Arkansas State Medical Board · MD

20 hours. Every year. Tied to your birth month.

A source-verified guide to Arkansas's CME requirements for physicians — hours, mandatory topics, audit rules, and exemptions.

Updated April 2026Sourced from ASMB~5 min read

Compiled by Atlas CME from official board sources · Last updated April 17, 2026

Mandatory topics

For physicians, 20 hours is the total CME requirement. Arkansas also requires a set of one-time topics that count toward the 20-hour total.

Opioid/Substance Use[1]
1 hr
Annual
Applies to all physicians regardless of prescribing status — not limited to those who hold a DEA registration. Counts within the 20-hour annual total, not on top of it.
View sourceVerbatim from source
“One of the 20 annual credits must be in the area prescribing opioids and/or benzodiazepines.”
ASMB Physician FAQSee source [1] in Primary Sources
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Accepted credit

Credit must come from an organization accredited by the ACCME, AMA, Arkansas Medical Association, or AAFP. ACGME residency or fellowship time accrues toward the requirement. Teaching or presenting accredited CME can satisfy a portion of required hours.

Credit systemNotes
AMA PRA Category 1
min 10 hrs
50% of CME hours must be Category 1 and in the physician's primary area of practice. For the 20-hour annual total, the Category 1 minimum is 10 hours. Category I is defined in Regulation 17 ¶B.4.SourceASMB Physician FAQ — Regulation 17 ¶A / ¶B.4[1]
Category 2 self-directed activities
max 10 hrs
The remaining 10 hours of the 20-hour annual total may come from non-Category-1 activities (Category 2 / self-directed learning). Regulation 17 ¶¶B.5-B.8 enumerate the qualifying non-designated activities: undesignated medical education programs, teaching/instruction, publication or presentation, self-instruction media, independent reading, board-exam preparation, and staff/QA committee participation.SourceASMB Regulation 17 ¶¶B.5-B.8 — non-Category-1 activities (FAQ: non-Category-1 remainder of the 20)[1]
Documentation & audit

The CME reporting period is defined by the physician's birth month: credits must be earned from the birth month of the previous year through the birth month of the current year. This creates a rolling 12-month window rather than a calendar-year one.[1]

Waivers & exemptions

The Board may grant an extension of time to complete CME for hardship — illness, military service, medical or religious missionary activity, residence in a foreign country, or other extenuating circumstances — upon appropriate written application. This is an extension of the deadline, not a waiver of the hours.

FAQ
How many CME hours do Arkansas physicians need?
Arkansas physicians must complete 20 hours of approved continuing medical education each year.[1] The CME reporting period runs from the physician's birth month in the previous year through the same birth month in the current year, creating a rolling 12-month cycle that is different for every physician. At least 10 of the 20 hours must be AMA PRA Category 1 credits in the physician's primary area of practice, and at least 1 hour must cover opioid or benzodiazepine prescribing.
When does Arkansas's CME cycle start and end?
Arkansas uses a birth-month-anchored rolling cycle.[1] CME hours must be earned between the physician's birth month in one year and the same birth month in the following year. A physician born in May, for example, must complete 20 hours between May of the prior year and May of the current year. This differs from calendar-year states like Alabama and from biennial birth-month states like California. Arkansas resets every 12 months, not every 24.
How often are Arkansas physicians audited for CME?
The Arkansas State Medical Board performs random audits every month rather than in annual waves.[1] Physicians who are selected must submit certificates of completion for every credit they have claimed, and the Board may disallow credits that are not documented. For this reason, the Board recommends retaining records continuously, including course title, dates, length in hours, sponsor, and credit type, rather than compiling them at renewal.
Do residency hours count toward Arkansas CME?
Yes — as credit-earning activity, not an exemption. Under Regulation 17 B.1, physicians in ACGME- or AOA-approved training programs may claim one CME credit for each full day of training, and no other credit may be claimed while in full-time training. Physicians who cannot complete the requirement because of illness, military service, missionary work, foreign residence, or other extenuating circumstances may apply to the Board in writing for an extension of time under Regulation 17 D.
Do Arkansas MDs and DOs have different CME requirements?
No. Arkansas does not maintain a separate osteopathic licensing board — DOs and MDs are both licensed by the Arkansas State Medical Board and subject to the same CME requirements (20 hours per renewal cycle).[1]

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Other roles in Arkansas

Physicians CME requirements in other states

Sources & Citations

Every mandatory topic and conditional requirement above cites the underlying statute or rule. Numbered references below correspond to the bracketed citations next to each requirement.

  1. Frequently Asked Questions (Physician) — Arkansas State Medical Board
    Primary sourceAccessed 2026-04-21
    Show verbatim text
    “20 hours annually. Reference Regulation 17 in the Arkansas Medical Practices Acts & Regulations. CME hours must be from birth month of previous year through birth month of current year. 50% of CME hours must be Category 1 and in the physician's primary area of practice. One of the 20 annual credits must be in the area prescribing opioids and/or benzodiazepines. Random audits are performed monthly. If audited, certificates of CME completion are required to be submitted.”ASMB Physician FAQ (Regulation 17)
    “One of the 20 annual credits must be in the area prescribing opioids and/or benzodiazepines.”ASMB Physician FAQ

This page is provided for general educational purposes and reflects the best available information as of the last reviewed date above. CME requirements change. Atlas CME is not affiliated with the Arkansas State Medical Board, or any other state medical board, licensing authority, or professional organization. Physicians are solely responsible for verifying their own current CME requirements directly with their state medical board before relying on any information presented here.

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