Michigan CME Requirements for MDs and DOs

Michigan CME requirements for physicians come down to 150 hours every three years, plus a handful of required topics that are easy to miss. Here is what the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) asks of MDs at renewal, with a shorter look at DOs.

We checked these requirements against the Michigan LARA website and the Michigan Administrative Code. Rules change, so confirm with the Michigan Board of Medicine (or the Board of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery) before your renewal. For other states, see our CME requirements by state hub.

The short answer

MDs need 150 hours of board-approved CME in the 3 years before renewal, and at least 75 of those hours must be Category 1.
At least 3 hours must be in pain and symptom management (with at least 1 hour on controlled substance prescribing), and at least 1 hour must be in medical ethics.
Implicit bias training is required at 1 hour for each year of the license cycle, every cycle.
You must also certify a one-time human trafficking training and, if you hold a controlled substance license or prescribe, training in opioids and controlled substance awareness.
DOs also need 150 hours every 3 years, but the Category 1 minimum is 60 hours.

Michigan CME requirements for MDs at a glance

The Board of Medicine’s rules sit in Michigan Administrative Code R 338.2401 to R 338.2443. The renewal rule is R 338.2441 and the content rule is R 338.2443. LARA’s Medical Doctor Licensing Guide and FAQs summarizes the same items in a renewal checklist.

Requirement	What Michigan requires (MDs)
Renewal cycle	3 years
Total CME	150 hours of board-approved CME in the 3 years before your renewal application
Category 1	At least 75 of the 150 hours
Pain and symptom management	At least 3 hours, with at least 1 hour on controlled substance prescribing
Medical ethics	At least 1 hour
Implicit bias	1 hour for each year of the license cycle, completed every cycle
Human trafficking	One-time training, certified on the renewal application
Opioids and controlled substance awareness	Required for controlled substance licensees and those licensed to prescribe or dispense; must meet R 338.3135
Record keeping	Keep CME documentation for 4 years after you apply for renewal

The guide frames the hour requirements for physicians licensed during the full 3-year cycle. It doesn’t spell out how a shorter first cycle is handled, so if you were licensed partway through, ask the board directly.

How the 150 hours break down

Category 1 credit

Under R 338.2443, at least 75 credits must come from Category 1 programs. Approved Category 1 sources include programs approved by the AMA, the Michigan State Medical Society, the ACCME, the AOA, and the Michigan Osteopathic Association, and these can count for up to the full 150 hours. If you want a refresher on what that designation means, see our explainer on AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.

Other Category 1 activities have their own caps. Passing a specialty board certification or recertification exam earns 50 hours, and required certification maintenance activities count up to 30 hours per renewal period.

Category 2 credit

The rest can come from Category 2 activities such as clinical teaching (up to 48 hours) or peer-reviewed publication (up to 24 hours). You can’t claim credit twice for the same or a substantially equivalent program in one renewal period.

Required topics for Michigan MDs

Pain and symptom management

You need at least 3 hours in pain and symptom management, and at least 1 of those hours must include controlled substances prescribing. The rule lists qualifying subject areas, including Michigan pain and controlled substance laws and pharmacology. These hours count toward your 150. If you’re looking at pain management courses, check that the content fits the topic areas the rule names.

Medical ethics

At least 1 hour of the 150 must be in medical ethics.

Implicit bias training

Michigan requires 1 hour of implicit bias training for each year of your license cycle, which works out to 3 hours on a 3-year cycle. LARA’s licensing guide says plainly that this is not a one-time training. The requirement took effect June 1, 2022, according to LARA’s implicit bias FAQ, and new applicants need 2 hours completed within the 5 years before the license is issued.

For MDs, R 338.2443 says implicit bias training completed within the 3 years before renewal may count toward the 150 hours. LARA’s FAQ lists acceptable formats as a live synchronous teleconference or webinar, an interactive live presentation, or an asynchronous teleconference or webinar.

Human trafficking training

Renewing physicians certify on the application that they’ve completed a one-time training in identifying victims of human trafficking that meets R 338.2413. It must cover identifying victims in health care settings, warning signs, and reporting resources. Reading a qualifying journal article is one accepted format.

Opioids and controlled substance awareness

If you hold a Michigan controlled substance license, or you’re licensed to prescribe or dispense, you must complete training in opioids and controlled substance awareness that meets R 338.3135, a Board of Pharmacy rule. For controlled substance license applicants and renewals, the rule requires training on using MAPS (Michigan’s prescription monitoring program) and on state and federal laws for prescribing and dispensing controlled substances. Keep proof for 3 renewal periods plus 1 additional year.

This is a Michigan licensing requirement. Federal DEA registration rules are separate, so check those with the DEA on their own.

Michigan CME requirements for DOs

Osteopathic physicians renew with the Board of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery. LARA’s Osteopathic Physician Licensing Guide (revised January 2026) lists a 3-year cycle and 150 hours of board-approved CE. The main difference from MDs is the Category 1 floor, which is at least 60 of the 150 hours.

The topic requirements line up with the MD list. DOs need at least 3 hours in pain and symptom management (at least 1 on controlled substance prescribing), at least 1 hour of medical ethics for cycles that began on or after April 26, 2021, implicit bias training at 1 hour per year of the cycle, a one-time human trafficking training, and opioids and controlled substance awareness training if they prescribe or hold a controlled substance license.

Renewal and audit basics

You can renew through MiPLUS no sooner than 90 days before your license expires. You don’t upload certificates when you renew. Submitting the application is your certification that you met the CE requirements.

LARA may audit a sample of renewed licensees and ask for proof. Under R 338.2441, failing to meet the requirement is a violation of the Public Health Code. If you can’t finish the hours because of circumstances outside your control, a waiver request must reach the department at least 30 days before the board’s last regularly scheduled meeting before your license expires.

Total your hours for the 3 years before renewal and confirm the Category 1 minimum (75 for MDs, 60 for DOs).
Check for 3 pain and symptom management hours, 1 ethics hour, and implicit bias training for each year of the cycle.
Confirm your human trafficking and opioid awareness training are documented, then save every certificate for at least 4 years.

Fitting it into your schedule

Most of the 150 hours can be general Category 1 CME in your own specialty. Travel Medical Seminars offers Audio-Digest self-study courses in a 10-credit short course and a 20-credit full course, each designated for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ and completed online at your own pace. Audio-Digest lectures are designated for credit by the Lippincott Continuing Medical Education Institute, which is accredited by the ACCME. For Michigan’s specific topic mandates, check whether a given course is approved for that requirement before you count it. You can browse all courses by specialty.

Michigan CME requirements for physicians (MD and DO)