Kentucky Physician Assistant license renewal and CE requirements
Kentucky physician assistants must complete 100 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure.
Every two years, on or about February 1, the board emails each physician assistant holding an active regular license a notice that renewal must be executed on or before March 31 of that same year. A licensee who misses March 31 gets a second notice and may renew late, with a penalty fee, no later than April 30; after that the license is inactive or cancelled and continued practice is unlicensed. Renewal also depends on a survey the board sends to the licensee's current or most recent primary supervising physician: the license is not renewed until that survey is completed to the executive director's satisfaction.
Summary
Kentucky physician assistants must complete 100 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure. Every two years, on or about February 1, the board emails each physician assistant holding an active regular license a notice that renewal must be executed on or before March 31 of that same year. A licensee who misses March 31 gets a second notice and may renew late, with a penalty fee, no later than April 30; after that the license is inactive or cancelled and continued practice is unlicensed. Renewal also depends on a survey the board sends to the licensee's current or most recent primary supervising physician: the license is not renewed until that survey is completed to the executive director's satisfaction. Kentucky also mandates specific subjects. Controlled substance diversion, pain management, addiction disorders, or use of KASPER: 7.5 contact hours every renewal cycle (A licensee authorized to prescribe or administer controlled substances). Addiction medicine, for buprenorphine prescribers: 12 contact hours every renewal cycle (A licensee authorized to prescribe or administer Buprenorphine-Mono-Product or Buprenorphine-Combined-with-Naloxone). Recognition and prevention of pediatric abusive head trauma: a one-time requirement of 1.5 contact hours. Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia: a one-time requirement of 1 contact hour.
Kentucky 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 | Two-year (24 months) |
|---|---|
| Renewal deadline | Same date for every licensee, 03/31 each cycle |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 100 contact hours |
| Self-study or online cap | No cap stated |
| Carryover to next cycle | Not stated |
| First renewal exempt | Not stated |
| Other accepted activities | Pediatric abusive head trauma or Alzheimer's and dementia course curriculum taught in the licensee's physician assistant graduate education may be submitted for approval toward those one time requirements |
201 KAR 9:360 Section 2: for each two year renewal period and continuing education cycle a licensee completes a minimum of 100 hours of continuing education approved by the American Medical Association, the American Osteopathic Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Physician Assistants, or another entity approved by the board. Kentucky sets its own hour count rather than deferring to NCCPA certification maintenance, although the total matches NCCPA's 100 credits per two year cycle. The controlled substance and buprenorphine hours below are carved out of the 100, not added to it. At renewal the licensee certifies compliance on the board's Continuing Education Certification Form.
Required CE topics for Kentucky physician assistants
State-specific subject mandates. Where a mandate applies only to some licensees, the scope is listed.
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Applies to | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controlled substance diversion, pain management, addiction disorders, or use of KASPERA minimum of 7.5 hours per two year cycle, in any one of those subjects or any combination of two or more of them, counted as part of the 100 hours. The program must have been approved in advance by the board for the specified number of hours, and the board keeps a current list of approved programs on its site. A licensee is not granted controlled substance prescriptive authority until proof of these hours within the prior two years is submitted. | 7.5 contact hours | Every renewal | A licensee authorized to prescribe or administer controlled substances | 201 KAR 9:360 Section 2(2) |
| Addiction medicine, for buprenorphine prescribersA minimum of 12 board approved hours relating to addiction medicine for each two year cycle, counted as part of the 100 hours. Authorization is not granted until proof of the hours within the prior two years is submitted. Non-canonical topic key. | 12 contact hours | Every renewal | A licensee authorized to prescribe or administer Buprenorphine-Mono-Product or Buprenorphine-Combined-with-Naloxone | 201 KAR 9:360 Section 2(3) |
| Recognition and prevention of pediatric abusive head traumaAt least 1.5 hours in a board approved course, completed within the first two years of initial licensure or before the expiration of the first renewal cycle after the regulation was promulgated. The hours count toward the 100. | 1.5 contact hours | One time | All licensees | 201 KAR 9:360 Section 3; KRS 620.020 |
| Alzheimer's and other forms of dementiaAt least one hour covering warning signs and symptoms, the importance of early detection and diagnosis and communication about memory concerns with the patient and caregiver, cognitive assessment and care planning billing codes, assessment tools, and current treatments. Completed within the first two years of initial licensure or before the expiration of the first renewal cycle after the regulation was promulgated, and counted toward the 100. | 1 contact hour | One time | All licensees | 201 KAR 9:360 Section 4 |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | No, attestation only |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | Not stated |
| Board audits compliance | Yes |
| Approved providers | General hours must be approved by the AMA, AOA, AAFP, AAPA or another entity approved by the board. The controlled substance and buprenorphine hours must be approved in advance by the board itself for the stated number of hours, and may be a live presentation, a live or recorded webinar, or an online module; the board publishes the current list of approved programs at www.kbml.ky.gov. At renewal the licensee certifies compliance on the board's Continuing Education Certification Form. The board may randomly require verification documentation, which the licensee must provide within 10 days of the request. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Kentucky PA need to renew?
- Kentucky physician assistants must complete 100 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure. 201 KAR 9:360 Section 2: for each two year renewal period and continuing education cycle a licensee completes a minimum of 100 hours of continuing education approved by the American Medical Association, the American Osteopathic Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Physician Assistants, or another entity approved by the board. Kentucky sets its own hour count rather than deferring to NCCPA certification maintenance, although the total matches NCCPA's 100 credits per two year cycle. The controlled substance and buprenorphine hours below are carved out of the 100, not added to it. At renewal the licensee certifies compliance on the board's Continuing Education Certification Form.
- How often does a Kentucky PA license need to be renewed?
- Physician Assistant licenses in Kentucky renew every two years. Every two years, on or about February 1, the board emails each physician assistant holding an active regular license a notice that renewal must be executed on or before March 31 of that same year. A licensee who misses March 31 gets a second notice and may renew late, with a penalty fee, no later than April 30; after that the license is inactive or cancelled and continued practice is unlicensed. Renewal also depends on a survey the board sends to the licensee's current or most recent primary supervising physician: the license is not renewed until that survey is completed to the executive director's satisfaction.
- What specific CE topics are required for Kentucky physician assistants?
- Controlled substance diversion, pain management, addiction disorders, or use of KASPER: 7.5 contact hours every renewal cycle (A licensee authorized to prescribe or administer controlled substances). Addiction medicine, for buprenorphine prescribers: 12 contact hours every renewal cycle (A licensee authorized to prescribe or administer Buprenorphine-Mono-Product or Buprenorphine-Combined-with-Naloxone). Recognition and prevention of pediatric abusive head trauma: a one-time requirement of 1.5 contact hours. Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia: a one-time requirement of 1 contact hour. Citations: controlled substance diversion, pain management, addiction disorders, or use of KASPER (201 KAR 9:360 Section 2(2)), addiction medicine, for buprenorphine prescribers (201 KAR 9:360 Section 2(3)), recognition and prevention of pediatric abusive head trauma (201 KAR 9:360 Section 3; KRS 620.020), and Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia (201 KAR 9:360 Section 4).
- Do Kentucky physician assistants have to submit CE certificates at renewal?
- Licensees attest to completion at renewal rather than submitting certificates and the board audits a sample of renewals and asks for documentation. General hours must be approved by the AMA, AOA, AAFP, AAPA or another entity approved by the board. The controlled substance and buprenorphine hours must be approved in advance by the board itself for the stated number of hours, and may be a live presentation, a live or recorded webinar, or an online module; the board publishes the current list of approved programs at www.kbml.ky.gov. At renewal the licensee certifies compliance on the board's Continuing Education Certification Form. The board may randomly require verification documentation, which the licensee must provide within 10 days of the request.
Sources
Last verified September 8, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- 201 KAR 9:360 Continuing education requirements for physician assistants, Kentucky Board of Medical LicensureStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- 201 KAR 9:086 License renewal and registration; reregistration of inactive license for physician assistantsStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- Physician Assistant, Kentucky Board of Medical LicensureState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
- Kentucky Board of Medical LicensureState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
Kentucky regulates physician assistants through the Board of Medical Licensure, the same board that licenses physicians, advised by a Physicians Assistant Advisory Committee under KRS 311.842. The requirement is a separate rule from the physician one: physicians renew annually under 201 KAR 9:310, while physician assistants renew every two years by March 31 under 201 KAR 9:086 and owe 100 hours per two year cycle under 201 KAR 9:360. Hours, the controlled substance and buprenorphine carve outs, the two one time subject requirements, the certification form and the 10 day verification window were read in the full text of 201 KAR 9:360, and the renewal timing, late renewal window and supervising physician survey in 201 KAR 9:086, both on the Legislative Research Commission's site. One topic key is outside the canonical list: addiction_medicine. The board's own physician assistant renewal page at kbml.ky.gov returns HTTP 401 to every automated client, so the renewal_url points at the board's physician assistant landing page, which does load and which links the statutes, the regulations and the continuing education certification form. NCCPA certification is required for Kentucky physician assistant licensure under KRS 311.844, but neither renewal regulation read here conditions renewal on maintaining it, so it is not recorded as a renewal requirement. The supervising physician survey is a renewal condition, not continuing education, and appears only in the deadline description. Retention years for continuing education records are not stated in the regulation.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.