Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure · MD

40 hours. Every two years. Fixed fiscal biennium.

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

Updated April 2026Sourced from MSBML~6 min read

Reviewed by Doug Doehrman, MD · Last reviewed April 17, 2026

Mandatory topics

Mississippi has no state-mandated topic requirements beyond the 40-hour total.

Atlas CME tracks each of these mandatory topics against your Mississippi cycle automatically. Start tracking free →
Conditional requirements

These rules apply only when the trigger described under each card is met (for example, holding a state-issued controlled substance registration or treating a specific patient population). Each cites the underlying statute or rule directly.

ConditionalOpioid / controlled substances[1]
8 hrs
One-time

Physicians maintaining active DEA registration

View sourceVerbatim from source
“Completion of the one-time, eight-hour training on opioid or other substance use disorders required by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) satisfies the Board's controlled substance training requirement for practitioners maintaining active DEA registration.”
MSBML CME Reporting Requirements Update (Feb 27, 2026)See source [1] in Primary Sources
Accepted credit

Credit must come from an organization accredited by the ACCME, AMA, Mississippi 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
40 hours of AMA PRA Category 1 Credit from ACCME-accredited providers per biennial cycle.SourceMiss. Admin. Code Pt. 2610, Ch. 2, Rule 2.1[1]
AOA Category 1-A
DOs only
AOA Category 1-A Credit accepted for osteopathic physicians. Mississippi jointly licenses MDs and DOs under a single unified board.SourceMSBML CME Reporting Requirements[1]
ABMS Maintenance of Certification
Active ABMS board certification with ongoing Maintenance of Certification is accepted as a substitute for hour tracking. Lifetime/grandfathered certifications without ongoing MOC do NOT qualify.SourceMSBML CME Reporting Requirements[1]
AOA Maintenance of Certification
DOs only
Active AOA board certification with ongoing MOC is accepted as a substitute for hour tracking.SourceMSBML CME Reporting Requirements[1]
Documentation & audit

Physicians are responsible for retaining CME documentation and producing it on request. Requirements include course title, dates, hours, sponsoring organization, and accrediting body.

Waivers & exemptions

Initial licensure mid-cycle. Physicians whose initial licensure is issued after June 30 of an even-numbered year (i.e., in the second year of the biennial CME cycle) are exempt from CME for that current cycle only.[1][2]

Residency or fellowship training. Physicians in an ACGME or AOA-approved residency or fellowship training program during the cycle are exempt for that cycle.[1]

First-time board certification. Physicians who obtain first-time ABMS or AOA specialty board certification during the cycle are exempt for that cycle.[1][2]

FAQ
How many CME hours do Mississippi physicians need?
Mississippi physicians licensed by the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure must complete 40 hours of AMA PRA Category 1 Credit every two years.[1][2] Both MDs and DOs follow the same 40-hour standard because Mississippi uses a single unified board. The reporting cycle is a fixed fiscal biennium running from July 1 of an even-numbered year through June 30 of the next even year.
Does Mississippi still require 5 hours of controlled substance CME?
Not anymore in the traditional sense. The Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure's current published CME Requirements page states that the federal DEA MATE Act one-time eight-hour training on the treatment of patients with opioid or substance use disorders satisfies the board's controlled substance training requirement for DEA-registered practitioners.[3] A DEA-registered physician who has completed the MATE Act training has already satisfied Mississippi's state requirement. Many older aggregator pages still cite the prior five-hour per-cycle rule, but the board's own page is authoritative.
When is the Mississippi CME deadline?
CME compliance is certified every two years at the close of the fiscal biennium, which runs from July 1 of an even-numbered year through June 30 of the next even year.[2] The current cycle closes June 30, 2026; the next cycle runs July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2028. Although Mississippi licenses are renewed annually between May 1 and June 30,[4] CME attestation is only required at even-year renewals.
Are new Mississippi physicians exempt from CME?
Partially. Physicians whose initial Mississippi licensure is issued after June 30 of an even-numbered year (that is, in the second year of a biennial cycle) are exempt from CME for that current cycle only.[2] Residents and fellows in board-approved postgraduate training and physicians who obtain first-time ABMS or AOA board certification during the cycle are also exempt for that cycle.[1] None of these exemptions carry over: full 40-hour compliance resumes at the next cycle.
Does retirement exempt a Mississippi physician from CME?
No. The Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure is explicit that retirement does not remove CME obligations.[1] A retired physician who maintains an active Mississippi license must continue to complete 40 hours every two years. Physicians who truly intend to stop practicing can surrender their license or convert to an inactive status through the board's administrative process.
Do Mississippi MDs and DOs have different CME requirements?
No. Mississippi does not maintain a separate osteopathic licensing board — DOs and MDs are both licensed by the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure and subject to the same CME requirements (40 hours per renewal cycle).

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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. CME Requirements — Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure
    Primary sourceAccessed 2026-04-21
    Show verbatim text
    “Physicians (MD & DO) must complete 40 hours of Category 1 CME per two-year cycle. Certification occurs during even-numbered year renewals. Applies to all license statuses including retired.”MSBML CME Requirements Page
    “Completion of the one-time, eight-hour training on opioid or other substance use disorders required by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) satisfies the Board's controlled substance training requirement for practitioners maintaining active DEA registration.”MSBML CME Reporting Requirements Update (Feb 27, 2026)
  2. Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 2610, Ch. 2 — CME Requirements
    Primary sourceAccessed 2026-04-18
    Show verbatim text
    “Every Mississippi licensee must earn or receive not less than forty (40) hours of Category 1 continuing medical education in a two-year cycle as a condition precedent to renewing his or her license for the next fiscal year. For every Mississippi licensee with an active DEA certificate, five hours must be related to the prescribing of medications with an emphasis on controlled substances. Excess hours may not be carried over to another two-year cycle. For the purpose of this regulation, the two-year period begins July 1, 2000, and every two years thereafter.”Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 2610, Ch. 2, Rule 2.1
  3. MSBML CME Reporting Requirements Update (Feb 27, 2026)
    Primary sourceAccessed 2026-04-21
    Show verbatim text
    “Completion of the one-time, eight-hour training on opioid or other substance use disorders required by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) satisfies the Board's controlled substance training requirement for practitioners maintaining active DEA registration.”MSBML CME Reporting Requirements Update · Effective 2026-02-27
  4. Renewals — Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure
    Primary sourceAccessed 2026-04-21
    Show verbatim text
    “Annual license renewal is open May 1 through June 30 each year. For Physicians: Forty (40) hours of Category 1 CME are required every two-year cycle. CME compliance is certified during renewal in even-numbered years.”MSBML Renewals Page

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 Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure, 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's medical board before relying on any information presented here.

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