Missouri Physician (MD) license renewal and CE requirements

Summary

Missouri physicians (MD) must complete 50 CME credits of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Missouri State Board of Registration for the Healing Arts. All Missouri physician licenses expire January 31 every year and must be renewed annually. The board emails renewal information on or before November 1 each year, but not receiving it does not excuse a licensee from renewing on time. Missouri also mandates specific subjects. Health benefits of nutrition: 1 CME credit every renewal cycle. The first renewal is exempt.

Missouri Physician (MD) 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.

50 hours of continuing medical education every two years, accredited by the AOA as Category 1-A or 2-A, by the AMA as Category 1, or as American Academy of Family Practice Prescribed Credit. The reporting period is the 24 month period beginning January 1 of each even numbered year and ending December 31 of each odd numbered year, so the CME cycle is biennial even though the license renews annually. A licensee is deemed compliant with 40 hours instead of 50 if every course includes a post-test of the material and all 40 hours are AOA Category 1-A or AMA Category 1. There is no separate Category 1 subminimum because AOA Category 2-A and AAFP Prescribed Credit also count toward the 50. Holders of a limited license report 10 hours per reporting period.

Required CE topics for Missouri physician (md)s

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 Missouri MD need to renew?

Missouri physicians (MD) must complete 50 CME credits of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Missouri State Board of Registration for the Healing Arts. 50 hours of continuing medical education every two years, accredited by the AOA as Category 1-A or 2-A, by the AMA as Category 1, or as American Academy of Family Practice Prescribed Credit. The reporting period is the 24 month period beginning January 1 of each even numbered year and ending December 31 of each odd numbered year, so the CME cycle is biennial even though the license renews annually. A licensee is deemed compliant with 40 hours instead of 50 if every course includes a post-test of the material and all 40 hours are AOA Category 1-A or AMA Category 1. There is no separate Category 1 subminimum because AOA Category 2-A and AAFP Prescribed Credit also count toward the 50. Holders of a limited license report 10 hours per reporting period.

How often does a Missouri MD license need to be renewed?

Physician (MD) licenses in Missouri renew every year. All Missouri physician licenses expire January 31 every year and must be renewed annually. The board emails renewal information on or before November 1 each year, but not receiving it does not excuse a licensee from renewing on time.

What specific CE topics are required for Missouri physicians (MD)?

Health benefits of nutrition: 1 CME credit every renewal cycle. Citations: health benefits of nutrition (20 CSR 2150-2.125(1)).

Do Missouri physicians (MD) 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. Credit must be accredited by the AOA as Category 1-A or 2-A, by the AMA as Category 1, or as American Academy of Family Practice Prescribed Credit. Licensees attest to completion under penalty of perjury on the renewal form and keep records showing course titles, dates, locations, sponsors, category, and hours for at least three years after the reporting period. The board may audit.

Is the first Missouri MD renewal exempt from CE?

Yes. Missouri does not require continuing education for a MD's first renewal.

Sources

Last verified September 7, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.

• 20 CSR 2150-2, Licensing of Physicians and Surgeons (current rules, Missouri Secretary of State), including 20 CSR 2150-2.125 Continuing Medical EducationStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 7, 2026
• Instructions for Permanent Physician Paper Application, Missouri Board of Registration for the Healing ArtsState board page, accessed September 7, 2026
• Physicians and Surgeons Home, Missouri Board of Registration for the Healing ArtsState board page, accessed September 7, 2026

Missouri regulates MDs and DOs through one board, the State Board of Registration for the Healing Arts, under Chapter 334 RSMo, and 20 CSR 2150-2.125 applies the same 50 hour requirement to every physician licensee; the rule counts AOA Category 1-A and 2-A credit alongside AMA Category 1, so the MD and DO records cite the same sources. Renewal date read from the board's own permanent physician application instructions, which state that all physician licenses expire January 31. The nutrition hour uses the non-canonical topic key 'nutrition' because no key in the canonical list fits. The rule states no opioid, controlled substance, human trafficking, implicit bias, or other subject mandate beyond the nutrition hour. The rule does not address carryover of excess hours, a cap on self-study or online CME, or a live or interactive minimum, so those fields are null. The Cornell mirror of 20 CSR 2150-2.125 is a pre-2026 version that lacks the nutrition sentence; the Secretary of State's current compilation was used instead and Cornell is not cited.