Texas physicians must complete 48 hours of Continuing Medical Education (CME) every biennial renewal cycle to maintain an active license. CE Broker helps you track and report these hours seamlessly to ensure compliance with the Texas Medical Board.
Your specific CME cycle matches your biennial license expiration dates. To fulfill your requirements, your hours must be split between formal and informal credits, incorporating specific mandatory subject areas.
Formal vs. Informal CME Hours
Formal Category 1 or 1A (At least 24 hours)
At least half of your total hours must be designated as formal credits. These must be approved by the following recognized organizations:
AMA PRA Category 1 (Accredited by the ACCME or a recognized state medical society)
AOA Category 1-A (American Osteopathic Association)
AAFP Prescribed Credit (American Academy of Family Physicians)
Texas Medical Association (TMA) (Based on AMA Physician's Recognition Award standards)
Informal CME Credits (Up to 24 hours)
The remaining hours can be satisfied through informal self-study, which includes:
Attendance at hospital lectures, grand rounds, or case conferences not designated for formal credit.
Reading clinically relevant medical journals or using literature search databases.
Self-instructional materials or research/preparation time for medical presentations.
Mandatory Subject Areas
Within your 24 formal hours, specific topics are required to maintain compliance. Review the breakdown below to ensure your selected courses fulfill these mandates:
| Requirement | Minimum Hours | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Medical Ethics / Professional Responsibility | 2 Hours | Must be approved for ethics/professional responsibility credit by the accrediting agency (AMA Category 1 or AOA 1A). |
| Pain Management & Opioid Prescription | 2 Hours | Required for your 1st and 2nd renewals, then every 8 years (4 cycles). Covers best practices, alternative treatments, standards of care, and identifying drug-seeking behavior. Exemption available if you do not provide direct patient care. |
| Forensic Evidence CME | 2 Hours | Required by default to address forensic evidence collection. Exemption available if you do not work in an emergency room setting. |
| Human Trafficking Prevention Training | Yes / No | Must be a course approved by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC). Required for your 1st renewal, then once every 3rd cycle (6 years). While tracked as a Yes/No requirement, completed hours still count toward your overall formal total. Exemption available if you do not provide direct patient care. |
Note on Upcoming Requirements: The Life of the Mother Act CME is an upcoming requirement. It is not yet displayed on the transcript and is not approved for Category 1 credit, but the subject area exists and will count toward your Ethics requirement.
Simultaneously Applying Hours
Certain courses can fulfill multiple requirements at the same time to optimize your transcript:
Pain Management and the Prescription of Opioids hours simultaneously fulfill your Formal Category 1 or 1A hours.
Human Trafficking Training hours simultaneously fulfill your Medical Ethics and/or Professional Responsibility hours.
Banking Excess Hours
The Texas Medical Board allows physicians to carry over a maximum of 48 excess CME hours from your current cycle to your next renewal period. However, restrictions apply when banking mandatory subject areas:
Excess hours from Medical Ethics, Pain Management, and Human Trafficking can only bank as general Formal Category 1 or 1A hours. They cannot be used to bypass the mandatory subject area requirements in your upcoming cycle.
How to Review Your Requirements
To view your real-time compliance status and see exactly how many hours you have remaining, follow these steps:
Log in to your CE Broker account.
Select your credential by clicking the View Details option.
Review your personalized compliance transcript to identify any outstanding mandatory hours.
Related Articles
For detailed instructions on how to submit specific credits or manage exceptions, please view our corresponding articles: