Oregon Physician Assistant license renewal and CE requirements

Summary

Oregon physician assistants must complete 60 CME credits of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Oregon Medical Board. Oregon calls the physician assistant a physician associate and licenses them through the Oregon Medical Board, the same board that licenses physicians, under the same registration and continuing education rules. The registration renewal application and fee for physicians and physician associates must reach the board office during regular business hours, satisfactorily complete, on or before December 31 of each odd numbered year. Emeritus registrants renew annually instead. Oregon also mandates specific subjects. Oregon Pain Management Commission pain management education: 1 CME credit every renewal cycle (active physician associates; lapsed, teleradiology and telemonitoring licensees are outside the requirement). Cultural competency continuing education: 2 CME credits every renewal cycle (licensees renewing with an active practicing license).

Oregon 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.

OAR 847-008-0070 sets 60 hours of continuing medical education per two years for active licensees, or 30 hours for a licensee first licensed during the second year of the biennium, which the board states on its own page as 30 hours per year. For a physician associate the pre-approved accreditation is American Academy of Physician Assistants Category 1; the same rule also accepts AMA Category 1 and AOA Category 1-A or 2-A, so no separate Category 1 subtotal is recorded. A licensee may satisfy the requirement through ongoing recertification or maintenance of certification with a recognized board instead of counting hours, and the board verifies that directly; lifetime certification alone does not fulfill the board's requirements. The mandated pain management and cultural competency education below counts as relevant continuing medical education toward the 60.

Required CE topics for Oregon 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 Oregon PA need to renew?

Oregon physician assistants must complete 60 CME credits of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Oregon Medical Board. OAR 847-008-0070 sets 60 hours of continuing medical education per two years for active licensees, or 30 hours for a licensee first licensed during the second year of the biennium, which the board states on its own page as 30 hours per year. For a physician associate the pre-approved accreditation is American Academy of Physician Assistants Category 1; the same rule also accepts AMA Category 1 and AOA Category 1-A or 2-A, so no separate Category 1 subtotal is recorded. A licensee may satisfy the requirement through ongoing recertification or maintenance of certification with a recognized board instead of counting hours, and the board verifies that directly; lifetime certification alone does not fulfill the board's requirements. The mandated pain management and cultural competency education below counts as relevant continuing medical education toward the 60.

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

Physician Assistant licenses in Oregon renew every two years. Oregon calls the physician assistant a physician associate and licenses them through the Oregon Medical Board, the same board that licenses physicians, under the same registration and continuing education rules. The registration renewal application and fee for physicians and physician associates must reach the board office during regular business hours, satisfactorily complete, on or before December 31 of each odd numbered year. Emeritus registrants renew annually instead.

What specific CE topics are required for Oregon physician assistants?

Oregon Pain Management Commission pain management education: 1 CME credit every renewal cycle (active physician associates; lapsed, teleradiology and telemonitoring licensees are outside the requirement). Cultural competency continuing education: 2 CME credits every renewal cycle (licensees renewing with an active practicing license). Citations: Oregon Pain Management Commission pain management education (OAR 847-008-0075) and cultural competency continuing education (OAR 847-008-0077).

Do Oregon 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. American Academy of Physician Assistants Category 1 is pre-approved for physician associates; AMA Category 1 and AOA Category 1-A or 2-A are also accepted.

Is the first Oregon PA renewal exempt from CE?

No. Oregon applies the continuing education requirement to the first renewal as well.

Sources

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

• Continuing Education, Oregon Medical BoardState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
• OAR 847-008-0005, Registration renewal (Oregon Medical Board)Statute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
• OAR 847-008-0070, Continuing medical education requirementsThird-party summary, accessed September 8, 2026
• Oregon Medical Board home pageState board page, accessed September 8, 2026

Oregon runs one combined board: the Oregon Medical Board licenses MDs, DOs, podiatric physicians, acupuncturists and physician associates under the same registration and continuing medical education rules, so there is no separate physician assistant board or committee here. The December 31 odd year deadline, stated for physicians and physician associates together, was read in OAR 847-008-0005 on the Oregon Secretary of State's rules site. The 60 hour requirement, the 30 hour proration for a licensee first licensed in the second year of the biennium, the AAPA Category 1 pre-approval and the maintenance of certification alternative were read in OAR 847-008-0070 through the oregon.public.law mirror, because the Secretary of State site serves that particular rule behind a script wall; the board's own continuing education page independently states 30 hours per year for active licensees and that lifetime certification alone does not suffice. The pain management and cultural competency requirements were read on the board's continuing education page with their rule citations. The board does not state a physician assistant specific NCCPA requirement in the sources read; certification maintenance is offered as an alternative to counting hours, not as a condition of renewal. Carryover and record retention are not addressed in the sources read.