Arkansas Physician Assistant license renewal and CE requirements

Summary

Arkansas physician assistants must complete 20 CME credits of continuing education every year to renew their license with the Arkansas State Medical Board. A physician assistant license is renewed every year. The board counts the continuing medical education for each renewal from the birth month of the previous year through the birth month of the current year, and with each annual renewal application the physician assistant certifies under penalty of perjury that the requirement has been met. Arkansas also mandates specific subjects. Prescribing of opioids and benzodiazepines: 1 CME credit every renewal cycle. Pain management education for prescribers of Schedule II hydrocodone products: 5 CME credits (physician assistants authorized to prescribe Schedule II hydrocodone products); the board does not state how often.

Arkansas Physician Assistant renewal and continuing education rules

"Not stated" means the board's pages and rules we read do not address it. We do not fill in typical values.

A physician assistant holding an active Arkansas license completes 20 credit hours of continuing medical education per year, measured from the birth month of the previous year through the birth month of the current year. Arkansas does not defer to NCCPA here: the rule sets a state hour count, and the board's physician assistant FAQ states that the hours do not have to be of any particular category. That is the main difference from the Arkansas physician requirement, which is the same 20 hours per year but must be at least 50 percent Category 1 designated and focused on the physician's primary practice area. The board may grant an individual extension for illness, military service, religious missionary work, or other extenuating circumstances.

Required CE topics for Arkansas physician assistants

State-specific subject mandates. Where a mandate applies only to some licensees, the scope is listed.

Documentation and audit

Common questions

How many CE hours does a Arkansas PA need to renew?

Arkansas physician assistants must complete 20 CME credits of continuing education every year to renew their license with the Arkansas State Medical Board. A physician assistant holding an active Arkansas license completes 20 credit hours of continuing medical education per year, measured from the birth month of the previous year through the birth month of the current year. Arkansas does not defer to NCCPA here: the rule sets a state hour count, and the board's physician assistant FAQ states that the hours do not have to be of any particular category. That is the main difference from the Arkansas physician requirement, which is the same 20 hours per year but must be at least 50 percent Category 1 designated and focused on the physician's primary practice area. The board may grant an individual extension for illness, military service, religious missionary work, or other extenuating circumstances.

How often does a Arkansas PA license need to be renewed?

Physician Assistant licenses in Arkansas renew every year. A physician assistant license is renewed every year. The board counts the continuing medical education for each renewal from the birth month of the previous year through the birth month of the current year, and with each annual renewal application the physician assistant certifies under penalty of perjury that the requirement has been met.

What specific CE topics are required for Arkansas physician assistants?

Prescribing of opioids and benzodiazepines: 1 CME credit every renewal cycle. Pain management education for prescribers of Schedule II hydrocodone products: 5 CME credits (physician assistants authorized to prescribe Schedule II hydrocodone products); the board does not state how often. Citations: prescribing of opioids and benzodiazepines (17 CAR 140-1809; 17 CAR 140-1101) and pain management education for prescribers of Schedule II hydrocodone products (17 CAR 140-1809).

Do Arkansas physician assistants have to submit CE certificates at renewal?

Licensees attest to completion at renewal rather than submitting certificates, the board audits a sample of renewals and asks for documentation, and records must be kept for 3 years. The board's physician assistant FAQ states the hours do not have to be of a particular category, unlike the physician requirement. Random audits are performed monthly, and a physician assistant selected for audit submits certificates of CME completion.

Sources

Last verified September 8, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.

• 17 CAR 140-1809, Continuing medical education (physician assistants), Code of Arkansas RulesStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
• Physician Assistant Frequently Asked Questions, Arkansas State Medical BoardState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
• 17 CAR 140-1101, Continuing medical education, Code of Arkansas RulesStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
• Arkansas State Medical Board Regulation 24, Rules Governing Physician Assistants (Cornell LII mirror)Third-party summary, accessed September 8, 2026
• Physician Assistant, Arkansas State Medical BoardState board page, accessed September 8, 2026

Arkansas regulates physician assistants through the Arkansas State Medical Board, not a separate physician assistant board. The armedicalboard.org host now redirects to armedicalboard.adh.arkansas.gov, so the board URLs here use the destination host. The 20 hour annual total, the one hour opioid and benzodiazepine requirement, the three year retention and the audit practice were read in the board's own rules on the state Code of Arkansas Rules site and on the board's physician assistant FAQ. Neither the rule text nor the pages read state the renewal deadline in words; the birth month basis is taken from the board's own statement that the CME period runs from the birth month of the previous year through the birth month of the current year, and from the rule's repeated reference to annual renewal. A licensee should confirm the exact expiration day with the board. NCCPA certification is not mentioned as a renewal condition in the rule text read, so none is recorded. The delegation agreement with a supervising physician is a practice authorization, not continuing education, and is not recorded as CE.