Oregon, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho and Rhode Island are all rewriting CE rules between 2026 and 2028 — new requirements, new cycle lengths and new mandated topics. Transitional cycles are where clinicians miscount, because neither the old nor the new rule cleanly applies.
CME rules are not static. Legislatures pass bills, boards finish rulemaking, and renewal cadences shift — usually without much fanfare. We keep this roundup as a single place to see what is moving between 2026 and 2028. Below, by state, with the real dates and numbers.
Oregon — new RN CE rule, January 1, 2028
Oregon eliminated the RN practice-hours requirement on January 1, 2026, leaving mandated topic courses (a 1-hour pain management course every 36 months and a 2-hour cultural competency course every 48 months) as the main obligation. A 20-hour CE requirement takes effect January 1, 2028 for RNs and LPNs. Details in Oregon's new RN rule lands in 2028 and the companion on the modules RNs need today. Source: Oregon State Board of Nursing.
Colorado — first-ever physician CME, 2027
Under House Bill 24-1153, Colorado physicians must complete 30 AMA PRA Category 1 credits every 24 months, including a substance use disorder component, beginning with the 2027 renewal cycle. Colorado historically had no general physician CME mandate at all. Rulemaking is ongoing. Read Colorado physicians will owe CME for the first time in 2027.
Wyoming — psychologist hours rise in 2028
Wyoming psychologists owe 30 CE hours every two years through the 2027 cycle. Starting with the 2028 cycle, that rises to 40 hours, including 3 hours of ethics and 3 hours of risk assessment or management. Full detail in Wyoming psychologists face bigger CE rules in 2028.
Idaho — annual-to-biennial renewal shift
Idaho's DOPL began moving nurses, social workers, and counselors from annual to biennial renewal in late 2025, which changes how CE totals are counted during the transition. Idaho RNs use a competency-activity model with no fixed hour count; LCSWs owe 30 hours per biennium and LPCs historically 40. See Idaho moved several health licenses to two-year renewals.
Rhode Island — pharmacist cycle change with a 30-month bridge
RIDOH is moving pharmacists from annual to a two-year license cycle with a 30-month bridge period. The CE total remains 15 hours per year (5 live), but the renewal math during the bridge is anything but clean. Read Rhode Island pharmacists are mid-switch to a two-year cycle.
Pennsylvania — new organ-donation CE, May 1, 2026
Effective May 1, 2026, Pennsylvania RNs must complete a one-time 2-hour organ and tissue donation course within five years of initial licensure or renewal. It joins the existing 30-hour cycle and 2-hour child-abuse requirement. See Pennsylvania added an organ-donation CE requirement and the full PA RN CE guide.
Texas — cultural-diversity rule under review
The Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council put its cultural-diversity CE requirement under review as of early 2025, affecting LCSWs, LPCs, and LMFTs. The current requirement still stands. Details in Texas is rewriting its cultural-diversity CE rule.
The one going the other way
For contrast, Montana quietly dropped mandatory CE for RNs in late 2023 — the rare repeal in a sea of additions.
How to use this list
If you are licensed in any of these states, the move that matters is confirming whether the change hits your specific renewal cycle and front-loading any new mandated subjects. For a view organized by profession instead of by state, see our plain-English deadline tracker by profession. And because these changes almost never affect carryover or transfer cleanly, the deadline-versus-expiration explainer is worth a read before you assume your timing.
Tracking a moving rule across a renewal is exactly what we do. White Glove CME maps your state's current and upcoming requirements against your renewal date for a flat $99 per license renewal — planning only, no credit issued, no board portal access. See pricing or tell us your state, license type, and renewal month. Browse all CME requirements by state.
Why so many changes at once
Several unrelated trends are landing together: health equity and implicit bias legislation, post-pandemic reviews of licensure cycles, and states modernizing rules that had not been revisited in decades.
The result is an unusual concentration of change between 2026 and 2028, affecting hour totals, cycle lengths and mandated topics simultaneously in some states.
What to do about a change that has not landed yet
Keep meeting the current requirement, which remains in force until amended. Then find out the first reporting period under the new rule and whether it is prorated.
Clinicians who adjust early to a future rule frequently under-meet the current one, which is the avoidable error in every transition.
Where to watch
Board rulemaking notices rather than news coverage. Changes are published in advance with comment periods, and the final rule is the only version that matters.
Sign up for board notifications where they exist. Most licensees never do, and then learn about a change from a colleague at renewal.
Common questions
- Which states are changing CME rules?
- Oregon, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho and Rhode Island among others, with changes landing between 2026 and 2028 covering new requirements and new cycle lengths.
- What is changing in Colorado?
- Physicians face a general CME requirement for the first time from 2027 — 30 hours every two years including substance use disorder content.
- What is changing in Oregon?
- A new 20-hour RN continuing education rule takes effect in January 2028, replacing the current module-based structure.
- Why are transitional cycles risky?
- Because the requirement in force depends on which reporting period applies, and prorated bridge periods rarely match either the old or new figure.
- How should I prepare for a rule change?
- Confirm the first applicable reporting period in writing, and start retaining certificates even where no requirement currently exists.
Need help figuring out your CME?
Stop guessing what CME you need. Tell us your license type, state, and renewal date, and we'll map exactly which continuing-education hours and mandated topics you need — and by when. Flat $99 per plan.