Continuing Education - Physician Assistants
Physician assistants must complete all required CME in advance of renewal. The term “reporting period” means the two-year period preceding the renewal deadline for a license issued by the Board. For example, if a licensee is scheduled to expire on March 31, 2025, the reporting period is April 1, 2023 through the 2025 renewal application submission date.
Mandatory Controlled Substance CME for all Licensees
Physician assistants who have prescribed, administered, or dispensed any controlled substance pursuant to a West Virginia license in the two-year reporting period preceding renewal are required to complete 3-hours of Board-approved CME in Risk Assessment and Responsible Prescribing of Controlled Substances Training, formerly known as Drug Diversion Training and Best Practice Prescribing of Controlled Substances Training. This is not a one-time only requirement. It is mandatory for each reporting period. For 2025 license renewal applicants, this course must be completed during the reporting period of April 1, 2023 through the date a renewal application is submitted. The Board maintains a list of all 3-hour courses that have been approved by the Board and which were available for completion during the reporting period for physician assistants renewing in 2025. To review a list of Board approved courses which satisfy this CME requirement, as well as the available online courses, click on the link below.
A physician assistant may seek a waiver of this specific CME requirement by attesting on the renewal application that:
- During the period of April 1, 2023 through March 31, 2025, the physician assistant did not and will not prescribe, administer or dispense any controlled substances pursuant to a West Virginia license.
OR
- The physician assistant was granted a license by the Board of Medicine after April 1, 2024, and therefore will complete this specific 3-hour required training within one year of the date of initial licensure.
In addition to the mandatory Risk Assessment and Responsible Prescribing of Controlled Substances Training course, formerly know as Drug Diversion Training and Best Practice Prescribing of Controlled Substances Training, there are three pathways to satisfy the biennial CME obligation.
Option 1 Classic CME
Complete 100 hours of CME designated as Category I or Category II by the American Medical Association (AMA), American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA), or the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) with the following requirements:
- A minimum of 50 hours of CME must be Category I.
- A maximum of 50 hours of CME may be Category II.
- The 3-hour Board-approved Risk Assessment and Responsible Prescribing of Controlled Substances Training, formerly known as Drug Diversion Training and Best Practice Prescribing of Controlled Substances Training, CME can be used for 3 of the 50 Category I CME hours.
Option 2 Passing a NCCPA Recertification Examination
A physician assistant may satisfy all CME requirements except the 3-hour Board-approved Risk Assessment and Responsible Prescribing of Controlled Substances Training, formerly known as Drug Diversion Training and Best Practice Prescribing of Controlled Substances Training requirement by sitting for and passing a recertification examination administered by the NCCPA during the relevant reporting period.
Option 3 Limited Exception for New Licensees with Master’s Degrees
For the 2025 renewal cycle, a physician assistant may satisfy all CME requirements except the 3-hour Board-approved Risk Assessment and Responsible Prescribing of Controlled Substances Training, formerly known as Drug Diversion Training and Best Practice Prescribing of Controlled Substances Training CME if the initial physician assistant license was issued after April 1, 2023 and a master’s degree is received after April 1, 2024.
