Pennsylvania CME Requirements for MDs and DOs

Pennsylvania CME requirements for MDs come from the State Board of Medicine: 100 hours every two years, with specific hours set aside for Category 1 credit, patient safety, child abuse reporting, and opioid education. Here is what the board asks for and how the pieces fit together.

We checked these requirements against the Pennsylvania Department of State’s website. Rules change, so confirm with the State Board of Medicine before your renewal. For other states, see our CME requirements by state hub.

The short answer

MDs need 100 credit hours of CME in each biennial period, which runs from January 1 of the odd year through December 31 of the next even year.
At least 20 of the 100 hours must be AMA PRA Category 1 activities, and at least 12 must relate to patient safety or risk management.
Every MD needs 2 hours of Board-approved training in child abuse recognition and reporting for renewal.
Prescribers and dispensers need at least 2 hours in pain management, identification of addiction, or opioid prescribing and dispensing practices.
A new organ and tissue donation requirement took effect May 1, 2026.

Pennsylvania CME requirements for MDs at a glance

The State Board of Medicine publishes its CME rules for unrestricted MD licenses in a single board document. This table summarizes it.

Requirement	What the board asks for
Total hours	100 credit hours in the preceding biennial period
Cycle	January 1 of the odd year through December 31 of the next even year
License expiration	December 31 of every even-numbered year (training licenses differ)
Category 1	At least 20 hours in AMA PRA Category 1 activities
Patient safety or risk management	At least 12 hours, Category 1 or 2
Child abuse recognition and reporting	2 hours of Board-approved education (3 hours of DHS-approved training for initial licensure)
Pain management and opioids	At least 2 hours for prescribers and dispensers, counted toward the 100
Organ and tissue donation	At least 2 hours, once within 5 years of initial licensure or renewal, whichever comes first (effective May 1, 2026)
Record keeping	Keep proof of completion for at least 2 years

Total hours and the renewal cycle

MDs must complete 100 credit hours of CME in the biennial period before renewal. The period runs from January 1 of an odd year through December 31 of the following even year, so the current cycle covers January 1, 2025, through December 31, 2026.

According to the board’s renewal page, licenses expire December 31 of every even-numbered year, except for training licenses. The board emails renewal notices about 60 days before expiration, so keep your email and mailing address current with the board.

Category 1 hours

At least 20 of your 100 hours must be AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. The board defines Category 1 activities as those approved by an accredited provider. If you want a refresher on how that credit is designated, our guide to AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ explains it.

The rest of your hours can be Category 1 or Category 2. Category 2 credit is self-designated and claimed by the physician for educational activities not designated for Category 1. The board also says credit will not be granted for courses in office management or practice building.

Patient safety and risk management

At least 12 of the 100 hours must cover patient safety or risk management. These hours may be Category 1 or Category 2.

The board’s document also states that these 12 hours cannot double as your child abuse or opioid hours. Plan them as their own block.

Child abuse recognition and reporting

Under Act 31 of 2014, MDs must complete 2 hours of Board-approved continuing education in child abuse recognition and reporting for renewal or reactivation. The Department of State’s Act 31 page adds that applicants for an initial license must complete 3 hours of training approved by the Department of Human Services.

Two practical points matter here. The course must come from an approved provider, and the provider, not you, submits completion to the board electronically. The Department says that can take up to seven days, so don’t leave this one for the last week of December.

Opioid and pain management education

Since January 1, 2017, Pennsylvania’s Achieving Better Care by Monitoring All Prescriptions Program (ABC-MAP) Act has required prescribers and dispensers to complete at least 2 hours of continuing education in pain management, identification of addiction, or the practices of prescribing or dispensing opioids. These hours count toward your 100 total.

The requirement applies to prescribers and dispensers as ABC-MAP defines them. If you aren’t sure whether that includes you, check with the board. The board’s document says these hours must come from a Board-approved provider, so confirm that any course you choose is approved for this requirement before you take it.

Organ and tissue donation

Effective May 1, 2026, MDs must complete at least 2 hours of continuing education in the organ and tissue donation and recovery process. It is a one-time requirement, due within 5 years of initial licensure or within 5 years of licensure renewal, whichever comes first. Because this rule is new, check the board’s current guidance on how it applies to your 2026 renewal.

Exemptions and waivers

The board lists several exemptions. A physician licensed in Pennsylvania for the first time is exempt for the renewal period in which the license was issued. Physicians on inactive status, and those holding a temporary training license during the cycle, are also exempt.

Licensees who care only for immediate family members are exempt from CME except for the child abuse and opioid hours. The board may also grant hardship waivers case by case for serious illness, military service, or other good cause. Waiver requests are due 90 days before the end of the cycle.

Documentation

Keep proof of completion for at least 2 years after you complete the course or after the renewal it was required for, whichever is later. Certificates should show your name, the course name and date, the credit hours, the provider, and the credit category.

For Category 2 activities, record the title, subject, dates, and credits claimed. The board notes that PRA certificates and board certification certificates are not, by themselves, proof of CME compliance, so keep the underlying course certificates too.

Pennsylvania DOs: State Board of Osteopathic Medicine

DOs renew with a separate board on a different calendar. Osteopathic physician licenses expire October 31 of even-numbered years, and the CME period runs from November 1 of an even year through October 31 of the next even year.

DOs also need 100 hours per cycle, including at least 20 hours of AOA Category 1-A credit.
At least 12 hours must relate to patient safety or risk management, in Category 1 or 2.
The remaining hours may be AOA Category 1-A, 1-B, or 2, or AMA Category 1 or 2.
DOs need the same 2 hours of child abuse recognition and reporting and, for prescribers, 2 hours of opioid education.

The board’s 2026 osteopathic renewal guide says DOs who neither hold a DEA registration nor use another person’s or entity’s registration to prescribe controlled substances can skip the opioid hours. The guide also includes organ and tissue donation language, so DOs should confirm with the board how that applies to them.

Fitting it into your schedule

With a December 31 deadline for MDs, the usual approach is to handle the board-approved topic courses first, then fill the remaining Category 1 and Category 2 hours with material relevant to your practice. Audio-Digest self-study courses from Travel Medical Seminars come in 10-credit and 20-credit formats, each designated for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ by the Lippincott Continuing Medical Education Institute, which is accredited by the ACCME. They are digital, so you can study at your own pace and test online. Browse options in internal medicine, family practice, or all courses.

Pennsylvania CME requirements for physicians