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California CME Requirements for Physicians (2026)
Everything the Medical Board of California requires — total hours, mandated topics, the opioid/controlled-substance rule, and how it's tracked. Last reviewed 2026-07-10.
Board: Medical Board of California. General CME: 50 hrs AMA PRA Cat 1 every 2 yrs.
Opioid / controlled-substance CME in California
12 hrs one-time (by 2nd renewal / within 4 yrs) — pain management and care of the terminally ill, incl. Schedule II addiction risk. Trigger: all except pathologists & radiologists.
✓ No board pre-approval gate: No board pre-approval — but the course must reach 12 hrs and cover pain + end-of-life; the 8-hr core needs a CA addendum. Content gap, not an approval gap.
All mandated CME topics in California
| Topic | Hours | Timing | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pain management & care of terminally ill (incl Schedule II addiction risk for post-2019) | 12 hrs | one-time (by 2nd renewal / within 4 yr) | all except pathology/radiology |
| Geriatric medicine / dementia | >=20% of hours (~10) hrs | per cycle while condition applies | IM/FM with >25% pts 65+ |
| Cultural & linguistic competency | embedded course content (no add-on hrs) hrs | ongoing (since 7/1/2006) | all courses |
| Implicit bias | embedded course content (NOT standalone) hrs | ongoing (since 1/1/2022) | all courses |
Notes
- Total is 50 (BoardVitals '100' WRONG). Implicit bias/cultural comp are course-content mandates, not extra hours. No standalone recurring opioid CME.
Pick all your states in the free planner and get one 5-year schedule that batches your opioid/controlled-substance CME so a single course covers as many licenses as possible.
Build my multi-state CME plan →This page summarizes Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code §§2190.5, 2190.6 and related board policy as of 2026-07-10 for physicians (MD/DO). It is educational information, not legal advice — always verify current requirements with the Medical Board of California before relying on them.