Administrative Code 540-X-7-.29 – Continuing Medical Education – Physician Assistant PA licenses still renew annually, and you certify compliance at every renewal even though the credit window is biennial.
PAs can use all the same equivalents available to physicians plus AAPA Category I CME Credits from programs accredited by the Education Council of the American Academy of Physician Assistants.4Alabama Administrative Code. Alabama Administrative Code 540-X-7-.29 – Continuing Medical Education – Physician Assistant
Mandatory Professional Boundaries Course for PAs
Since January 1, 2025, every PA must complete a Board-designated course on professional boundaries. New PAs have 12 months from license issuance to finish it, and all actively licensed PAs were required to complete it by December 31, 2025. No exemptions apply.4Alabama Administrative Code. Alabama Administrative Code 540-X-7-.29 – Continuing Medical Education – Physician Assistant
Extra CME for Controlled Substances Prescribers
If you prescribe controlled substances in Alabama, you hold a separate certificate with its own CME obligations stacked on top of the general requirement.
Physicians With an ACSC
Holders of an Alabama Controlled Substances Certificate must complete two AMA PRA Category 1 Credits in controlled substances prescribing every two years.5Alabama Board of Medical Examiners & Medical Licensure Commission. Alabama Controlled Substances Certificate Approved topics include prescribing practices and recognizing signs of abuse or misuse. Completing any two hours of the ABME’s 12-hour prescribing course within the two-year window satisfies the requirement.6Alabama Board of Medical Examiners & Medical Licensure Commission. Prescribing and Pharmacology of Controlled Substances
PAs With a QACSC
The Qualified Alabama Controlled Substances Certificate has a heavier front end. Before applying, a PA must complete eight hours of instruction on prescribing controlled substances plus four hours of advanced pharmacology and prescribing trends, all within the preceding year. Renewal then requires four AMA PRA Category 1 Credits every two years through a Board-approved course on controlled substances prescribing.7Alabama Board of Medical Examiners & Medical Licensure Commission. QACSC
Federal MATE Act Training
Separate from Alabama’s rules, every DEA-registered practitioner except veterinarians must complete a one-time, eight-hour training on treating and managing patients with opioid or other substance use disorders.8Drug Enforcement Administration. Opioid Use Disorder – MATE Act Q&A The requirement took effect June 27, 2023, under the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023.
You must finish it before your next DEA registration submission, whether initial or renewal, and you check an attestation box on the online form. Because the attestation is one-time, it will not appear on later renewals. Classroom sessions, professional society seminars, and virtual offerings all qualify. Physicians who graduated from an accredited medical school within the past five years may already satisfy the training if their curriculum included at least eight hours on substance use disorders.
Who Is Exempt
Alabama recognizes several exemptions from the general CME requirement:1Alabama Board of Medical Examiners & Medical Licensure Commission. Continuing Medical Education Requirements for Licensees
- New licensees are exempt for the calendar year their initial license is issued.
- Physicians enrolled in a residency or clinical fellowship during any part of the year are exempt for that year.
- Physicians who neither reside nor practice in Alabama are not covered by the requirement.
- Retired physicians are exempt only if the Board has granted a formal retirement waiver. Being retired without one does not relieve you of the 25-hour obligation.
- Members of any branch of the armed services deployed for military service are exempt for the calendar year of deployment.9Alabama Administrative Code. Alabama Administrative Code Chapter 540-X-14 – Continuing Medical Education
- The Board may grant an illness or disability waiver on written request with supporting documentation from a licensed healthcare professional.
Renewal, Certification, and Records
All physician and PA licenses expire December 31. Physician renewal costs $300, and missing the deadline triggers a late fee during a grace period that runs through January 31, with the license remaining active in that window.10Alabama Board of Medical Examiners & Medical Licensure Commission. Licensing – MD/DO – Renewals PA renewal costs $100 and follows the same January 31 grace period. After February 1, PAs must submit actual proof of completed CME hours rather than certifying compliance on the form.11Alabama Administrative Code. Alabama Administrative Code 540-X-7-.07 – License Renewal – Physician Assistant
You do not file certificates with the renewal itself. You certify compliance on the form, and the Board can later request documentation as part of a compliance audit. Keep all completion certificates and attendance records for at least three years after the year the credits were earned.1Alabama Board of Medical Examiners & Medical Licensure Commission. Continuing Medical Education Requirements for Licensees
What Noncompliance Costs
The Medical Licensure Commission can impose administrative fines of up to $10,000 per violation, issue public or private reprimands, and place involuntary restrictions on your license or certificate of qualification.12Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 34-24-381 – Penalties for Violation Serious cases can lead to indefinite suspension after notice and hearing.3Alabama Administrative Code. Alabama Administrative Code Chapter 540-X-14 – Continuing Medical Education The Commission can also order you to reimburse the Board for investigation costs, attorney fees, and other expenses from enforcement proceedings.