General Renewal Requirements—Medical Doctor

Requirements to Renew MD License in Florida

Physicians seeking to renew a license to practice medicine must complete the following:

Renewal Application
- Log in and fill out the online renewal application:
  - Complete Practitioner Profile, Workforce Survey, and Financial Responsibility Form;
  - Provide any supporting documentation required within the application;
  - Pay license renewal fee and other fees connected to the renewal process.
- Key considerations:
  - A physician’s license to practice must be renewed every two years: licenses in Group 1 expire on January 31 in even-numbered years and those in Group 2 expire on January 31 in odd-numbered years. License expiration dates can be confirmed here;
  - Renewal applicants are required to have practiced medicine or have served on the active teaching faculty of an accredited medical school for at least 2 of the immediately preceding 4 years;
  - Alternatively, they must successfully complete the Special Purpose Examination of the Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States (SPEX) prior to renewal of the license.
Continuing Medical Education (CME) Courses
- Complete CME courses in each required content area:
  - 2-hour board-approved CME course on the prevention of medical errors;
  - 2-hour board-approved CME course on prescribing controlled substances (required of all doctors registered with the DEA);
  - 2-hour course on domestic violence every third biennial cycle (see Course History in CE Broker).
- Complete the balance of required 40 CME hours through:
  - General AMA Category I CME hours;
  - Service as a monitoring or supervising physician for another doctor;
  - Documented attendance at certain meetings of the Florida Board of Medicine.
- Key considerations:
  - Prior to the first renewal, all doctors must complete a board-approved course on HIV/AIDS;
  - For the first renewal, an applicant needs only to have completed courses on HIV/AIDS, on preventing medical errors, and on prescribing controlled substances (for DEA-registered doctors);
  - With a free Basic Account, users can review the completion date, subject area, and specific names of all previously reported courses in CE Broker;
  - CME hours do not carry over across biennial licensure cycles.
Background Screening and Fingerprint Retention
- Log in and verify date of last fingerprints retained in Clearinghouse.
- Extend retention of current fingerprints, if eligible:
  - Pay fee ($43.25 to retain unexpired fingerprints vs. roughly $60-90 for each new scan of prints);
  - Fingerprints are valid for 5 years—current fingerprints must either be retained for an additional 5 years, or the practitioner must undergo a new fingerprint screening.
  - Prints set to expire prior to the due date for the next licensure renewal will automatically be retained by the system and the fee associated with such retention will be due at that time.
- If not eligible to retain current fingerprints, schedule an appointment with a LiveScan provider.
Florida Birth-Related Neurological Injury Compensation Association (NICA)
- If you are a Florida Medical Doctor (MD) or Osteopathic (DO) Physician, the Department now verifies your compliance or exemption of all Florida Birth-Related Neurological Injury Compensation Association (NICA) assessments as required by section 766.314, Florida Statutes.
  - Please visit the Florida Birth-Related Neurological Injury Compensation Association (NICA) at https://www.nica.com/ to make a payment that satisfies your mandated assessments.
  - Exemptions can only be granted by NICA to eligible physicians. To determine if you may be eligible, please visit https://www.nica.com/medical-providers/exemptions/.