Completion of required CME is reported during registration.  Physician assistants need to complete at least 40 credits of continuing medical education every 24 months. (24 month timeline is in relation to the biennial registration period, not the calendar year).

At least 20 credit hours must be formal Category I credit provided by a CME sponsor that has been approved by the American Academy of Physician Assistants.

During the 86th legislative session, in an effort to combat the opioid crisis in Texas, there were multiple bills passed requiring physicians, physician assistants and other licensees to complete certain specific opioid related continuing medical education.  At least 2 hours are required and must cover topics outlined in the TMB Initial Guidance on New Opioid Continuing Medical Education (CME) Requirements, as seen below.

 

Please read the TMB's initial guidance regarding opioid-related CME:

House Bill 2059 (86th Legislature) requires physicians, physician assistants, and any licensee of the TMB’s advisory boards or committees that provide direct patient care, to complete a human trafficking prevention course approved by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC). This requirement applies to the renewal of a license on or after September 1, 2020.

 

HHSC is the approving body for the human trafficking prevention requirement. HB 2059 requires HHSC to approve training courses on human trafficking, including at least one that is free of charge, post a list of approved trainings on its website and update the list of approved trainings as necessary.

 

HHSC now has an approved course available, which is free of charge, that satisfies the requirements for all licensees impacted by HB 2059.

 

The remaining 20 credit hours may be from Category II, composed of:

 

  • Informal self-study,
  • Attendance at hospital lectures,
  • Grand rounds, or
  • Case conferences and

 

These shall be recorded in a manner that can be easily transmitted to the board upon request.

If an excess of the 40 hours are completed prior to registration, the excess hours may be applied to the following years' requirements, except for the required course in human trafficking prevention. The course in human trafficking prevention must be completed prior to each renewal.

 

There is a maximum of 80 total excess credit hours that may be carried forward and a limit of two years from the date of the registration following the period during which the hours were earned. Excess hours are applied/reported according to their Category. See Board Rule 183.16 for additional information.

A licensee may request in writing an exemption* for the following reasons:

 

  • The licensee's catastrophic illness;
  • The licensee's military service of longer than one year's duration outside the United States;
  • The licensee's residence of longer than one year's duration outside the United States; or
  • Good cause shown submitted in writing by the licensee that gives satisfactory evidence to the board that the licensee is unable to comply with the requirement for continuing education.

 

*Exemptions are reviewed on a case by case basis and must be requested in writing at least 30 days prior to the expiration date of the license.  An exemption may not exceed one registration period, but may be renewed, subject to approval.

 

Helpful Document

As part of its 2016-2017 review, the Sunset Advisory Commission adopted a non-statutory management action directing TMB to dedicate one page of its quarterly bulletin to three topics in continuing medical education that the Board considers relevant; at least one of the annual 12 continuing medical education topics must be related to tick-borne diseases, including Lyme disease.

 

DISCLAIMER:   The information displayed here is provided as a courtesy. The TMB makes no guarantee to the quality of providers’ content, fulfillment of credit hours for license requirement purposes, or ensuring compliance with the terms of any board order or rules. 

 

For more continuing education opportunities and providers, please see the following links below:

No. You will need to provide these documents if you are selected in a random CME audit conducted after each registration period or if you receive a written request from Board staff to present these documents.

If your pro-rated initial registration is for less than 12 months, you are exempt from the CME requirement until your subsequent registration.

No. CME is required every 2 years for Texas Physician Assistant Board and is calculated from expiration date to expiration date. It is also every 2 years for the NCCPA, but it may not be on the same schedule. In addition, you should check with the NCCPA for their current CME requirements.

A PA may carry forward a maximum of 80 total excess CME credit hours (40 hours in each category) for up to two years. The course in human trafficking prevention must be completed prior to each renewal.