Kentucky Osteopathic Physician (DO) license renewal and CE requirements
Kentucky osteopathic physicians (DO) must complete 60 CME credits of continuing education every three years to renew their license with the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure.
Kentucky licenses are registered annually. The board mails written notice on or about January 1 of each year and annual registration must be executed on or before March 1. A physician who misses March 1 receives a second notice with a grace period not exceeding 30 days; a license not registered by the end of that period becomes inactive and the physician is not authorized to practice.
Summary
Kentucky osteopathic physicians (DO) must complete 60 CME credits of continuing education every three years to renew their license with the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure. Kentucky licenses are registered annually. The board mails written notice on or about January 1 of each year and annual registration must be executed on or before March 1. A physician who misses March 1 receives a second notice with a grace period not exceeding 30 days; a license not registered by the end of that period becomes inactive and the physician is not authorized to practice. Kentucky also mandates specific subjects. HB 1 controlled substance prescribing: KASPER, pain management, addiction disorders: 4.5 CME credits every renewal cycle (physicians authorized to prescribe or dispense controlled substances in Kentucky). Pediatric abusive head trauma: a one-time requirement of 1 CME credit (pediatricians, radiologists, family practitioners, and emergency medicine and urgent care physicians). Domestic violence training: a one-time requirement of 3 CME credits (primary care physicians granted licensure after July 1, 1996, within three years of the date of initial licensure). Addiction medicine for buprenorphine prescribers: 12 CME credits every renewal cycle (DEA licensed prescribers of buprenorphine mono product or buprenorphine combined with naloxone).
Kentucky 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 | Same date for every licensee, 03/01 each cycle |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 60 CME creditsCounted over a three-year window, separate from the renewal cycle. |
| Category 1 minimum | 30 CME credits |
| Self-study or online cap | No cap stated |
| Carryover to next cycle | Not stated |
| First renewal exempt | No |
| Other accepted activities | Passing a certification or recertification examination of an ABMS member board, counted as 60 hours of CME; Full time participation in an ACGME accredited residency program, 50 hours (25 hours part time); Full time research in an approved teaching institution, one credit hour per full day of research; Up to 50 hours per year for full time study toward a medically related degree such as a master's in public health or administration; Category II activities including teaching health professionals, medical writing, preceptorships, self assessment activities and enduring materials, counted hour for hour |
Registration is annual but CME is measured over a three year cycle. The current cycle runs January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2026. A licensee must complete 60 hours of CME per cycle, at least 30 of them certified in Category I by an organization accredited by the American Osteopathic Association or the Accreditation Council on Continuing Medical Education; the other 30 may be Category II. Physicians first licensed during the cycle complete a prorated total: 60 hours if licensed in the first year, 40 in the second year, 20 in the third year. Unit recorded as CME credits, which the board states as hours.
Required CE topics for Kentucky 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HB 1 controlled substance prescribing: KASPER, pain management, addiction disordersAt least 4.5 hours of board approved Category I CME relating to the use of KASPER, pain management, addiction disorders, or a combination of two or more of those subjects, satisfied in one program or several. Physicians who gain controlled substance authority partway through the cycle owe less: 3 hours if authorized only during 2025 and 2026, and 1.5 hours if authorized only during 2026. These hours count toward the 60 hour total. | 4.5 CME credits | Every renewal | Physicians authorized to prescribe or dispense controlled substances in Kentucky | 201 KAR 9:310 |
| Pediatric abusive head traumaA one time board approved hour required by HB 157 (2014). Physicians licensed in those specialties after the original December 31, 2017 deadline must complete the hour within five years of licensure. | 1 CME credit | One time | Pediatricians, radiologists, family practitioners, and emergency medicine and urgent care physicians | 201 KAR 9:310 |
| Domestic violence trainingThe board's CME schedule defines primary care by KRS 164.925: family and general practice, general pediatrics, general internal medicine, emergency medicine, general obstetrics and gynecology, and preventive medicine or public health. The statute creating the requirement was not on the pages read, so no citation is recorded. | 3 CME credits | One time | Primary care physicians granted licensure after July 1, 1996, within three years of the date of initial licensure | Not stated |
| Addiction medicine for buprenorphine prescribersAt least 12 hours of Category 1 CME specific to addiction medicine in each three year cycle, counted as part of the 60 hours required by 201 KAR 9:310. | 12 CME credits | Every renewal | DEA licensed prescribers of buprenorphine mono product or buprenorphine combined with naloxone | 201 KAR 9:270 |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | Not stated |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | Not stated |
| Board audits compliance | Yes |
| Approved providers | Category I must be certified by an organization accredited by the Accreditation Council on Continuing Medical Education or the American Osteopathic Association, and the HB 1 controlled substance hours must be board approved Category I. Licensees submit the board's Continuing Medical Education Certification Form by the renewal deadline, and the board may randomly require a physician to demonstrate satisfactory completion. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Kentucky DO need to renew?
- Kentucky osteopathic physicians (DO) must complete 60 CME credits of continuing education every three years to renew their license with the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure. Registration is annual but CME is measured over a three year cycle. The current cycle runs January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2026. A licensee must complete 60 hours of CME per cycle, at least 30 of them certified in Category I by an organization accredited by the American Osteopathic Association or the Accreditation Council on Continuing Medical Education; the other 30 may be Category II. Physicians first licensed during the cycle complete a prorated total: 60 hours if licensed in the first year, 40 in the second year, 20 in the third year. Unit recorded as CME credits, which the board states as hours.
- How often does a Kentucky DO license need to be renewed?
- Osteopathic Physician (DO) licenses in Kentucky renew every year. Kentucky licenses are registered annually. The board mails written notice on or about January 1 of each year and annual registration must be executed on or before March 1. A physician who misses March 1 receives a second notice with a grace period not exceeding 30 days; a license not registered by the end of that period becomes inactive and the physician is not authorized to practice.
- What specific CE topics are required for Kentucky osteopathic physicians (DO)?
- HB 1 controlled substance prescribing: KASPER, pain management, addiction disorders: 4.5 CME credits every renewal cycle (physicians authorized to prescribe or dispense controlled substances in Kentucky). Pediatric abusive head trauma: a one-time requirement of 1 CME credit (pediatricians, radiologists, family practitioners, and emergency medicine and urgent care physicians). Domestic violence training: a one-time requirement of 3 CME credits (primary care physicians granted licensure after July 1, 1996, within three years of the date of initial licensure). Addiction medicine for buprenorphine prescribers: 12 CME credits every renewal cycle (DEA licensed prescribers of buprenorphine mono product or buprenorphine combined with naloxone). Citations: HB 1 controlled substance prescribing: KASPER, pain management, addiction disorders (201 KAR 9:310), pediatric abusive head trauma (201 KAR 9:310), and addiction medicine for buprenorphine prescribers (201 KAR 9:270).
- Do Kentucky osteopathic physicians (DO) have to submit CE certificates at renewal?
- The board audits a sample of renewals and asks for documentation. Category I must be certified by an organization accredited by the Accreditation Council on Continuing Medical Education or the American Osteopathic Association, and the HB 1 controlled substance hours must be board approved Category I. Licensees submit the board's Continuing Medical Education Certification Form by the renewal deadline, and the board may randomly require a physician to demonstrate satisfactory completion.
- Is the first Kentucky DO renewal exempt from CE?
- No. Kentucky applies the continuing education requirement to the first renewal as well.
Sources
Last verified September 7, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- 201 KAR 9:310 Continuing medical education, Kentucky Legislative Research CommissionStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 7, 2026
- 201 KAR 9:051 License renewal and registration, Kentucky Legislative Research CommissionStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 7, 2026
- Continuing Medical Education Requirement Schedule, current three year cycle January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2026State board page, accessed September 7, 2026
- Continuing Medical Education, Kentucky Board of Medical LicensureState board page, accessed September 7, 2026
- Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure home pageState board page, accessed September 7, 2026
- 201 KAR 9:310 Continuing medical education, Cornell LII mirrorThird-party summary, accessed September 7, 2026
Kentucky has no separate osteopathic board. The Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure licenses both medical and osteopathic physicians and its CME page states the requirement applies to anyone holding an active Kentucky medical or osteopathic license, so this record and ky-physician_md cite the same sources and carry identical values. 201 KAR 9:310 names the American Osteopathic Association alongside the ACCME as an accreditor whose Category I credit counts, so AOA Category 1 credit satisfies the 30 hour Category I minimum. The board's CME schedule PDF and 201 KAR 9:310 disagree on which section number carries the HB 1 controlled substance requirement (the board PDF says Section 6, the Cornell mirror of the rule reads it as Section 5), so the citation is recorded as 201 KAR 9:310 without a section. The addiction medicine mandate uses the non canonical topic key addiction_medicine because it is a buprenorphine specific requirement in 201 KAR 9:270 rather than general opioid prescribing. HIV/AIDS CME was eliminated as of June 24, 2015 per the board's CME page. Whether certificates must be attached at renewal is not stated plainly: the rule requires a Continuing Medical Education Certification Form and the board's schedule says Category I certificates must be submitted, so proof_at_renewal is left null. Record retention years and any carryover allowance were not stated on the pages read.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.