Texas Physician Assistant license renewal and CE requirements
Texas physician assistants must complete 40 CME credits of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Texas Physician Assistant Board, administered by the Texas Medical Board.
Physician assistant registration runs on a two year cycle set for each licensee rather than on a birthday or a statewide date. The first registration period after licensure is prorated and runs anywhere from 6 to 24 months, and every registration after that is two years long and falls on the same day each renewal. The online renewal system opens 60 to 90 days before expiration.
Summary
Texas physician assistants must complete 40 CME credits of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Texas Physician Assistant Board, administered by the Texas Medical Board. Physician assistant registration runs on a two year cycle set for each licensee rather than on a birthday or a statewide date. The first registration period after licensure is prorated and runs anywhere from 6 to 24 months, and every registration after that is two years long and falls on the same day each renewal. The online renewal system opens 60 to 90 days before expiration. Texas also mandates specific subjects. Pain management and opioid prescribing: 2 CME credits every renewal cycle (physician assistants with a prescriptive authority agreement authorizing the prescribing of opioids, or with authorization to access the Prescription Monitoring Program). Human trafficking prevention: required every renewal cycle. Forensic evidence collection: a one-time requirement of 2 CME credits (physician assistants whose practice includes an emergency room setting, for renewals on or after September 1, 2026). Up to 80 excess CME credits carry over to the next cycle and the first renewal is exempt.
Texas 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 | Staggered by license numberFirst renewal is prorated. |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 40 CME credits |
| Category 1 minimum | 20 CME credits |
| Self-study or online cap | No cap stated |
| Carryover to next cycle | Yes, up to 80 CME credits |
| First renewal exempt | Yes |
A physician assistant must complete at least 40 credits of continuing medical education every 24 months, measured against the biennial registration period rather than the calendar year. At least 20 of those credits must be formal Category I credit from a CME sponsor approved by the American Academy of Physician Assistants. The remaining 20 may be Category II, which the board describes as informal self study, attendance at hospital lectures, grand rounds or case conferences. Excess credit carries forward: up to 80 total excess credit hours may be carried for up to two years from the registration period in which they were earned. A physician assistant whose prorated initial registration period is shorter than 12 months is exempt from the CME requirement until the following registration.
Required CE topics for Texas physician assistants
State-specific subject mandates. Where a mandate applies only to some licensees, the scope is listed.
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Applies to | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pain management and opioid prescribingAt least two hours, described on the board's continuing education page for physician assistants. The board's page does not give a rule citation on its face, so the citation field is left null. | 2 CME credits | Every renewal | Physician assistants with a prescriptive authority agreement authorizing the prescribing of opioids, or with authorization to access the Prescription Monitoring Program | Not stated |
| Human trafficking preventionA human trafficking prevention course approved by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission must be completed before each renewal. The board states no hour count. | Not stated | Every renewal | All licensees | Not stated |
| Forensic evidence collectionThe board's page states that two hours are required for physician assistants renewing on or after September 1, 2026 whose practice includes emergency room settings, and also notes that no approved coursework is available yet. Anyone renewing near that date should check the board's page again before relying on this. | 2 CME credits | One time | Physician assistants whose practice includes an emergency room setting, for renewals on or after September 1, 2026 | Not stated |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | Not stated |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | Not stated |
| Board audits compliance | Not stated |
| Approved providers | Formal Category I credit must be provided by a CME sponsor approved by the American Academy of Physician Assistants. The human trafficking prevention course must be approved by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Texas PA need to renew?
- Texas physician assistants must complete 40 CME credits of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Texas Physician Assistant Board, administered by the Texas Medical Board. A physician assistant must complete at least 40 credits of continuing medical education every 24 months, measured against the biennial registration period rather than the calendar year. At least 20 of those credits must be formal Category I credit from a CME sponsor approved by the American Academy of Physician Assistants. The remaining 20 may be Category II, which the board describes as informal self study, attendance at hospital lectures, grand rounds or case conferences. Excess credit carries forward: up to 80 total excess credit hours may be carried for up to two years from the registration period in which they were earned. A physician assistant whose prorated initial registration period is shorter than 12 months is exempt from the CME requirement until the following registration.
- How often does a Texas PA license need to be renewed?
- Physician Assistant licenses in Texas renew every two years. Physician assistant registration runs on a two year cycle set for each licensee rather than on a birthday or a statewide date. The first registration period after licensure is prorated and runs anywhere from 6 to 24 months, and every registration after that is two years long and falls on the same day each renewal. The online renewal system opens 60 to 90 days before expiration.
- What specific CE topics are required for Texas physician assistants?
- Pain management and opioid prescribing: 2 CME credits every renewal cycle (physician assistants with a prescriptive authority agreement authorizing the prescribing of opioids, or with authorization to access the Prescription Monitoring Program). Human trafficking prevention: required every renewal cycle. Forensic evidence collection: a one-time requirement of 2 CME credits (physician assistants whose practice includes an emergency room setting, for renewals on or after September 1, 2026).
- Is the first Texas PA renewal exempt from CE?
- Yes. Texas 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.
- Continuing Education Requirements for Physician Assistants, Texas Medical BoardState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
- Physician Assistant Renewal, Texas Medical BoardState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
- Texas Medical BoardState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
The regulator needs a word of explanation. Texas has a Texas Physician Assistant Board with its own rulemaking and disciplinary authority under Occupations Code Chapter 204, but it is a self governed board that runs on the Texas Medical Board's agency infrastructure, and every page that actually publishes physician assistant licensing requirements sits on tmb.texas.gov. The Texas Medical Board's own physician assistant renewal page describes the Texas Medical Board as the licensing body, and the agency homepage does not name the Physician Assistant Board at all, listing only the Medical Board, the Respiratory Care Board and the Medical Radiologic Technology Board. The board name recorded here reflects both facts so a reader looks in the right place. Everything numeric in this record was read on the Texas Medical Board's own physician assistant pages rather than in the rule, and that is a real gap: Chapter 185 of 22 TAC was reorganized by rules adopted in January 2025, the Cornell mirror of 22 TAC Chapter 185 still shows the pre reorganization Surgical Assistants content, the elaws mirror returned a 503, the Secretary of State's Texas Administrative Code viewer has moved to a new portal that returned no content, and the Texas Register archive page returned a 403. The rule citation for each mandatory topic is therefore left null rather than guessed. The three topic keys pain_management, human_trafficking and forensic_evidence_collection are used as they appear elsewhere in this dataset; forensic_evidence_collection is not on the canonical list. Note that the forensic evidence collection item has a future effective date of September 1, 2026 and the board says approved coursework does not yet exist. Physician assistants are not layered on any other Texas license: 40 credits per 24 months is their whole obligation, compared with 48 credits per 24 months for Texas physicians.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Texas Physician Assistant Board, administered by the Texas Medical Board before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.