Utah Physician Assistant license renewal and CE requirements

Summary

Utah physician assistants must complete 40 CME credits of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (Department of Commerce), Physician Assistant Practice Act. Physician assistant licenses expire on May 31 of even numbered years and renew on a two year cycle. This is a different date from the state's nursing licenses, which fall on January 31. Utah also mandates specific subjects. Online suicide prevention training: 0.5 CME credits every renewal cycle. Controlled substance continuing education: 3.5 CME credits every renewal cycle (physician assistants who also hold a Utah controlled substance license).

Utah 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.

Utah Admin. Code R156-70a-304 requires a physician assistant to complete at least 40 CME hours during each two year licensure cycle, of which at least 34 must be category 1 offerings as established by the ACCME. Programs must be nationally recognized by a healthcare accrediting agency and related to practice as a physician assistant. The Division's renewal page adds that a licensee may instead maintain NCCPA certification in place of the 40 hours, and that the required suicide prevention training counts toward the hours. Volunteer service earns one hour of CME credit for every four documented hours of service. Documentation sufficient to prove compliance must be kept for two years after the close of the two year licensure cycle.

Required CE topics for Utah 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 Utah PA need to renew?

Utah physician assistants must complete 40 CME credits of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (Department of Commerce), Physician Assistant Practice Act. Utah Admin. Code R156-70a-304 requires a physician assistant to complete at least 40 CME hours during each two year licensure cycle, of which at least 34 must be category 1 offerings as established by the ACCME. Programs must be nationally recognized by a healthcare accrediting agency and related to practice as a physician assistant. The Division's renewal page adds that a licensee may instead maintain NCCPA certification in place of the 40 hours, and that the required suicide prevention training counts toward the hours. Volunteer service earns one hour of CME credit for every four documented hours of service. Documentation sufficient to prove compliance must be kept for two years after the close of the two year licensure cycle.

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

Physician Assistant licenses in Utah renew every two years. Physician assistant licenses expire on May 31 of even numbered years and renew on a two year cycle. This is a different date from the state's nursing licenses, which fall on January 31.

What specific CE topics are required for Utah physician assistants?

Online suicide prevention training: 0.5 CME credits every renewal cycle. Controlled substance continuing education: 3.5 CME credits every renewal cycle (physician assistants who also hold a Utah controlled substance license). Citations: controlled substance continuing education (Utah Code 58-37-6.5; Utah Admin. Code R156-37-402).

Do Utah physician assistants have to submit CE certificates at renewal?

Licensees attest to completion at renewal rather than submitting certificates and records must be kept for 2 years. Programs must be nationally recognized by a healthcare accrediting agency and related to practice as a physician assistant, with at least 34 of the 40 hours in ACCME category 1 offerings. Controlled substance hours must be approved by the Division.

Sources

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

• Renew a Physician Assistant License, Utah Division of Professional LicensingState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
• Utah Admin. Code R156-70a-304, Continuing Education (Physician Assistant Practice Act Rule), Cornell LII mirrorThird-party summary, accessed September 8, 2026
• Utah Admin. Code R156-1-308a, Renewal Dates (Cornell LII mirror)Third-party summary, accessed September 8, 2026
• Physician Assistant, Utah Division of Professional LicensingState board page, accessed September 8, 2026

Utah does not put physician assistants under a medical board. They are licensed by the Division of Professional Licensing under their own statute, the Physician Assistant Practice Act at Title 58 Chapter 70a, and their own rule, R156-70a, on a renewal date that differs from both the physician and the nursing dates. The Division's physician assistant landing page names the Division as the licensing authority and shows board information and board member links without naming a Physician Assistant Licensing Board in the text that was read, which is why the board name field records the Division and the practice act rather than asserting a board title. The topic key controlled_substances is not on the canonical list and is used because the requirement covers controlled substances generally. Utah's own rules site at rules.utah.gov redirects to an eRules portal and the direct adminrules.utah.gov URLs tried here returned 404, so the rule text was read on the Cornell mirror while the Division's pages supplied the renewal date, the NCCPA alternative, the suicide prevention item and the controlled substance figure. The rule text read did not address audit procedure, first renewal exemption or pro rata reduction, so those fields are null. Utah physician assistants and Utah physicians both sit at 40 hours per two year cycle, but the physician assistant rule sets a higher category 1 floor at 34 of the 40.