South Carolina’s Human Trafficking CME: 2026 Physician Guide

South Carolina has added a new continuing-education requirement for physicians, and the interesting part is who it applies to. Under Act 106 of 2026, MDs and DOs who work in frontline, primary-care, and acute-care roles must complete a one-hour course on human trafficking awareness and prevention — and then repeat it every six years. The requirement targets the specialties and settings expressly listed in the statute. Here is who is caught by the rule, when the first hour is due, and how it sits alongside the state's standing controlled-substances CME requirement.

What changed

On March 9, 2026, the Governor signed H.4343 into law as Act No. 106. The act adds a new statute, S.C. Code Section 40-47-39, to the chapter that governs physicians (Title 40, Chapter 47). It makes “successful completion of a one-hour human trafficking awareness and prevention course” a continuing-education requirement for renewing, reinstating, or reactivating a physician license — but only for physicians in the specialties and settings the statute names.

The act took effect upon the Governor's approval, but the compliance deadline depends on when you were licensed. Physicians already licensed before January 1, 2026 must complete the course before January 1, 2028, and every six years thereafter — so for the existing cohort the first hour does not come due until the end of 2027. Physicians licensed on or after January 1, 2026 follow a different clock: they must complete their first course within two years of initial licensure, then every six years. Either way, the hour is counted within the continuing education you already complete to renew (Section 40-47-39(A)(2)), not added on top. The same act separately adds parallel human-trafficking training for nurses (Section 40-33-31) and physician assistants (Section 40-47-953); this article focuses on the physician requirement.

Who is caught by the rule

This is not an every-physician mandate. Section 40-47-39 applies to licensees who practice in a defined list of fields or who work in a defined list of care settings. Under the statute, the course is required for licensees practicing emergency medicine, primary care, internal medicine, family medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics, gynecology, or as a hospitalist, and for those working in public health clinics, emergency departments, urgent care centers, and community-based centers.

If your practice falls into one of those specialties or settings, the requirement is yours — whether you hold an MD or a DO license, because the South Carolina Board of Medical Examiners licenses both under the same chapter. If your practice sits entirely outside that list, the statute does not appear to reach you, but this is exactly the kind of scope question worth confirming with the board rather than guessing.

The companion rule: two hours on controlled substances

The trafficking hour is one of two special-topic CME items South Carolina physicians should have on their radar. The other is longer-standing and recurs more often: under the state's standard CME pathway, two hours must address controlled substances. For physicians who do not prescribe controlled substances, the Board also accepts accredited education about controlled-substance use, abuse, diversion, addictive properties, and treatment. Prescribers must take prescribing-and-monitoring education. The Board's May 3, 2023 statement explains this accommodation. The controlled-substances hours are tied to the regular two-year renewal cycle under Section 40-47-40 and count within the usual 40-hour CME total, subject to the alternatives and relief described below.

Put together, that gives covered physicians two topics to track: controlled-substances education under the standard biennial CME pathway, with the subject matter depending on whether they prescribe, and human trafficking awareness once every six years for those in the covered fields and settings.

The short version: If you are an MD or DO practicing emergency medicine, primary care, internal medicine, family medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics, gynecology, or as a hospitalist — or working in a public health clinic, emergency department, urgent care center, or community-based center — you must complete 1 hour of human trafficking awareness and prevention CE. If you were licensed before January 1, 2026, finish the first hour before January 1, 2028; if you were licensed on or after January 1, 2026, finish it within two years of initial licensure — then every six years thereafter (Act 106; S.C. Code Section 40-47-39). The hour counts within your required renewal CE, not on top of it, and is separate from the standing 2-hour controlled-substances requirement under the standard biennial CME pathway, with the nonprescriber accommodation described above.

How it fits South Carolina's renewal cycle

South Carolina physicians renew on a two-year cycle, with a June 30 renewal deadline for MDs and DOs in odd-numbered years. For active permanent licenses, the usual CME pathway requires 40 Category I hours per biennium, including at least 30 related directly to the physician's practice. Section 40-47-40 also provides alternative competency pathways and first-renewal relief. Physicians may claim up to 10 hours for qualifying volunteer medical service; active-duty military exemptions also apply, as explained in the Board's CME requirements.

Track the trafficking deadline separately: its statutory anchor can differ from the June 30 renewal deadline. For physicians licensed before January 1, 2026, the first course is due before January 1, 2028; for those initially licensed on or after January 1, 2026, it is due within two years of initial licensure. Both cohorts repeat the course every six years. The hour still counts toward required continuing education under Section 40-47-39(A)(2). Record the applicable trafficking deadline alongside your biennial renewal date.

What to do now

Check whether you are in scope. Match your specialty and practice setting against the statute's list. Frontline, primary-care, and acute-care physicians in South Carolina are the ones this rule is written for.
Bank the hour before the deadline. If you were licensed before January 1, 2026 and you are in a covered field or setting, complete an approved one-hour human trafficking awareness and prevention course before January 1, 2028, then again every six years. If you were licensed on or after January 1, 2026, complete your first course within two years of your initial licensure, then every six years. Either way, the hour counts within your required renewal CE. Choose a course satisfying Section 40-47-39(B): its information must have been reviewed by the South Carolina Human Trafficking Task Force and the State Task Force Healthcare Subcommittee, its provider must meet one of subsection (B)(1)'s three eligibility routes, and it must cover victim identification, reporting laws, and care and support.
Don't forget the controlled-substances hours. Under the standard CME pathway, complete two hours each biennium. Prescribers need prescribing-and-monitoring education; nonprescribers may use the accredited controlled-substances topics accepted by the Board. Confirm any applicable alternative pathway or exemption.
Configure tracking for your deadline. Med Ed Tracker lists South Carolina's trafficking requirement in its informational guides. It currently does not automatically add this requirement during onboarding; confirm your applicable deadline and configure a custom requirement before relying on tracking or reminders.
Verify with the board. Rules and specifics can change, so confirm the current requirement — including whether your specialty or setting is covered — with the South Carolina Board of Medical Examiners before you rely on it.

We keep the renewal cycle and CME details for both license types current in our state-by-state guides:

DO requirements
Renewal cycles & CME by state MD requirements
Renewal cycles & CME by state

Sources

A note on accuracy: This article is for general informational purposes and is not legal or compliance advice. State requirements can change and can depend on your specific license type, specialty, practice setting, and circumstances. Always confirm the details with the South Carolina Board of Medical Examiners before relying on them.