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California — CME Requirements SEED

California physician CME requirements, summarized from the FSMB board-by-board overview and, where noted, the board's own published rules. Built for hospitalists and other physicians tracking a multi-state license portfolio — not a substitute for checking with the California board directly.

Hours / cycle: 50 hours every 2 year(s)
Category rule: all must be Category 1 approved
Reporting method: not yet verified — do not guess
CME equivalent (board cert) accepted: Yes

Mandated topics

Pain management and appropriate care/treatment of the terminally ill: one-time 12 units, by second license renewal or within 4 years, all physicians except pathologists and radiologists (Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 2190.5)
Alternative one-time 12 credit hours on treatment/management of opiate-dependent patients incl. 8 hours buprenorphine or similar OUD treatment, by next renewal (Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 2190.6)
Geriatric medicine: at least 20 percent of mandatory CME for general internists and family physicians with over 25 percent of patients at least 65 years of age (Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 2190.3)

Equivalency

passing a certifying or recertifying examination administered by a recognized specialty board = 4 consecutive years (100 hours) of credit, retroactive or prospective (16 CA ADC § 1337)

Osteopathic (DO) board differs. CA-O (eff. 2024-01-01): 50 h/2 yr, 20 must be AOA Category 1A or 1B; same one-time 12-unit pain-management/terminally-ill rule; plus a Schedule II addiction-risk course every renewal cycle; CME equivalent NOT accepted (OPSC Guidance; OBMC Guidelines)

Notes

only 25 hours required if initial license was issued for less than 13 months

Law citation

Cal. Code Reg. tit. 16, § 1336 & CMB Guidance; Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §§ 2190.5, 2190.6, 2190.3; 16 CA ADC § 1337

Sources

https://www.fsmb.org/siteassets/advocacy/key-issues/continuing-medical-education-by-state.pdf — accessed 2026-07-10 — AGGREGATOR_ONLY

SEED: every source for this jurisdiction is the FSMB aggregator table only (AGGREGATOR_ONLY) — a strong lead, not yet independently confirmed. Confirm with the board before relying on it.

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This page is a research summary, not legal or compliance advice — confirm current requirements with the board before relying on it.

Data as of 2026-07-10.