Connecticut Osteopathic Physician (DO) license renewal and CE requirements
Connecticut osteopathic physicians (DO) must complete 50 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Connecticut Department of Public Health, Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section (Connecticut Medical Examining Board).
A Connecticut physician license is registered every year during the month of the licensee's birth. A license expires in the first birth month following issuance and is renewable annually after that. Renewal is online only for physicians, and the department emails a renewal notice about 60 days before expiration and a final notice 30 days after. Every license has a 90 day grace period after expiration during which the physician may keep practicing and renew; on the 91st day the license becomes void and the physician must apply for reinstatement.
Summary
Connecticut osteopathic physicians (DO) must complete 50 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Connecticut Department of Public Health, Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section (Connecticut Medical Examining Board). A Connecticut physician license is registered every year during the month of the licensee's birth. A license expires in the first birth month following issuance and is renewable annually after that. Renewal is online only for physicians, and the department emails a renewal notice about 60 days before expiration and a final notice 30 days after. Every license has a 90 day grace period after expiration during which the physician may keep practicing and renew; on the 91st day the license becomes void and the physician must apply for reinstatement. Connecticut also mandates specific subjects. Infectious diseases, including acquired immune deficiency syndrome and human immunodeficiency virus: 1 contact hour on a periodic schedule set by the board. Risk management, including prescribing controlled substances and pain management: 1 contact hour on a periodic schedule set by the board. Sexual assault: 1 contact hour on a periodic schedule set by the board. Domestic violence: 1 contact hour on a periodic schedule set by the board. Cultural competency, including the effects of systemic racism, explicit and implicit bias, racial disparities, and the experiences of transgender and gender diverse persons on patient diagnosis, care and treatment: 1 contact hour on a periodic schedule set by the board. Behavioral health: 1 contact hour on a periodic schedule set by the board. The first renewal is exempt.
Connecticut Osteopathic Physician (DO) renewal and continuing education rules
"Not stated" means the board's pages and rules we read do not address it. We do not fill in typical values.
| Renewal cycle | Annual (12 months) |
|---|---|
| Renewal deadline | Tied to the licensee's birth month |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 50 contact hoursCounted over a two-year window, separate from the renewal cycle. |
| Self-study or online cap | No cap stated |
| Carryover to next cycle | Not stated |
| First renewal exempt | Yes |
| Other accepted activities | A waiver of up to ten contact hours for a physician who serves on the Connecticut Medical Examining Board, serves on a medical hearing panel under C.G.S. 20-8a, or assists the department with its duties to boards and commissions under C.G.S. 19a-14 |
Registration is annual but the CME window is longer than the registration period: a licensee applying for renewal must have earned at least 50 contact hours of continuing medical education within the preceding 24 months, so cycle_months on continuing_education is 24 while the renewal cycle is 12. A contact hour means a minimum of 50 minutes of continuing education activity. The CME must be in an area of the physician's practice and reflect the professional needs of the licensee in order to meet the health care needs of the public. Qualifying activities include, but are not limited to, courses offered or approved by the American Medical Association, the American Osteopathic Association, the Connecticut Hospital Association, the Connecticut State Medical Society, the Connecticut Osteopathic Medical Society, county medical societies or equivalent organizations in another jurisdiction, educational offerings sponsored by a hospital or other health care institution, and courses offered by a regionally accredited academic institution or a state or local health department. A licensee renewing for the first time is exempt. A licensee not engaged in active professional practice in any form during a registration period is exempt if a notarized exemption application reaches the department before the registration period ends; on returning to practice, a licensee exempt for less than two years must complete 25 contact hours in the preceding 12 months, and one exempt for two years or more must pass the Federation of State Medical Boards Special Purpose Examination. The commissioner may waive or extend the requirement for medical disability or illness for up to one registration period at a time. A physician reinstating a void license must document 25 contact hours earned in the year before the reinstatement application. Nothing in the statute or on the department's CME page sets a Category 1 floor, a live or interactive minimum, a cap on self study or online hours, or a carryover allowance, so those fields are null.
Required CE topics for Connecticut osteopathic physician (do)s
State-specific subject mandates. Where a mandate applies only to some licensees, the scope is listed.
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Applies to | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infectious diseases, including acquired immune deficiency syndrome and human immunodeficiency virusRequired during the first renewal period in which continuing medical education is required and not less than once every six years after that, so it is not an every cycle item. The hour counts inside the 50 contact hours. Statutory topic (A). The statute names AIDS and HIV as examples inside a broader infectious disease topic. | 1 contact hour | Periodic | All licensees | C.G.S. 20-10b(b)(3) |
| Risk management, including prescribing controlled substances and pain managementRequired during the first renewal period in which continuing medical education is required and not less than once every six years after that, so it is not an every cycle item. The hour counts inside the 50 contact hours. Statutory topic (B). The hour may also cover screening for inflammatory breast cancer and gastrointestinal cancers including colon, gastric, pancreatic and neuroendocrine cancers and other rare gastrointestinal tumors, and for registration periods beginning on or after October 1, 2022 it may also cover screening for endometriosis. This is Connecticut's only controlled substance prescribing and pain management CME hour, and it is recorded under the medical_errors key because the state calls the topic risk management. | 1 contact hour | Periodic | All licensees | C.G.S. 20-10b(b)(3) |
| Sexual assaultRequired during the first renewal period in which continuing medical education is required and not less than once every six years after that, so it is not an every cycle item. The hour counts inside the 50 contact hours. Statutory topic (C). | 1 contact hour | Periodic | All licensees | C.G.S. 20-10b(b)(3) |
| Domestic violenceRequired during the first renewal period in which continuing medical education is required and not less than once every six years after that, so it is not an every cycle item. The hour counts inside the 50 contact hours. Statutory topic (D). | 1 contact hour | Periodic | All licensees | C.G.S. 20-10b(b)(3) |
| Cultural competency, including the effects of systemic racism, explicit and implicit bias, racial disparities, and the experiences of transgender and gender diverse persons on patient diagnosis, care and treatmentRequired during the first renewal period in which continuing medical education is required and not less than once every six years after that, so it is not an every cycle item. The hour counts inside the 50 contact hours. Statutory topic (E). The systemic racism, implicit bias and transgender and gender diverse content was added by Public Act 22-33. | 1 contact hour | Periodic | All licensees | C.G.S. 20-10b(b)(3) |
| Behavioral healthRequired during the first renewal period in which continuing medical education is required and not less than once every six years after that, so it is not an every cycle item. The hour counts inside the 50 contact hours. Statutory topic (F). The statute says this hour may include, but is not limited to, at least two contact hours during the first renewal period in which CME is required and not less than once every six years after that on either suicide prevention or on diagnosing and treating cognitive conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, dementia, delirium, related cognitive impairments and geriatric depression, or mental health conditions including those common to veterans and their family members. Training on veterans' mental health has to cover determining whether a patient is a veteran or a family member of one, screening for post-traumatic stress disorder, suicide risk, depression and grief, and suicide prevention. The two hour figure is permissive in the statute, so hours is recorded as the one hour the statute requires. | 1 contact hour | Periodic | All licensees | C.G.S. 20-10b(b)(3) |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | No, attestation only |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | 6 years |
| Board audits compliance | Yes |
| Approved providers | There is no board pre-approval of providers; the statute defines qualifying activity by sponsor type (AMA, AOA, Connecticut Hospital Association, Connecticut State Medical Society, Connecticut Osteopathic Medical Society, county medical societies or their equivalents elsewhere, hospital or other health care institution offerings, and courses from a regionally accredited academic institution or a state or local health department). At renewal the licensee signs a statement attesting to compliance on a department form, and the department says certificates of completion should not be mailed in unless the licensee is specifically directed to do so. Records of attendance or certificates of completion must be kept for at least six years following the year the activity was completed, and must be submitted to the department within 45 days of a request. Failing to comply, including failing to keep proof of course completion, is grounds for disciplinary action. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Connecticut DO need to renew?
- Connecticut osteopathic physicians (DO) must complete 50 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Connecticut Department of Public Health, Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section (Connecticut Medical Examining Board). Registration is annual but the CME window is longer than the registration period: a licensee applying for renewal must have earned at least 50 contact hours of continuing medical education within the preceding 24 months, so cycle_months on continuing_education is 24 while the renewal cycle is 12. A contact hour means a minimum of 50 minutes of continuing education activity. The CME must be in an area of the physician's practice and reflect the professional needs of the licensee in order to meet the health care needs of the public. Qualifying activities include, but are not limited to, courses offered or approved by the American Medical Association, the American Osteopathic Association, the Connecticut Hospital Association, the Connecticut State Medical Society, the Connecticut Osteopathic Medical Society, county medical societies or equivalent organizations in another jurisdiction, educational offerings sponsored by a hospital or other health care institution, and courses offered by a regionally accredited academic institution or a state or local health department. A licensee renewing for the first time is exempt. A licensee not engaged in active professional practice in any form during a registration period is exempt if a notarized exemption application reaches the department before the registration period ends; on returning to practice, a licensee exempt for less than two years must complete 25 contact hours in the preceding 12 months, and one exempt for two years or more must pass the Federation of State Medical Boards Special Purpose Examination. The commissioner may waive or extend the requirement for medical disability or illness for up to one registration period at a time. A physician reinstating a void license must document 25 contact hours earned in the year before the reinstatement application. Nothing in the statute or on the department's CME page sets a Category 1 floor, a live or interactive minimum, a cap on self study or online hours, or a carryover allowance, so those fields are null.
- How often does a Connecticut DO license need to be renewed?
- Osteopathic Physician (DO) licenses in Connecticut renew every year. A Connecticut physician license is registered every year during the month of the licensee's birth. A license expires in the first birth month following issuance and is renewable annually after that. Renewal is online only for physicians, and the department emails a renewal notice about 60 days before expiration and a final notice 30 days after. Every license has a 90 day grace period after expiration during which the physician may keep practicing and renew; on the 91st day the license becomes void and the physician must apply for reinstatement.
- What specific CE topics are required for Connecticut osteopathic physicians (DO)?
- Infectious diseases, including acquired immune deficiency syndrome and human immunodeficiency virus: 1 contact hour on a periodic schedule set by the board. Risk management, including prescribing controlled substances and pain management: 1 contact hour on a periodic schedule set by the board. Sexual assault: 1 contact hour on a periodic schedule set by the board. Domestic violence: 1 contact hour on a periodic schedule set by the board. Cultural competency, including the effects of systemic racism, explicit and implicit bias, racial disparities, and the experiences of transgender and gender diverse persons on patient diagnosis, care and treatment: 1 contact hour on a periodic schedule set by the board. Behavioral health: 1 contact hour on a periodic schedule set by the board. Citations: infectious diseases, including acquired immune deficiency syndrome and human immunodeficiency virus (C.G.S. 20-10b(b)(3)), risk management, including prescribing controlled substances and pain management (C.G.S. 20-10b(b)(3)), sexual assault (C.G.S. 20-10b(b)(3)), domestic violence (C.G.S. 20-10b(b)(3)), cultural competency, including the effects of systemic racism, explicit and implicit bias, racial disparities, and the experiences of transgender and gender diverse persons on patient diagnosis, care and treatment (C.G.S. 20-10b(b)(3)), and behavioral health (C.G.S. 20-10b(b)(3)).
- Do Connecticut osteopathic physicians (DO) have to submit CE certificates at renewal?
- Licensees attest to completion at renewal rather than submitting certificates, the board audits a sample of renewals and asks for documentation, and records must be kept for 6 years. There is no board pre-approval of providers; the statute defines qualifying activity by sponsor type (AMA, AOA, Connecticut Hospital Association, Connecticut State Medical Society, Connecticut Osteopathic Medical Society, county medical societies or their equivalents elsewhere, hospital or other health care institution offerings, and courses from a regionally accredited academic institution or a state or local health department). At renewal the licensee signs a statement attesting to compliance on a department form, and the department says certificates of completion should not be mailed in unless the licensee is specifically directed to do so. Records of attendance or certificates of completion must be kept for at least six years following the year the activity was completed, and must be submitted to the department within 45 days of a request. Failing to comply, including failing to keep proof of course completion, is grounds for disciplinary action.
- Is the first Connecticut DO renewal exempt from CE?
- Yes. Connecticut does not require continuing education for a DO's first renewal.
Sources
Last verified September 7, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- Continuing Medical Education, Physician, Connecticut Department of Public HealthState board page, accessed September 7, 2026
- Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 370, Medicine and Surgery (including Sec. 20-8a and Sec. 20-10b)Statute or administrative rule, accessed September 7, 2026
- Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 368a, Department of Public Health (including Sec. 19a-88, license renewal)Statute or administrative rule, accessed September 7, 2026
- Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 371, Osteopathy (all sections repealed)Statute or administrative rule, accessed September 7, 2026
- Health Care Practitioner Renewal Information, Connecticut Department of Public HealthState board page, accessed September 7, 2026
- Physician Licensure Requirements, U.S. Trained Applicants, Connecticut Department of Public HealthState board page, accessed September 7, 2026
Connecticut has no separate osteopathic board and no separate osteopathic license. Chapter 371 of the General Statutes, Osteopathy, including the Connecticut Osteopathic Examining Board in Sec. 20-15, was repealed effective October 1, 1999, and DOs are licensed as physicians under Chapter 370 by the Department of Public Health: the department's licensure requirements page accepts the D.O. degree from an AOA accredited school, AOA accredited residency training and the NBOME examination for the same physician license, and the Connecticut Medical Examining Board by statute includes one physician who is a graduate of an AOA accredited medical education program. So ct-physician_md and ct-physician_do cite the same sources and carry the same values. The 50 contact hours in the preceding 24 months, the contact hour definition, the six mandated topics and their once every six years cadence, the qualifying activity list, the ten hour board service waiver, the attestation, the six year retention, the 45 day production deadline, the first renewal exemption, the inactive practice exemption and the reinstatement hours were read in C.G.S. 20-10b in the General Assembly's current Chapter 370. Annual registration during the licensee's birth month was read in C.G.S. 19a-88(b), and the 90 day grace period and the first birth month expiration were read on the department's Health Care Practitioner Renewal Information page. The department's own CME page carries an older version of the mandated topic list: it still describes the risk management topic as of registration periods beginning on or after October 1, 2019 and omits the endometriosis screening language and the systemic racism, implicit bias and transgender and gender diverse content that Public Act 22-33 added to the cultural competency topic. The statute text is used here because it is current. Two mandated topic keys, sexual_assault and behavioral_health, are not in the canonical key list and were coined for these records because no canonical key fits; the risk management hour, which is Connecticut's controlled substance prescribing and pain management requirement, is recorded under medical_errors. Connecticut sets no Category 1 minimum, no live or interactive minimum, no online cap and no carryover rule in the sources read, so those fields are null. The department publishes the Chapter 370 practice act as a PDF as well; it was not downloaded, and the General Assembly's HTML version of the chapter was used instead.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Connecticut Department of Public Health, Practitioner Licensing and Investigations Section (Connecticut Medical Examining Board) before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.