Continuing Medical Education

(1) Hours Required, Waiver, and Exemptions (a) All licensees must complete forty (40) hours of continuing medical education courses during the twenty-four (24) months that precede licensure renewal. (b) Unless exempt under T.C.A. § 63-1-402(c), all licensees holding a current Tennessee license shall complete a minimum of two (2) of the forty (40) required hours of continuing education related to controlled substance prescribing, which must include instruction in the Department’s treatment guidelines on opioids, benzodiazepines, barbiturates, and carisoprodol and may include topics such as medicine addiction, risk management tools, and other topics approved by the Board. (c) The Board approves a course for only the number of hours contained in the course. The approved hours of any individual course will not be counted more than once in a calendar year toward the required hourly total regardless of the number of times the course is attended or completed by any individual. (d) Waiver - The Board may waive the requirements of these rules in cases where illness, disability, or other undue hardship beyond the control of the licensee prevents a licensee from complying. Requests for waivers must be sent in writing to the Board prior to the end of the renewal period during which the continuing medical education is due and prior to application for renewal. GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS GOVERNING CHAPTER 0880-02 THE PRACTICE OF MEDICINE (e) Exemptions: 1. Anyone whose license is in the retired or inactive status pursuant to Rule 0880- 02-.10(1) and/or (2) is exempt from the requirements of these continuing medical education rules. 2. Anyone who obtains licensure in the same calendar year as successful completion of the USMLE Step 3 is exempt from the provisions of these continuing medical education rules but only for the calendar year in which licensure is issued. (2) Proof of Compliance - All licensees must retain independent documentation of completion of all continuing medical education hours and compliance with the provisions of these rules. (a) This documentation must be retained for a period of four (4) years from the end of the calendar year in which the continuing medical education was acquired. (b) This documentation must be produced for inspection and verification, if requested in writing by the Division during its verification process. (c) Documentation verifying the licensee’s completion of the continuing medical education hours may consist of any one (1) or more of the following: 1. Original certificates or photocopies of original certificates from course providers verifying the licensee’s attendance and/or completion of hours. 2. Original letters or photocopies of original letters from course providers verifying the licensee’s attendance and/or completion of hours. 3. Documentation from the American Academy of Family Physicians (hereafter AAFP) indicating acquired continuing medical education hours. (d) Until December 31, 2024 in response to an audit the Board will accept CMEs obtained on a calendar cycle or those obtained during a renewal cycle. All licensees whose license expires after January 1, 2025 will be required to submit proof of CME for the past licensure renewal cycle rather than the calendar year cycle. (3) Acceptable Continuing Education - To be utilized for satisfaction of the continuing education requirements of this rule, the continuing education hours must comply with both of the following: (a) Hours must be awarded by an organization accredited as a sponsor of continuing medical education by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME); and (b) Hours must be designated or certified by the awarding organization as meeting the criteria for Category 1 continuing medical education credit of the American Medical Association’s Physician’s Recognition Program; or be designated by the AAFP as meeting the criteria of the AAFP’s prescribed credits for continuing medical education or be designated by the AOA as meeting the criteria of the AOA’s prescribed credits for continuing medical education; or (c) If a licensee provides disciplinary case review at the request of the Department, and submits a written report of his or her conclusions regarding such disciplinary case GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS GOVERNING CHAPTER 0880-02 THE PRACTICE OF MEDICINE review, the reviewing licensee shall receive one (1) hour of continuing medical education credit for each hour spent reviewing the materials and preparing the report. A maximum of ten (10) hours credit shall be awarded for reviewing disciplinary case materials during the twenty-four (24) months that precede licensure renewal. (4) Violations and Disciplinary Orders (a) Any licensee who fails to obtain the required continuing medical education hours or otherwise comply with the provisions of these rules may be subject to disciplinary action. (b) Continuing medical education hours obtained as a result of compliance with the terms of Board Orders in any disciplinary action or obtained pursuant to licensure or renewal restriction/conditions mandated by the Board shall not be credited toward the continuing medical education hours required to be obtained during any renewal period.