Every North Carolina license type,
with the CME hours and cycle behind it.
A curated reference for healthcare professionals licensed in North Carolina. Each row shows the required CME/CE hours, renewal cycle, and the public board citation that backs the numbers — so a recertification window never opens with a guessing game.
Seeded from public NC Board guidance — owner-maintained
The rows below are seeded from publicly available NC Medical Board and NC Board of Nursing guidance. The full dataset lives in one editable TypeScript module — src/lib/business/nc-license-types.ts — so anyone maintaining the CredenSync experience can refresh the numbers, add a new credential, or update a citation without touching the page itself.
When a number is uncertain, this page shows — rather than guessing. Note that NC RN renewal is based on active practice attestation rather than mandatory CE hours — the table reflects this accurately. Treat the rows as a starting point: the citation in each row links to the underlying public source, which is the authoritative reference for any individual case.
Each row tells the same five-part story
The library groups North Carolina healthcare license types by category — Physician, Advanced Practice, and Nursing — so the renewal rules for an MD read next to the rules for a DO or PA, instead of getting lost in a single undifferentiated list.
North Carolina license types, grouped by category
Each table covers one category. Rows are ordered by the NC board that governs them.
Physician
2 license types| License | Hours | Classes | Cycle | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
MD — Medical DoctorNC Medical Board requires 60 CME hours per 2-year renewal cycle. At least 40 hours must be in the physician's clinical specialty or an area of active practice. The board mandates content on controlled substance prescribing and pain management. AMA PRA Category 1 and Category 2 credits are accepted. Renewal is completed through the NC Medical Board online portal. | 60 hrs | — | 2-year cycle | NC Medical Board |
DO — Osteopathic PhysicianNC Medical Board licenses DOs alongside MDs and applies the same 60 CME hour requirement. Hours must include controlled substance prescribing content. AOA Category 1-A credits and AMA PRA credits are accepted. ABMS maintenance of certification (MOC) CME may count toward the total with prior board approval. | 60 hrs | — | 2-year cycle | NC Medical Board |
Advanced Practice
2 license types| License | Hours | Classes | Cycle | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
PA — Physician AssistantNC Medical Board requires 100 CME hours per 2-year cycle for PAs. At least 50 hours must be Category 1 CME from an AAPA- or AMA-recognized provider. NCCPA CME logged for maintenance of certification satisfies the board requirement. Controlled substance prescribing content is required for PAs with prescriptive authority. | 100 hrs | — | 2-year cycle | NC Medical Board |
NP — Nurse PractitionerNC Board of Nursing requires 30 contact hours of CE per 2-year renewal cycle for Nurse Practitioners. Hours must be relevant to the NP's specialty area. ANCC and AACN accredited CE is accepted. NPs who have prescriptive authority should ensure CE includes pharmacology content to maintain prescribing competency. | 30 hrs | — | 2-year cycle | NC Board of Nursing |
Nursing
1 license type| License | Hours | Classes | Cycle | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
RN — Registered NurseNC Board of Nursing does not mandate minimum continuing education hours for RN renewal. Renewal is based on active practice attestation — licensees attest to having practiced at least 1 hour as an RN during the preceding renewal period or to completing a refresher course. The board may audit attestations. No CE hours are required unless the RN is inactive and seeking reinstatement. | — | — | 2-year cycle | NC Board of Nursing |
Bring this reference into a living recertification record
The CredenSync plan keeps your North Carolina CME/CE hours, renewal cycle, and board requirements visible in one place — and warns you before a window opens. Start free while you evaluate.