Pennsylvania DO CME requirements

At a glance: DO (osteopathic physician)

Hours

100 hours every 2 years

Renewal cycle

Every 2 years

Deadline

October 31 of even-numbered years

Required topics

4

Hours carry over

No

First renewal

49 Pa. Code §25.271(c)(3)(i): a physician licensed in Pennsylvania for the first time is exempt from the CME requirement for the biennial renewal period following initial licensure (the 2026 renewal guide: exempt if the initial license was issued November 1, 2024 – October 31, 2026). The 2 Act 31 child abuse hours are still required ("No exemption").

Credit minimum

At least 20 of the 100 hours must be AOA Category 1-A (49 Pa. Code §25.271(c)(1)).

Reporting

You verify completion on the biennial renewal application in PALS (www.pals.pa.gov); the Board audits at random. Keep proof for at least 2 years after completing the CME or after the renewal it was required for, whichever is later (49 Pa. Code §25.271(c)(2) and the Board's CME sheet). Act 31 child abuse providers report your completion to the Board electronically — do not upload it yourself.

Board

Pennsylvania State Board of Osteopathic Medicine

49 Pa. Code §25.271(a) and the Board's renewal page: DO licenses expire October 31 of even-numbered years. The 100 hours are earned November 1 of an even year through October 31 of the next even year (for October 31, 2026: November 1, 2024 through October 31, 2026). Neither the rule nor the Board's CME sheet provides for carrying hours over.

Deadline

• October 31, 2026

Find your Pennsylvania DO deadline and add it to your calendar

Required topics

• Child abuse recognition and reporting (Act 31)2 hours · Every renewal · Every licensee
  49 Pa. Code §25.417(b): 2 hours each biennial renewal, counted within the 100. Only courses approved by the Bureau in consultation with the Department of Human Services count, and the provider must report completion electronically (allow up to 7 days). Required even when other CME is waived (first renewal, active-retired). Exemptions are narrow and must be requested in writing. Applicants for an initial license need 3 hours of approved training before licensure (§25.417(a)). Since January 1, 2025 the Department of Human Services "is no longer accepting new Child Abuse Recognition and Reporting Training Curricula for review and approval", so only already-approved providers' courses count.
• Patient safety and risk management12 hours · Every renewal · Every licensee
• Organ and tissue donation and recovery process Confirm with your Board2 hours · Once · Every licensee
  49 Pa. Code §25.271(c)(6), effective May 1, 2026: 2 hours once, on the Board-approved curriculum posted on the Board's website (donation and transplantation system, tissue and organ donation, determining death, family communication, organ donor management); the rule names no approved providers. Counts within the 100. Licensed before May 1, 2026: within 5 years of licensure renewal; licensed on or after May 1, 2026: within 5 years of initial licensure; reactivated on or after May 1, 2026: within 5 years of reactivation. The Board's sheet says "whichever comes first" — confirm your own deadline. The rule asks DOs to keep documentation of attendance from an organ procurement organization (20 Pa.C.S. §8601).
• Pain management, identification of addiction, or opioid prescribing/dispensing (Act 124)2 hours · Every renewal · Physicians registered with the DEA

Credit that counts

• AOA Category 1-A49 Pa. Code §25.271(c)(1): at least 20 hours in AOA Category 1-A.
• AOA Category 1-BThe Board's CME sheet: remaining hours may be AOA Category 1-A, 1-B or Category 2, or AMA Category 1 or 2.
• AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™Counts toward the hours beyond the 20 AOA Category 1-A hours (Board CME sheet; 2026 renewal guide).
• AMA PRA Category 2Counts toward the hours beyond the 20 AOA Category 1-A hours; document with the Board's Category 2 reporting form.
• AAFP Prescribed credit Confirm with your BoardNeither §25.271 nor the Board's CME sheet names AAFP Prescribed credit. It cannot count toward the 20 AOA Category 1-A hours; confirm with the Board whether it counts toward the remaining hours.