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.
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