Continuing medical education for physician assistants licensed in Mississippi, including special volunteer physician assistants.
The Requirement
If You Prescribe Controlled Substances
Physician assistants authorized to prescribe controlled substances must include 5 hours related to the prescribing of medications, with an emphasis on controlled substances, in their 100 hours each cycle.
A special volunteer physician assistant is a licensed physician assistant, so the same requirement applies. Retirement does not remove a continuing education requirement. If you still hold the license, the requirement still applies to you.
Which Cycle You Are In
- 2024 to 2026
- Current cycle:July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2028
- 2028 to 2030
The two-year period begins July 1 of each even-numbered year. Physician assistants share this cycle with physicians, podiatrists, radiologist assistants and acupuncturists.
Documenting, Reporting and the Rules
Two Ways to Satisfy the Requirement
You attest at renewal in MELS. Keep your records. You upload documentation only if your renewal is selected for audit.
Option 1: Current NCCPA certification. If you hold a current certification from the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA), evidence of that certification meets the 100-hour requirement (30 Miss. Admin. Code Part 2615, Chapter 1, Rule 1.9).
Option 2: Your own CME records. If you are not currently NCCPA-certified, you are responsible for tracking your own hours. Keep certificates of completion and supporting documentation for every CME activity, organized and accessible in case your renewal is audited.
Category 1 is defined by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA), the American Medical Association (AMA), or the American Osteopathic Association (AOA).
Exemptions, Waivers and DEA Training
Exemptions for the current cycle, the waiver process, and the one-time DEA controlled substances training are explained for every license type on the Continuing Education Requirements page.
The Rules Behind It
The physician assistant requirement sits in 30 Miss. Admin. Code Part 2615, Chapter 1, Rule 1.9. The Board's authority to set physician assistant licensure and renewal requirements is Miss. Code Ann. § 73-26-5.
Part 2615 All Continuing Education Requirements CME Providers
Certify Your CME at Renewal
You attest that you have met your requirement when you renew in MELS. Keep your documentation in case your renewal is audited. Questions: mboard@msbml.ms.gov or 601.987.3079.
Go to MELS