California DO CME requirements

At a glance: DO (osteopathic physician)

Hours

50 hours every 2 years

Renewal cycle

Every 2 years

Deadline

The last day of the month your license was issued, every two years (the expiration date printed on your license)

Required topics

3

Hours carry over

No

First renewal

Confirm with your Board Neither the statute nor the Board document waives CME at the first renewal. The Board's sanctions text refers to '50 hours of approved CME or the prorated share', and it waives 50 or 100 percent of the hours for time spent in residency or fellowship during the cycle. We plan for the full 50; confirm any proration with the Board.

Credit minimum

Business and Professions Code 2454.5: at least 20 of the 50 hours must be AOA Category 1. The Board's CME document says 1-A or 1-B both count toward it; the remaining 30 may be AOA or AMA credit.

Reporting

CME is checked by random audit after renewal; if selected, you send proof (AOA activity report or certificates, PDF only). Missing hours lead to a citation and fine and must be made up from current hours. Keep records for at least 4 years: course title, dates, hours, sponsor and accrediting organization (16 CCR 1641(c)).

Board

Osteopathic Medical Board of California

Business and Professions Code 2454.5 requires 50 hours in each two-year cycle. Since January 1, 2022 the CME period is the two years between your last renewal's expiration date and your next one (Board CME document, effective October 1, 2025). License term: Business and Professions Code 2456.1. The statute says midnight without naming a time zone; California time is assumed. 16 CCR 1635 still describes an older 150-hour, three-year period; the statute and the Board's current document use 50 hours every two years.

Deadline

In California, the date depends on your license: the last day of the month your license was issued, every two years (the expiration date printed on your license).

Find your California DO deadline and add it to your calendar

Required topics

• Pain management and the treatment of terminally ill and dying patients12 hours · Once · Every licensee
• Risks of addiction associated with the use of Schedule II drugs1 hour · Every renewal · Every licensee
• Geriatric medicine, the special care needs of patients with dementia, or the care of older patients Confirm with your Board10 hours · Every renewal · Only some physicians — see the rule note
  Business and Professions Code 2190.3: general internists and family physicians whose patient population is over 25 percent age 65 or older must complete at least 20 percent of their CME hours (10 of 50) in this field. The Board's 2025 policy alert describes it as a mandated CME for these physicians, but its CME document does not list it; confirm with the Board.

Credit that counts

• AOA Category 1-ABusiness and Professions Code 2454.5 and the Board's CME document: AOA Category 1 credit (1-A or 1-B) counts toward the 20-hour minimum and the total.
• AOA Category 1-BThe Board's CME document counts AOA Category 1-B toward the 20-hour Category 1 minimum (examples: writing papers, teaching students and residents, grand rounds).
• AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™Business and Professions Code 2454.5: the 30 hours beyond the Category 1 minimum may be AOA- or AMA-accredited. The Board approves programs certified by the AMA as Category 1.
• AAFP Prescribed credit Confirm with your BoardThe Board's CME chart lists 'AAFP approved' programs under Category 2A, which counts toward the 30 hours outside the AOA Category 1 minimum. The statute names only AOA and AMA credit, so confirm before relying on AAFP Prescribed credit alone.