Pennsylvania CME requirements for physicians
Pennsylvania MDs and DOs generally need 100 hours every two years, but their category minimums and renewal dates differ. Organ-donation education now has a separate one-time deadline, while child-abuse reporting and prescriber training remain renewal checks.
By Michael Rushton, DO · Physician founder of ClearCME
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At a glance
MD · State Board of Medicine
100 hours, including 20 AMA PRA Category 1
- Renewal cycle
- January 1 of an odd-numbered year through December 31 of the following even-numbered year. The current regular renewal deadline is December 31, 2026.
- Accepted credit types
- The remaining hours may be AMA Category 1 or Category 2. Office management and practice-building courses do not qualify.
DO · State Board of Osteopathic Medicine
100 hours, including 20 AOA Category 1-A
- Renewal cycle
- November 1 of an even-numbered year through October 31 of the next even-numbered year. The current regular renewal deadline is October 31, 2026.
- Accepted credit types
- The remaining hours may use accepted AOA or AMA Category 1 or Category 2 activities. AMA Category 1 alone does not establish the AOA 1-A minimum.
Mandatory topics
Find your license type below. Some requirements also depend on your specialty, practice setting or prescribing authority.
MD requirements
Patient safety and risk management
12 hours per biennial period, within the 100-hour total. Category 1 or 2 activities may qualify. Keep the required child-abuse and opioid hours separate from this 12-hour topic total.
Explore related courses →Sources: 49 Pa. Code § 16.19 — MD CME · 49 Pa. Code § 25.271 — DO renewal and CME · Medical Board — unrestricted MD CME guidance · Osteopathic Board — CME guidance
Child-abuse recognition and reporting
Three hours of approved training for initial licensure, then two hours for each biennial renewal, unless the Board grants a specific child-abuse-training exemption. A general CME exemption alone does not remove this obligation. The approved course provider must report completion electronically to the licensing system.
Explore related courses →Sources: 49 Pa. Code § 16.108 — MD child-abuse training · 49 Pa. Code § 25.417 — DO child-abuse training
Pain management, addiction and opioid prescribing
Two hours per renewal for prescribers and dispensers. The exemption requires both exemption from DEA registration and no use of another person’s or entity’s DEA registration to prescribe. These hours count within the total, but not toward the 12-hour risk-management requirement.
Explore related courses →Sources: ABC-MAP Act § 9.1 — initial and renewal opioid education · 49 Pa. Code § 16.19 — MD CME · 49 Pa. Code § 25.271 — DO renewal and CME · Medical Board — unrestricted MD CME guidance · Osteopathic Board — CME guidance
Initial opioid education
An initial prescriber applicant has a separate four-hour education requirement: two hours in pain management or addiction identification and two in opioid prescribing or dispensing practices. Document qualifying education within one year of initial licensure; prior qualifying professional education may satisfy it.
Explore related courses →Sources: ABC-MAP Act § 9.1 — initial and renewal opioid education · Medical Board — initial opioid education notice · Pennsylvania — osteopathic medicine licensure guide
Organ and tissue donation
Two hours once, under the rules effective May 1, 2026. For a license issued before that date, the rule allows five years from licensure renewal; for a license issued on or after that date, five years from initial licensure; for a license reactivated on or after that date, five years from reactivation. Use the Board’s required curriculum. The hours count toward the general CME total.
Sources: 49 Pa. Code § 16.19 — MD CME · 49 Pa. Code § 25.271 — DO renewal and CME
DO requirements
Patient safety and risk management
12 hours per biennial period, within the 100-hour total. Category 1 or 2 activities may qualify. Keep the required child-abuse and opioid hours separate from this 12-hour topic total.
Explore related courses →Sources: 49 Pa. Code § 16.19 — MD CME · 49 Pa. Code § 25.271 — DO renewal and CME · Medical Board — unrestricted MD CME guidance · Osteopathic Board — CME guidance
Child-abuse recognition and reporting
Three hours of approved training for initial licensure, then two hours for each biennial renewal, unless the Board grants a specific child-abuse-training exemption. A general CME exemption alone does not remove this obligation. The approved course provider must report completion electronically to the licensing system.
Explore related courses →Sources: 49 Pa. Code § 16.108 — MD child-abuse training · 49 Pa. Code § 25.417 — DO child-abuse training
Pain management, addiction and opioid prescribing
Two hours per renewal for prescribers and dispensers. The exemption requires both exemption from DEA registration and no use of another person’s or entity’s DEA registration to prescribe. These hours count within the total, but not toward the 12-hour risk-management requirement.
Explore related courses →Sources: ABC-MAP Act § 9.1 — initial and renewal opioid education · 49 Pa. Code § 16.19 — MD CME · 49 Pa. Code § 25.271 — DO renewal and CME · Medical Board — unrestricted MD CME guidance · Osteopathic Board — CME guidance
Initial opioid education
An initial prescriber applicant has a separate four-hour education requirement: two hours in pain management or addiction identification and two in opioid prescribing or dispensing practices. Document qualifying education within one year of initial licensure; prior qualifying professional education may satisfy it.
Explore related courses →Sources: ABC-MAP Act § 9.1 — initial and renewal opioid education · Medical Board — initial opioid education notice · Pennsylvania — osteopathic medicine licensure guide
Organ and tissue donation
Two hours once, under the rules effective May 1, 2026. For a license issued before that date, the rule allows five years from licensure renewal; for a license issued on or after that date, five years from initial licensure; for a license reactivated on or after that date, five years from reactivation. Use the Board’s required curriculum. The hours count toward the general CME total.
Sources: 49 Pa. Code § 16.19 — MD CME · 49 Pa. Code § 25.271 — DO renewal and CME
Related courses are a starting point for your search. Before enrolling, confirm that the activity meets your board’s provider, content, category and completion-date requirements.
Plan around your board’s calendar
A Pennsylvania DO renewal arrives two months before the MD renewal. If you hold licenses from both boards, keep separate completion windows and category totals even when an activity is acceptable to both.
For an MD, verify the certificate’s AMA PRA Category 1 designation. For a DO, verify AOA Category 1-A for the 20-hour minimum. A course topic that fits your practice is not enough to establish its category.
Sources: 49 Pa. Code § 16.19 — MD CME · 49 Pa. Code § 25.271 — DO renewal and CME · Medical Board — unrestricted MD CME guidance · Osteopathic Board — CME guidance · Medical Board — renewal information
First renewal, exemptions and separate training
A first-renewal exemption may apply to general CME. Ask your licensing board to confirm the exempt period for your license issue date before relying on it; specific training obligations require separate review.
Training-license, inactive-status and hardship provisions have their own conditions. A general CME exemption does not automatically remove child-abuse education or applicable prescriber obligations. Start a waiver request with your board before renewal.
Sources: 49 Pa. Code § 16.19 — MD CME · 49 Pa. Code § 25.271 — DO renewal and CME · Medical Board — unrestricted MD CME guidance · Osteopathic Board — CME guidance
Records, reporting and carryover
Keep CME documentation for at least two years after renewal. Retain certificates and a dated activity log identifying the provider, topic, category and hours; the boards may request evidence in an audit.
For child-abuse training, confirm that your provider has reported completion before submitting renewal. Saving a certificate in a personal tracker does not perform that reporting.
Plan to earn your hours within the applicable biennium. Confirm any proposed use of earlier or surplus hours with your board before relying on them for a later renewal.
Sources: 49 Pa. Code § 16.19 — MD CME · 49 Pa. Code § 25.271 — DO renewal and CME · Medical Board — unrestricted MD CME guidance · Osteopathic Board — CME guidance
What changed in 2026
The two-hour organ-and-tissue-donation requirement took effect May 1, 2026. Its deadline depends on whether your license predates that date, was issued afterward or was reactivated afterward. It is not another two-hour requirement at every renewal.
This guide was reviewed October 13, 2026 against the current regulations and board materials. The separate MD and DO category minimums, renewal dates and topic requirements remain central to planning.
Sources: 49 Pa. Code § 16.19 — MD CME · 49 Pa. Code § 25.271 — DO renewal and CME
Questions physicians ask next
How many hours of CME do Pennsylvania physicians need?
MDs and DOs generally need 100 hours every two years. MDs need at least 20 AMA PRA Category 1 hours; DOs need at least 20 AOA Category 1-A hours.
Do Pennsylvania MDs and DOs renew on the same date?
No. Regular MD renewal is December 31 of even-numbered years. Regular DO renewal is October 31 of even-numbered years.
Can child-abuse and opioid training count toward risk management?
The Board guidance excludes the required child-abuse and opioid hours from the 12-hour patient-safety/risk-management requirement. They may still count toward the general total.
Is organ-donation training required at every renewal?
No. It is a two-hour, one-time requirement. The May 1, 2026 rules use different five-year deadline triggers for existing, newly issued and reactivated licenses.
Does my CME tracker report child-abuse completion to Pennsylvania?
The approved training provider must report completion electronically. A saved certificate or tracker entry does not replace the provider’s report.
Does a first-renewal exemption remove every training requirement?
No. General CME exemptions and specific training obligations are separate. Confirm your initial-period treatment with your board, including child-abuse education and any applicable prescriber training.
How long should I keep Pennsylvania CME records?
Both boards require documentation for at least two years after renewal. Keep evidence of the category, content, date and hours, including proof of one-time training.
Primary sources
Board guidance and controlling law support this guide. Your board’s current rules and individual determination govern your renewal.
- 49 Pa. Code § 16.19 — MD CME ↗
“At least 20 credit hours shall be completed in AMA PRA Category 1 approved activities.”
- 49 Pa. Code § 25.271 — DO renewal and CME ↗
- Medical Board — unrestricted MD CME guidance ↗
- Osteopathic Board — CME guidance ↗
- Medical Board — renewal information ↗
- Medical Board — initial opioid education notice ↗
- Pennsylvania — osteopathic medicine licensure guide ↗
- Pennsylvania — Act 31 training and approved providers ↗
- 49 Pa. Code § 16.108 — MD child-abuse training ↗
- 49 Pa. Code § 25.417 — DO child-abuse training ↗
- ABC-MAP Act § 9.1 — initial and renewal opioid education ↗