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Requirements

Texas · MD and DO

Texas: Forensic evidence collection

MD: 2 hours, every renewal · DO: 2 hours, every renewal.

Plan my Texas renewal

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
Every renewal
Who
Only some physicians — see the rule note
Renewal cycle
Renews every 2 years; licenses expire on February 28, May 31, August 31 or November 30 — whichever date the Board assigned at licensure — in even-numbered years for even-numbered licenses and odd-numbered years for odd-numbered licenses.
Providers
Only courses from providers named in the Board rule count.
Board
Texas Medical Board
The rule
Confirm with your Board Occupations Code §156.057 as amended by HB 47 (89th Legislature, section 17) and 22 TAC §161.35(a)(3)(A), effective September 3, 2026: physicians whose practice includes treating patients in an emergency room setting complete at least 2 hours, formal or informal. The statute sets the content (trauma-informed care for sexual assault survivors, community referrals and prophylactic medications, survivors' rights under Chapter 56A, forensic evidence collection, and state law on custody, transfer and tracking of evidence), which must conform to the attorney general's evidence collection protocol; it does not name the Governor's Sexual Assault Survivors' Task Force, but the Board says only SASTF-approved courses count and that none is available yet. Start date: HB 47 applies to renewals filed on or after September 1, 2026, while the Board's page says it begins with licenses expiring February 28, 2027 — confirm which applies to you. Others attest "Not Working in an ER Setting" in CE Broker.

DO (osteopathic physician)

Hours
2 hours
How often
Every renewal
Who
Only some physicians — see the rule note
Renewal cycle
Renews every 2 years; licenses expire on February 28, May 31, August 31 or November 30 — whichever date the Board assigned at licensure — in even-numbered years for even-numbered licenses and odd-numbered years for odd-numbered licenses.
Providers
Only courses from providers named in the Board rule count.
Board
Texas Medical Board
The rule
Confirm with your Board Occupations Code §156.057 as amended by HB 47 (89th Legislature, section 17) and 22 TAC §161.35(a)(3)(A), effective September 3, 2026: physicians whose practice includes treating patients in an emergency room setting complete at least 2 hours, formal or informal. The statute sets the content (trauma-informed care for sexual assault survivors, community referrals and prophylactic medications, survivors' rights under Chapter 56A, forensic evidence collection, and state law on custody, transfer and tracking of evidence), which must conform to the attorney general's evidence collection protocol; it does not name the Governor's Sexual Assault Survivors' Task Force, but the Board says only SASTF-approved courses count and that none is available yet. Start date: HB 47 applies to renewals filed on or after September 1, 2026, while the Board's page says it begins with licenses expiring February 28, 2027 — confirm which applies to you. Others attest "Not Working in an ER Setting" in CE Broker.

Facts marked “Confirm with your Board” are unsettled in the sources; the note says what to check.

What to do next

Sources

  1. Texas Medical Board — Continuing Education Requirements for Physicians
  2. Texas Medical Board — Physician CME Hours Requirement Chart (PDF)
  3. Texas Medical Board — Physician Renewal (expiration dates, grace period)
  4. Texas Medical Board — Continuing Education Tracking (CE Broker, required from September 1, 2026)
  5. 22 TAC §161.35 — CME Requirements for License Renewal (text effective January 9, 2025, via Cornell LII)
  6. Texas Register, July 10, 2026 (51 TexReg 4460) — proposed amendments to §161.35 (forensic evidence; nutrition and metabolic health)
  7. Texas Register, August 28, 2026 — §161.35 amendments adopted without changes, effective September 3, 2026
  8. 22 TAC §161.30 — Registration of license (via Cornell LII)
  9. 22 TAC §161.31 — Exemptions from registration fee and CME (via Cornell LII)
  10. Texas Occupations Code Chapter 156 — Registration of physicians and CME (§§156.051–156.061)
  11. SB 31 (89th Legislature), Section 19 — Life of the Mother Act course
  12. HB 47 (89th Legislature), enrolled — forensic evidence collection CME (Occupations Code §156.057)
  13. Texas Nutrition Advisory Committee — 2026 annual report and Dietary Guidelines for Texans (PDF)

MD facts last verified October 8, 2026 · DO facts last verified October 8, 2026.