South Carolina Physician Assistant license renewal and CE requirements
South Carolina physician assistants must complete 100 CME credits of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the South Carolina Board of Medical Examiners (Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation).
Physician assistant licenses renew biennially and expire December 31 of odd numbered years. The most recent standard renewal window ran October 1 through December 31, 2025 for the 2025 to 2027 cycle, with a late renewal period running through December 31, 2026. Continuing education must be completed during the 24 months preceding the renewal deadline and before the online renewal is submitted.
Summary
South Carolina physician assistants must complete 100 CME credits of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the South Carolina Board of Medical Examiners (Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation). Physician assistant licenses renew biennially and expire December 31 of odd numbered years. The most recent standard renewal window ran October 1 through December 31, 2025 for the 2025 to 2027 cycle, with a late renewal period running through December 31, 2026. Continuing education must be completed during the 24 months preceding the renewal deadline and before the online renewal is submitted. South Carolina also mandates specific subjects. Approved procedures of prescribing and monitoring controlled substances listed in Schedules II, III, and IV: 4 CME credits every renewal cycle. The first renewal is exempt.
South Carolina 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, 12/31 each cycle |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 100 CME credits |
| Category 1 minimum | 50 CME credits |
| Self-study or online cap | No cap stated |
| Carryover to next cycle | Not stated |
| First renewal exempt | Yes |
| Other accepted activities | Current certification with the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA), which establishes compliance with the CME requirement except for the controlled substance hours |
S.C. Code Regs. 81-120 states that the continued professional competency of a physician assistant holding a South Carolina license that renews biennially is demonstrated by one hundred CME credits including no less than fifty Category 1 credits, with the remaining fifty being Category 1, Category 2, or a combination. Category 1 credits must be sponsored by the American Medical Association as accredited by the ACCME, the American Osteopathic Association as accredited by the AOACCME, the American Academy of Physician Associates, or another organization the Board approves. Category 2 includes teaching, online learning, medical literature review, peer consultation, group discussions, self assessment, medical writing, preceptorships and research. Current NCCPA certification establishes compliance with the regulation except for the four controlled substance hours, which remain a biennial requirement in their own right. The board's renewal page states that, with the exception of podiatry, licensees in their first renewal cycle are not required to complete CME. This regulation carries an effective date of May 23, 2025.
Required CE topics for South Carolina physician assistants
State-specific subject mandates. Where a mandate applies only to some licensees, the scope is listed.
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Applies to | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Approved procedures of prescribing and monitoring controlled substances listed in Schedules II, III, and IVFour continuing education hours per biennial renewal. The regulation states the requirement as required by state law without naming a narrower group, and it survives even when a physician assistant relies on current NCCPA certification to satisfy the rest of the CME requirement. The underlying statutory provision sits in the controlled substance prescribing sections of the Physician Assistants Practice Act, so a physician assistant with no controlled substance prescriptive authority should confirm the scope with the board. | 4 CME credits | Every renewal | All licensees | S.C. Code Regs. 81-120 |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | No, attestation only |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | 3 years |
| Board audits compliance | Yes |
| Approved providers | Category 1 CME must be sponsored by the American Medical Association as accredited by the ACCME, the American Osteopathic Association as accredited by the AOACCME, the American Academy of Physician Associates, or another organization the Board of Medical Examiners approves as having acceptable standards. The board tracks CME through CE Broker. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a South Carolina PA need to renew?
- South Carolina physician assistants must complete 100 CME credits of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the South Carolina Board of Medical Examiners (Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation). S.C. Code Regs. 81-120 states that the continued professional competency of a physician assistant holding a South Carolina license that renews biennially is demonstrated by one hundred CME credits including no less than fifty Category 1 credits, with the remaining fifty being Category 1, Category 2, or a combination. Category 1 credits must be sponsored by the American Medical Association as accredited by the ACCME, the American Osteopathic Association as accredited by the AOACCME, the American Academy of Physician Associates, or another organization the Board approves. Category 2 includes teaching, online learning, medical literature review, peer consultation, group discussions, self assessment, medical writing, preceptorships and research. Current NCCPA certification establishes compliance with the regulation except for the four controlled substance hours, which remain a biennial requirement in their own right. The board's renewal page states that, with the exception of podiatry, licensees in their first renewal cycle are not required to complete CME. This regulation carries an effective date of May 23, 2025.
- How often does a South Carolina PA license need to be renewed?
- Physician Assistant licenses in South Carolina renew every two years. Physician assistant licenses renew biennially and expire December 31 of odd numbered years. The most recent standard renewal window ran October 1 through December 31, 2025 for the 2025 to 2027 cycle, with a late renewal period running through December 31, 2026. Continuing education must be completed during the 24 months preceding the renewal deadline and before the online renewal is submitted.
- What specific CE topics are required for South Carolina physician assistants?
- Approved procedures of prescribing and monitoring controlled substances listed in Schedules II, III, and IV: 4 CME credits every renewal cycle. Citations: approved procedures of prescribing and monitoring controlled substances listed in Schedules II, III, and IV (S.C. Code Regs. 81-120).
- Do South Carolina physician assistants 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. Category 1 CME must be sponsored by the American Medical Association as accredited by the ACCME, the American Osteopathic Association as accredited by the AOACCME, the American Academy of Physician Associates, or another organization the Board of Medical Examiners approves as having acceptable standards. The board tracks CME through CE Broker.
- Is the first South Carolina PA renewal exempt from CE?
- Yes. South Carolina 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.
- S.C. Code Regs. 81-120, Continued Professional Education for Physician Assistants (Cornell LII mirror, effective May 23, 2025)Third-party summary, accessed September 8, 2026
- Renewals, South Carolina Board of Medical ExaminersState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
- Continuing Education, South Carolina Board of Medical ExaminersState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
- South Carolina Board of Medical ExaminersState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
South Carolina regulates physician assistants through the Board of Medical Examiners, which also licenses physicians, so the medical board is the correct regulator here and there is no separate physician assistant board. The renewal cycle, the 24 month lookback and the first cycle CME exemption were read on the board's own renewals page. The hour counts come from S.C. Code Regs. 81-120 read on the Cornell mirror; the board's own continuing education page publishes its hour detail only inside a PDF (Medical_CE_Reqs.pdf), which was not opened under the no download rule, so the regulation text is the substantive source and the board pages supply the dates. The topic key controlled_substances is not on the canonical list and is used because the mandate covers Schedule II, III and IV prescribing and monitoring rather than opioids alone. The statute behind the four hours, S.C. Code 40-47-965, could not be read directly: the Justia and scstatehouse renderings of Chapter 47 Article 7 were either blocked or truncated before that section, which is why the applies_to scope is left open rather than narrowed to prescribers. Unlike the state's nurse practitioner rule, the physician assistant requirement is not layered on any other license; a physician assistant holds one license and one CME obligation, which is roughly two and a half times the physician requirement of forty credits per biennium recorded in the South Carolina physician records.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the South Carolina Board of Medical Examiners (Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation) before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.