Florida osteopathic physician (DO) CME requirements for license renewal

This guide covers osteopathic physicians licensed under Chapter 459, Florida Statutes, regulated by the Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine. MDs follow different rules — see the Florida MD guide.

The short version

Requirement	Hours	How often	Who
Total CME	40	Every two-year renewal cycle	Every DO (first renewal may be shorter — see below)
AOA Category 1-A (within the 40)	at least 20	Every renewal	Every DO
Florida Laws and Rules / Professional and Medical Ethics	1	Every renewal	Every DO
Prevention of medical errors	2	Every renewal	Every DO
Prescribing controlled substances	2	Every renewal	DOs registered with the DEA
Domestic violence	2	Every third renewal	Every DO
HIV/AIDS	1	Once, by the first renewal	Newly licensed DOs
Human trafficking	1	One time (the statute's deadline was January 1, 2021)	See below

How many hours, and what kind

Rule 64B15-13.001 requires 40 hours of Board-approved CME in the 24 months before each biennial renewal. At least 20 of the 40 must be AOA-approved Category 1-A CME "related to the practice of osteopathic medicine or under osteopathic auspices." The mandatory courses can count toward the 20 if they are certified AOA Category 1-A. CME hours do not carry over from one cycle to the next.

For the other hours, Rule 64B15-13.001(4) approves, among others, organized postgraduate courses offered or approved by the AOA or the AMA (or their divisional societies), courses from AOA- or AMA-recognized medical schools and specialty colleges, Public Health Service and Armed Services courses, ACGME residency and fellowship programs (10 hours per 6-month period), and the Florida Osteopathic Medical Association's annual convention and mid-year seminar. Up to 6 hours may come from attending Board disciplinary hearings, and up to 10 hours from approved pro bono services (these cannot replace Category 1-A hours).

Formats and the home-study limit

The rule says the CME "may be obtained by completion of courses offered in any format, including in a distance learning format." Two limits apply:

• Laws and Rules / Ethics and Prevention of Medical Errors may be taken by distance learning only if "the format includes an ability to interact with the presenter of the course" (Rule 64B15-13.001(1)(a)).
• Home study is capped at 8 hours per biennium, and must be approved by the AOA, the AMA, the Board, or be a graded college or university extension course (Rule 64B15-13.001(5)).

The rule does not define where "distance learning" ends and "home study" begins, so before you plan more than 8 hours of self-paced online courses, confirm with the Board how they will be counted. A licensee on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces (and for 6 months after discharge) may earn all 40 hours by distance learning or home study and is exempt from the 20-hour Category 1-A requirement (Rule 64B15-13.001(7)).

When your license expires

Florida DO licenses expire at midnight Eastern Time on March 31 of even-numbered years. The last expiration date was March 31, 2026, so the current licensure period runs April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2028.

The mandatory topics

Florida Laws and Rules / Professional and Medical Ethics — 1 hour, every renewal

A Board-approved one-hour course is required at each biennial renewal (Rule 64B15-13.001(1)(a)). "Florida Laws and Rules" means Chapters 456 and 459, Florida Statutes, and Title 64B15, Florida Administrative Code.

Prevention of medical errors — 2 hours, every renewal

Required by section 456.013(7), Florida Statutes, and Rule 64B15-13.001(1)(a) and (3)(b). The course must include root-cause analysis, error reduction and prevention, and patient safety; address medication errors, surgical errors, diagnostic inaccuracies and system failures; give recommendations for creating safety systems in health care organizations; and cover the five most misdiagnosed conditions as determined by the Board. The rule currently names them as: inappropriate prescribing of controlled substances; failure to diagnose reproductive-related conditions; wrong site/patient surgery; failure to diagnose spine-related conditions; and failure to accurately diagnose cancer-related conditions. See the medical errors guide.

Prescribing controlled substances — 2 hours, every renewal (DEA registrants)

Required by section 456.0301, Florida Statutes. Rule 64B15-13.001(1)(e) approves the course only from the providers it names; the Osteopathic Board's list is not identical to the Board of Medicine's. Since July 1, 2026 (CS/SB 844, Chapter 2026-6), the course must also cover the treatment of pain for patients with sickle cell disease. See the controlled substance guide.

Domestic violence — 2 hours, every third renewal

Required by section 456.031, Florida Statutes, and Rule 64B15-13.001(1)(c). Check your CE Broker transcript to see whether it is due in your current cycle.

HIV/AIDS — 1 hour, by the first renewal

Rule 64B15-13.001(1)(d) requires a one-hour HIV/AIDS course "no later than upon first biennial renewal of licensure." It is not required at later renewals.

Human trafficking — 1 hour, one time

Section 456.0341(1), Florida Statutes, which covers Chapter 459 licensees, says: "By January 1, 2021, each licensee or certificateholder shall complete a board-approved … 1-hour continuing education course on human trafficking." The statute sets no other deadline and is not tied to a renewal, and the Board of Osteopathic Medicine's renewal page does not list it among the courses needed to renew. If you were licensed after January 1, 2021, the statute's text does not say when, or whether, you must complete it.

Your first renewal

If your license was first issued after July 1 of the second year of the biennium (for the period ending March 31, 2028, that means after July 1, 2027), Rule 64B15-13.001(1)(b) excuses you from the 40 hours, but you must still complete Laws and Rules / Ethics (1 hour), Prevention of Medical Errors (2 hours), HIV/AIDS (1 hour) and, if you are DEA-registered, the controlled substance course (2 hours). If your license was issued before that date, the full 40-hour requirement applies, including the HIV/AIDS hour.

Reporting: CE Broker

The Florida Department of Health tracks continuing education through CE Broker. All CME must be completed and documented in CE Broker before you submit your renewal application; Board staff cannot enter certificates for you. Florida Board-approved providers must report completions within 30 days (Rule 64B-5.002); for other AOA- or AMA-approved courses you can self-report, free of charge. Keep proof of your hours for at least 4 years after the close of the renewal period (Rule 64B15-13.003); the Board audits a random sample of licensees.

Checklist before you renew

1. Check CE Broker shows 40 hours for this cycle, at least 20 of them AOA Category 1-A.
2. Count your home-study hours (no more than 8).
3. Confirm the Laws and Rules / Ethics hour and the 2-hour medical errors course are recorded.
4. If you hold a DEA registration, confirm the 2-hour controlled substance course is from a provider named in Rule 64B15-13.001.
5. Check whether domestic violence is due this cycle.
6. Renew before midnight Eastern Time on March 31 of your renewal year.

Requirements change. This guide was checked against the sources below on October 6, 2026; confirm with the Board before you rely on it.