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MD/DO · Requirements & free courses

Iowa CME requirements

Iowa requires 40 hours every 2 years for MD/DO renewal, including 4 topic-specific mandates. Every one of them has a free option below unless we say otherwise.

40total hours required
2 yrrenewal cycle
4topic-specific mandates
Requirements per FSMB, April 2026 · courses checked August 22, 2026

Dr. Jones holds an active Iowa medical license. These are requirements he tracks for his own renewal, not just ones he has read about.

Your mandated topics, and what satisfies them

Each requirement below is paired with activities we opened and verified ourselves.

Child abuse identification & reporting

2 hours every 3 years if you provide primary care to children. Iowa HHS training is the only approved course.

2 hrs
DS 169 Child Abuse Mandatory Reporter Training

Iowa Department of Health and Human Services

2 credits
FreeIowa-approved trainingFree account required

Iowa HHS training is the ONLY approved mandatory reporter course in Iowa. A separate 2-hour Dependent Adult Abuse course (DS 168) covers the adult requirement.

Heads up: Third-party Iowa 'mandatory reporter' courses are not valid — all prior approvals were voided after June 30, 2019.

More options on the child abuse page.

Dependent adult abuse

2 hours every 3 years if you provide primary care to adults. Iowa HHS training is the only approved course.

2 hrs
DS 169 Child Abuse Mandatory Reporter Training

Iowa Department of Health and Human Services

2 credits
FreeIowa-approved trainingFree account required

Iowa HHS training is the ONLY approved mandatory reporter course in Iowa. A separate 2-hour Dependent Adult Abuse course (DS 168) covers the adult requirement.

Heads up: Third-party Iowa 'mandatory reporter' courses are not valid — all prior approvals were voided after June 30, 2019.

More options on the adult abuse page.

Opioid prescribing (CDC guidelines)

2 hours every 5 years if you prescribe opioids.

2 hrs
8-Hour Training: Pain, Opioids & Effective Patient Care

PCSS / American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry

15 credits
FreeAMA PRA Category 1Counts toward MATE ActFree account required

Bundle worth up to 15 credits; 8 are needed for the DEA attestation.

14 credits
FreeAMA PRA Category 1Counts toward MATE ActFree account required

14 stand-alone modules, roughly 0.75–1.25 credits each. Take only what you need.

Pain Management and Opioids

NEJM Group / Massachusetts Medical Society

10.25 credits
FreeAMA PRA Category 1Counts toward MATE ActFree account required

Explicitly satisfies the full one-time 8-hour DEA requirement in a single program. No NEJM or MMS membership needed. Carries ABIM, ABA and ABS MOC.

8-Hour SUD 101 Training

PCSS / American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry

9.25 credits
FreeAMA PRA Category 1Counts toward MATE ActFree account required

SAMHSA grant-funded. Completing all 8 courses earns a digital badge that PCSS states fulfills the DEA 8-hour requirement. The landing page designates 9.25 credits generally; AMA PRA Category 1 is among the credit types offered.

More options on the opioids & pain page.

End-of-life care

Required if you provide direct care to dying patients.

FreeAMA PRA Category 1Free account requiredExpires Feb 12, 2028

Fulfills the Massachusetts end-of-life requirement and carries risk management credit at the same time.

More options on the end-of-life care page.

DEA MATE Act — federal, applies to you too

A one-time 8 hours on substance use disorders, required of every DEA-registered practitioner regardless of state, due at your next registration or renewal. The attestation does not recur — you will not be asked again at future DEA renewals.

8 hrs
8-Hour Training: Pain, Opioids & Effective Patient Care

PCSS / American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry

15 credits
FreeAMA PRA Category 1Counts toward MATE ActFree account required

Bundle worth up to 15 credits; 8 are needed for the DEA attestation.

14 credits
FreeAMA PRA Category 1Counts toward MATE ActFree account required

14 stand-alone modules, roughly 0.75–1.25 credits each. Take only what you need.

You may already be covered. The requirement is satisfied without new coursework if you are board certified in addiction medicine or addiction psychiatry, graduated within the past five years from a qualifying program whose curriculum included the required content, or previously completed DATA-2000 waiver training.

More at MATE Act options.

Before you rely on any of this

Boards revise requirements mid-cycle and interpret them differently. Confirm against your own board’s current rules — find yours here — before counting an activity toward renewal.

Other jurisdictions