Minnesota Physician Assistant license renewal and CE requirements
Minnesota physician assistants must complete 50 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice (Physician Assistant Advisory Council).
A Minnesota physician assistant license is renewed every year, due on the last day of the licensee's month of birth. Renewal takes the fee, the completed forms and any other board requirement. The licensee must keep a correct mailing address with the board; placing the renewal application in first class mail to the last known address is valid service, and not receiving it does not excuse missing the deadline. A licensee who does not return a complete application and fee on time is removed from the list of individuals authorized to practice for that renewal period, and a license that lapses and is not renewed within two annual renewal cycles is canceled, after which the person must apply for a new license under the requirements then in force.
Summary
Minnesota physician assistants must complete 50 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice (Physician Assistant Advisory Council). A Minnesota physician assistant license is renewed every year, due on the last day of the licensee's month of birth. Renewal takes the fee, the completed forms and any other board requirement. The licensee must keep a correct mailing address with the board; placing the renewal application in first class mail to the last known address is valid service, and not receiving it does not excuse missing the deadline. A licensee who does not return a complete application and fee on time is removed from the list of individuals authorized to practice for that renewal period, and a license that lapses and is not renewed within two annual renewal cycles is canceled, after which the person must apply for a new license under the requirements then in force.
Minnesota 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 | Tied to the licensee's birth month |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 50 contact hoursCounted over a two-year window, separate from the renewal cycle. |
| Self-study or online cap | No cap stated |
| Carryover to next cycle | Not stated |
| First renewal exempt | Not stated |
| Other accepted activities | Current certification by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants, or its successor agency approved by the board, in place of the 50 contact hours |
Minnesota Statutes 147A.24 gives the licensee two ways to satisfy the requirement at renewal: current NCCPA certification, or evidence of at least 50 contact hours of continuing education within the two years immediately preceding license renewal. The hour figure is a two year figure even though the license renews annually, which is why continuing_education.cycle_months is 24 while renewal.cycle_months is 12. Education counts if it is equivalent to category 1 credit hours as defined by the American Osteopathic Association Bureau of Professional Education, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, the American Academy of Physician Assistants, or organizations with reciprocal arrangements with the AMA physician recognition award program. The statute states no minimum split between category 1 and other credit, so category_1_minimum is null even though all qualifying hours must be category 1 equivalent.
Required CE topics for Minnesota physician assistants
The Minnesota Board of Medical Practice (Physician Assistant Advisory Council) pages and rules we read do not mandate specific subject areas for this license type. Hours may be in any approved subject.
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | Not stated |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | Not stated |
| Board audits compliance | Not stated |
| Approved providers | Continuing education is approved if it is equivalent to category 1 credit as defined by the AOA Bureau of Professional Education, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, the AAPA, or organizations with reciprocal arrangements with the AMA physician recognition award program. A licensee using the certification route shows current NCCPA certification instead. The statute does not say whether proof is filed with the renewal or produced on audit, and states no retention period. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Minnesota PA need to renew?
- Minnesota physician assistants must complete 50 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice (Physician Assistant Advisory Council). Minnesota Statutes 147A.24 gives the licensee two ways to satisfy the requirement at renewal: current NCCPA certification, or evidence of at least 50 contact hours of continuing education within the two years immediately preceding license renewal. The hour figure is a two year figure even though the license renews annually, which is why continuing_education.cycle_months is 24 while renewal.cycle_months is 12. Education counts if it is equivalent to category 1 credit hours as defined by the American Osteopathic Association Bureau of Professional Education, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, the American Academy of Physician Assistants, or organizations with reciprocal arrangements with the AMA physician recognition award program. The statute states no minimum split between category 1 and other credit, so category_1_minimum is null even though all qualifying hours must be category 1 equivalent.
- How often does a Minnesota PA license need to be renewed?
- Physician Assistant licenses in Minnesota renew every year. A Minnesota physician assistant license is renewed every year, due on the last day of the licensee's month of birth. Renewal takes the fee, the completed forms and any other board requirement. The licensee must keep a correct mailing address with the board; placing the renewal application in first class mail to the last known address is valid service, and not receiving it does not excuse missing the deadline. A licensee who does not return a complete application and fee on time is removed from the list of individuals authorized to practice for that renewal period, and a license that lapses and is not renewed within two annual renewal cycles is canceled, after which the person must apply for a new license under the requirements then in force.
- Does Minnesota require specific CE topics for physician assistants?
- The Minnesota Board of Medical Practice (Physician Assistant Advisory Council) does not list mandated subject areas for PA renewal on the pages we verified; the 50 contact hours may be in any approved subject.
Sources
Last verified September 8, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- Minn. Stat. 147A.24 Continuing education requirements for physician assistantsStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- Minn. Stat. 147A.07 Renewal, physician assistantsStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- Minn. Stat. 147A.29 License renewal cycle conversion, annual renewal due the last day of the licensee's month of birthStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- Minn. Stat. 147A.06 Cancellation of license for nonrenewalStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- Minn. Stat. chapter 147A Physician Assistants, table of sections including 147A.27 Physician Assistant Advisory CouncilStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
Minnesota regulates physician assistants through the Board of Medical Practice under its own chapter, Minnesota Statutes 147A, with a Physician Assistant Advisory Council created by 147A.27; it is not a separate licensing board. The requirement is separate from the Minnesota physician requirement of 75 CME credits per year and is structured differently, being either NCCPA certification or 50 hours over two years against an annual license. Every mn.gov page, including the Board of Medical Practice site used as board_url, is behind a Radware bot manager CAPTCHA that returns a challenge page to automated clients, so no board page was read and renewal_url is left null. Everything recorded comes from the Office of the Revisor of Statutes, which serves the official statutes as plain HTML. mandatory_topics is empty: no subject mandate for physician assistants appears in chapter 147A, and Minn. Stat. 214.12 sets no renewal subject requirement for them. Documentation practice, audit and retention are not stated in statute; the board rules that would state them, if any, sit on the blocked board site, so those fields are null. A person should open https://mn.gov/boards/medical-practice/ in a browser to confirm the board's current renewal instructions.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice (Physician Assistant Advisory Council) before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.