Pennsylvania · MD and DO
Pennsylvania: Organ and tissue donation and recovery process
MD: 2 hours, once · DO: 2 hours, once.
Last verified against the sources below. Requirements change — confirm with your Board before you rely on this page. This is general information, not legal advice.
MD (medical doctor)
- Hours
- 2 hours
- How often
- Once
- Who
- Every licensee
- Renewal cycle
- Renews every 2 years; licenses expire at December 31 of even-numbered years.
- Board
- Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine
- The rule
- Confirm with your Board 49 Pa. Code §16.19(c), effective May 1, 2026: 2 hours once, on the Board-approved curriculum posted on the Board's website (overview of the donation and transplantation system, tissue donation, organ donation, determining death and family communication, caring for families, organ donor management); the rule names no approved providers, so any course that teaches this curriculum counts. 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.
DO (osteopathic physician)
- Hours
- 2 hours
- How often
- Once
- Who
- Every licensee
- Renewal cycle
- Renews every 2 years; licenses expire at October 31 of even-numbered years.
- Board
- Pennsylvania State Board of Osteopathic Medicine
- The rule
- Confirm with your Board 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).
Facts marked “Confirm with your Board” are unsettled in the sources; the note says what to check.
What to do next
Sources
- State Board of Medicine — CME requirements for (MD) Physician and Surgeon License (PDF)
- State Board of Medicine — Renewal Information
- 49 Pa. Code §16.19 — Continuing medical education (amended effective April 25, 2026)
- 49 Pa. Code §16.15 — Biennial registration
- 49 Pa. Code §16.108 — Child abuse recognition and reporting, mandatory training
- Act 124 of 2016 — adds section 9.1 to the ABC-MAP Act (opioid education)
- Pennsylvania Department of State — Child Abuse Recognition and Reporting Continuing Education Providers (Act 31)
- Pennsylvania DHS — Mandated reporter training (no new curricula accepted since January 1, 2025)
- State Board of Osteopathic Medicine — CME requirements for Osteopathic Physician and Surgeon License (PDF)
- State Board of Osteopathic Medicine — Renewal Information
- State Board of Osteopathic Medicine — 2026 Renewal Guide (PDF, rev. 7/2026)
- 49 Pa. Code §25.271 — Requirements for renewal (amended effective April 25, 2026)
- 49 Pa. Code §25.417 — Child abuse recognition and reporting, mandatory training
MD facts last verified October 8, 2026 · DO facts last verified October 8, 2026.