Georgia Osteopathic Physician (DO) license renewal and CE requirements
Georgia osteopathic physicians (DO) must complete 40 CME credits of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Georgia Composite Medical Board.
The physician license renews biennially by the last day of the licensee's birth month. Practice is not permitted after the expiration date. A licensee may late renew during the three months following expiration by submitting proof of compliance and the required payment; after that the license expires and reinstatement requires a formal application.
Summary
Georgia osteopathic physicians (DO) must complete 40 CME credits of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Georgia Composite Medical Board. The physician license renews biennially by the last day of the licensee's birth month. Practice is not permitted after the expiration date. A licensee may late renew during the three months following expiration by submitting proof of compliance and the required payment; after that the license expires and reinstatement requires a formal application. Georgia also mandates specific subjects. Controlled substance prescribing practices: a one-time requirement of 3 CME credits (every physician who maintains an active DEA certificate and prescribes controlled substances). Professional boundaries and physician sexual misconduct: a one-time requirement of 2 CME credits (all physicians). Pain management or palliative medicine: 20 CME credits every renewal cycle (physicians who do not hold a certification in pain management or palliative medicine and who work in a pain clinic). The first renewal is exempt.
Georgia 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 | Two-year (24 months) |
|---|---|
| Renewal deadline | Tied to the licensee's birth month |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 40 CME credits |
| Category 1 minimum | 40 CME credits |
| Self-study or online cap | No cap stated |
| Carryover to next cycle | Not stated |
| First renewal exempt | Yes |
| Other accepted activities | Uncompensated health care services such as free clinics: the Board waives one required CME hour for each four hours of documented service, up to 10 hours per biennium; Peer review of investigative cases for the Board: up to 8 hours per biennium |
Physicians must complete not less than 40 hours of Board approved CME biennially. The Board accepts AMA Category 1 credit, AOA Category 1 credit, AAFP Prescribed credit, ACOG Cognates Category 1, and ACEP Category 1 as meeting its approval requirement, so the full 40 hours must come from one of those Category 1 style credit types; category_1_minimum is therefore set equal to the total. It is the licensee's responsibility to verify approval with the program source before taking a course, not with the Board. The Board has engaged CE Broker to help licensees track compliance, but participation in CE Broker is not required. Rule 360-15-.01 excepts residents and fellows in accredited graduate medical education programs, physicians at their first license renewal, inactive license holders, and documented hardship cases; retired physicians providing uncompensated care need 10 hours biennially. CME hours used to satisfy a deficiency or a Board order are excluded from the count for the next biennium. Whether ordinary excess hours carry over was not stated on the sources read.
Required CE topics for Georgia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controlled substance prescribing practicesAt least three hours of AMA/AOA PRA Category 1 CME designed specifically to address controlled substance prescribing practices, including controlled substance prescribing guidelines, recognizing signs of abuse or misuse of controlled substances, and controlled substance prescribing for chronic pain management. Counts as three hours toward the 40-hour renewal requirement and only needs to be completed once during a physician's career. | 3 CME credits | One time | Every physician who maintains an active DEA certificate and prescribes controlled substances | Rule 360-15-.01 |
| Professional boundaries and physician sexual misconductAt least two hours of education and training on professional boundaries and physician sexual misconduct, including how to proceed with basic as well as sensitive or intimate examinations and the patient communication that is required as part of them. Counts as two hours toward the 40-hour renewal requirement and only needs to be completed once during a physician's career. A professional boundaries question has been added to the renewal application. | 2 CME credits | One time | All physicians | Rule 360-15-.01 |
| Pain management or palliative medicineTwenty hours biennially of AMA/AOA PRA Category 1 CME, a board-approved CME program, or any federally approved CME pertaining to pain management or palliative medicine. Completion may count as 20 hours toward the 40-hour renewal requirement. | 20 CME credits | Every renewal | Physicians who do not hold a certification in pain management or palliative medicine and who work in a pain clinic | Rule 360-15-.01 |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | No, attestation only |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | 5 years |
| Board audits compliance | Yes |
| Approved providers | The Board accepts AMA Category 1 credit, AOA Category 1 credit, AAFP Prescribed credit, ACOG Cognates Category 1, and ACEP Category 1 as meeting its requirement for Board approval. Licensees must verify approval with the program source before taking a course. Records of attendance and supporting documents must be kept 5 years from the date of attendance and must show the provider name, program name, hours or CEUs completed, date of completion, and evidence of AMA Category 1 or AOA Category 1 credit. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Georgia DO need to renew?
- Georgia osteopathic physicians (DO) must complete 40 CME credits of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Georgia Composite Medical Board. Physicians must complete not less than 40 hours of Board approved CME biennially. The Board accepts AMA Category 1 credit, AOA Category 1 credit, AAFP Prescribed credit, ACOG Cognates Category 1, and ACEP Category 1 as meeting its approval requirement, so the full 40 hours must come from one of those Category 1 style credit types; category_1_minimum is therefore set equal to the total. It is the licensee's responsibility to verify approval with the program source before taking a course, not with the Board. The Board has engaged CE Broker to help licensees track compliance, but participation in CE Broker is not required. Rule 360-15-.01 excepts residents and fellows in accredited graduate medical education programs, physicians at their first license renewal, inactive license holders, and documented hardship cases; retired physicians providing uncompensated care need 10 hours biennially. CME hours used to satisfy a deficiency or a Board order are excluded from the count for the next biennium. Whether ordinary excess hours carry over was not stated on the sources read.
- How often does a Georgia DO license need to be renewed?
- Osteopathic Physician (DO) licenses in Georgia renew every two years. The physician license renews biennially by the last day of the licensee's birth month. Practice is not permitted after the expiration date. A licensee may late renew during the three months following expiration by submitting proof of compliance and the required payment; after that the license expires and reinstatement requires a formal application.
- What specific CE topics are required for Georgia osteopathic physicians (DO)?
- Controlled substance prescribing practices: a one-time requirement of 3 CME credits (every physician who maintains an active DEA certificate and prescribes controlled substances). Professional boundaries and physician sexual misconduct: a one-time requirement of 2 CME credits (all physicians). Pain management or palliative medicine: 20 CME credits every renewal cycle (physicians who do not hold a certification in pain management or palliative medicine and who work in a pain clinic). Citations: controlled substance prescribing practices (Rule 360-15-.01), professional boundaries and physician sexual misconduct (Rule 360-15-.01), and pain management or palliative medicine (Rule 360-15-.01).
- Do Georgia 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 5 years. The Board accepts AMA Category 1 credit, AOA Category 1 credit, AAFP Prescribed credit, ACOG Cognates Category 1, and ACEP Category 1 as meeting its requirement for Board approval. Licensees must verify approval with the program source before taking a course. Records of attendance and supporting documents must be kept 5 years from the date of attendance and must show the provider name, program name, hours or CEUs completed, date of completion, and evidence of AMA Category 1 or AOA Category 1 credit.
- Is the first Georgia DO renewal exempt from CE?
- Yes. Georgia 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 Education and Other Required Training for Physicians, Georgia Composite Medical BoardState board page, accessed September 7, 2026
- Physician, Georgia Composite Medical BoardState board page, accessed September 7, 2026
- Rules of Georgia Composite Medical Board, Chapter 360-15, Continuing EducationStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 7, 2026
Georgia regulates MDs and DOs through one combined board, the Georgia Composite Medical Board, under a single Physician Full License, so this record and the other Georgia physician record cite the same sources and carry the same requirements. The board's physician licensure page lists COMLEX score transcripts from the NBOME alongside USMLE transcripts as required documentation for the same application, and the board's CME page accepts AOA Category 1 credit on the same footing as AMA Category 1, both of which confirm that osteopathic physicians hold the same license. Georgia has no separate state board of osteopathic medicine. The 40-hour biennial total, the credit types accepted, the controlled substance prescribing, professional boundaries, and pain clinic requirements, the uncompensated care and peer review waivers, the 5-year record retention, the self-certification at renewal, and the random audit were read on the board's Continuing Education and Other Required Training for Physicians page. The birth month renewal cycle was read on the board's Physician licensure page. Chapter 360-15 of the Board's rules was fetched through rules.sos.ga.gov and supplied the list of exceptions, including the first renewal exception, the 10-hour biennial figure for retired physicians providing uncompensated care, the 8-hour cap on peer review credit, and the 3-month late renewal window; note that rules.sos.ga.gov returns 403 to curl but did serve the page to WebFetch. topic key note: professional_boundaries is not on the canonical topic list; it is used here because the board's own wording is professional boundaries and physician sexual misconduct, and no canonical key covers it. Gaps: the board did not state whether ordinary excess CME hours carry over to the next biennium, and did not state a live or interactive minimum or a cap on self-study or online hours. One wording difference worth noting: the board's CME page scopes the 20-hour pain management requirement to physicians who work in a pain clinic, while the rule chapter describes it in terms of physicians whose caseload is largely opioid patients; the board page wording is recorded in applies_to.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Georgia Composite Medical Board before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.