Kansas Physician Assistant license renewal and CE requirements
Kansas physician assistants must complete 50 credit hours of continuing education every year to renew their license with the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts.
Each Kansas physician assistant license expires on December 31 of each year, so the license is renewed annually. A license issued or reinstated between October 1 and December 31 instead expires on December 31 of the following year. The board notifies the licensee at least 30 days before the renewal date. If the renewal application and fee are not in by the renewal date, the license can still be renewed only if the renewal fee and a late fee reach the board within the next 30 days; otherwise it is canceled by operation of law and must be reinstated.
Summary
Kansas physician assistants must complete 50 credit hours of continuing education every year to renew their license with the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts. Each Kansas physician assistant license expires on December 31 of each year, so the license is renewed annually. A license issued or reinstated between October 1 and December 31 instead expires on December 31 of the following year. The board notifies the licensee at least 30 days before the renewal date. If the renewal application and fee are not in by the renewal date, the license can still be renewed only if the renewal fee and a late fee reach the board within the next 30 days; otherwise it is canceled by operation of law and must be reinstated. Kansas also mandates specific subjects. Category III continuing education: acute or chronic pain management, appropriate prescribing of opioids, or use of prescription drug monitoring programs: 1 credit hour every renewal cycle (every physician assistant submitting continuing education at renewal; the rule sets no prescriber only limit. A physician assistant exempt at the first renewal is not covered). The first renewal is exempt.
Kansas 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.
| Renewal cycle | Annual (12 months) |
|---|---|
| Renewal deadline | Same date for every licensee, 12/31 each cycle |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 50 credit hours |
| Category 1 minimum | 20 credit hours |
| Self-study or online cap | No cap stated |
| Carryover to next cycle | Not stated |
| First renewal exempt | Yes |
| Other accepted activities | Evidence of continuing education equivalent in number and category, issued by a national, state or local organization whose continuing education standards are at least as stringent as the board's standards; Self-study from reading professional literature or other self-study activity, verified on a board form, counted as category II |
K.A.R. 100-28a-5 gives the physician assistant a choice of window measured back from the renewal: 50 credit hours in the preceding year, with at least 20 from category I and at least 1 from category III, or 100 credit hours in the preceding two year period, with at least 40 from category I and at least 2 from category III. The one year option is recorded here, matching the annual license, so continuing_education.cycle_months is 12. A credit hour is 50 minutes of instruction or its equivalent, and meals and exhibit breaks do not count. Category I is attendance at a board approved educational presentation; category II is participation in a board approved educational activity including self-study or group activity; category III is an internet or live activity that also qualifies as category I or II and covers acute or chronic pain management, appropriate opioid prescribing, or use of prescription drug monitoring programs, so it counts inside the total rather than adding to it. A physician assistant initially licensed within one year of a renewal date is exempt from continuing education for that first renewal period. A licensee who cannot meet the requirement may request an extension of up to six months when documented circumstances make the hours impossible or extremely difficult to obtain. Kansas sets its own hour count and does not defer to NCCPA certification; the rule does not mention NCCPA certification as a renewal condition.
Required CE topics for Kansas physician assistants
State-specific subject mandates. Where a mandate applies only to some licensees, the scope is listed.
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Applies to | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category III continuing education: acute or chronic pain management, appropriate prescribing of opioids, or use of prescription drug monitoring programsOne credit hour with the 50 hour annual option, two with the 100 hour two year option. Category III must also qualify as category I or category II, so the hour counts inside the total rather than on top of it. | 1 credit hour | Every renewal | Every physician assistant submitting continuing education at renewal; the rule sets no prescriber only limit. A physician assistant exempt at the first renewal is not covered | K.A.R. 100-28a-5(a)(1) and (e)(3) |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | Yes |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | Not stated |
| Board audits compliance | Not stated |
| Approved providers | Category I and category II activities must be approved by the board. Evidence is submitted to the board with the renewal application, either as documented evidence of attendance at or participation in category I, II and III activities, or as verification on a board form of self-study from professional literature or other self-study activity. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Kansas PA need to renew?
- Kansas physician assistants must complete 50 credit hours of continuing education every year to renew their license with the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts. K.A.R. 100-28a-5 gives the physician assistant a choice of window measured back from the renewal: 50 credit hours in the preceding year, with at least 20 from category I and at least 1 from category III, or 100 credit hours in the preceding two year period, with at least 40 from category I and at least 2 from category III. The one year option is recorded here, matching the annual license, so continuing_education.cycle_months is 12. A credit hour is 50 minutes of instruction or its equivalent, and meals and exhibit breaks do not count. Category I is attendance at a board approved educational presentation; category II is participation in a board approved educational activity including self-study or group activity; category III is an internet or live activity that also qualifies as category I or II and covers acute or chronic pain management, appropriate opioid prescribing, or use of prescription drug monitoring programs, so it counts inside the total rather than adding to it. A physician assistant initially licensed within one year of a renewal date is exempt from continuing education for that first renewal period. A licensee who cannot meet the requirement may request an extension of up to six months when documented circumstances make the hours impossible or extremely difficult to obtain. Kansas sets its own hour count and does not defer to NCCPA certification; the rule does not mention NCCPA certification as a renewal condition.
- How often does a Kansas PA license need to be renewed?
- Physician Assistant licenses in Kansas renew every year. Each Kansas physician assistant license expires on December 31 of each year, so the license is renewed annually. A license issued or reinstated between October 1 and December 31 instead expires on December 31 of the following year. The board notifies the licensee at least 30 days before the renewal date. If the renewal application and fee are not in by the renewal date, the license can still be renewed only if the renewal fee and a late fee reach the board within the next 30 days; otherwise it is canceled by operation of law and must be reinstated.
- What specific CE topics are required for Kansas physician assistants?
- Category III continuing education: acute or chronic pain management, appropriate prescribing of opioids, or use of prescription drug monitoring programs: 1 credit hour every renewal cycle (every physician assistant submitting continuing education at renewal; the rule sets no prescriber only limit. A physician assistant exempt at the first renewal is not covered). Citations: Category III continuing education: acute or chronic pain management, appropriate prescribing of opioids, or use of prescription drug monitoring programs (K.A.R. 100-28a-5(a)(1) and (e)(3)).
- Do Kansas physician assistants have to submit CE certificates at renewal?
- Proof of completion must be submitted with the renewal. Category I and category II activities must be approved by the board. Evidence is submitted to the board with the renewal application, either as documented evidence of attendance at or participation in category I, II and III activities, or as verification on a board form of self-study from professional literature or other self-study activity.
- Is the first Kansas PA renewal exempt from CE?
- Yes. Kansas does not require continuing education for a PA's first renewal.
Sources
Last verified September 8, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- Kansas Register, Board of Healing Arts permanent administrative regulations, K.A.R. 100-28a-5 Continuing education and 100-28a-16 Reinstatement, effective July 9, 2021Statute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- K.A.R. 100-28a-15 Licensure; expiration (Cornell LII mirror)Third-party summary, accessed September 8, 2026
- K.A.R. 100-28a-5 Continuing education (Cornell LII mirror)Third-party summary, accessed September 8, 2026
- K.S.A. 65-28a03 Physician assistants; renewal of license, canceled licenses, feesStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
Kansas regulates physician assistants through the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts, the same board that licenses physicians, but under a separate act (the Physician Assistant Licensure Act, K.S.A. 65-28a01 and following) and a separate regulation article (K.A.R. 100-28a). The requirement is structurally the same shape as the Kansas physician requirement, a choice of continuing education windows with category I and category III minimums, but the numbers and the deadline differ: physicians renew by June 30 with 50 credits over 18 months, physician assistants renew by December 31 with 50 credits over 12 months. The board's own site at www.ksbha.ks.gov returns an Akamai access denied page to every automated client tested, so no board page could be read; board_url points at the board homepage even though it could not be fetched and renewal_url is left null. The regulation text was read in the official Kansas Register issue on the Secretary of State's site, with the Cornell mirror used to confirm the expiration rule K.A.R. 100-28a-15, which was not located in a Register issue. The statute leaves the cancellation date to board rule and requires proof of professional liability insurance at renewal, which is not continuing education. Retention years and audit practice are not stated in the rule; evidence goes in with the renewal application rather than being held for audit, so proof_at_renewal is true.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.