Ohio Osteopathic Physician (DO) license renewal and CE requirements

Summary

Ohio osteopathic physicians (DO) must complete 50 CME credits of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the State Medical Board of Ohio. A license to practice osteopathic medicine and surgery is valid for two years and expires on the date two years from the date it was issued. It is renewed for additional two-year periods through the eLicense Ohio system. The board sends a renewal notice at least one month before expiration, but not receiving it does not excuse the licensee from renewing. Ohio also mandates specific subjects. Licensee's duty to report misconduct: 1 CME credit every renewal cycle. Continuing medical education in medical marijuana: 2 CME credits on a periodic schedule set by the board (physicians who hold a certificate to recommend medical marijuana).

Ohio 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.

Fifty hours of board-approved CME per two-year registration period (ORC 4731.282(A)(1); OAC 4731-10-02(A)). One of the fifty hours must be the board-approved course on a licensee's duty to report misconduct. The remaining hours must come from the activities listed in OAC 4731-10-02(A), which for a DO means activities recognized by the AOA as Category 1 and certified by the Ohio Osteopathic Association, by an institution or organization accredited by the Ohio Osteopathic Association or the AOA, or awarded Category 1 credit directly by the AOA. The rule also lets a DO use AMA Category 1 activities under paragraph (A)(1). Because the rule additionally allows graduate medical training hours and volunteer service hours in place of part of the total, no separate Category 1 minimum is recorded. CME taken after a registration period ends and used to renew or reinstate a suspended license cannot also count toward the current period. The board may grant a pro rata CME waiver for a licensee disabled by illness or accident, or absent from the United States, for at least six consecutive months in a registration period (OAC 4731-10-01(J), 4731-10-03).

Required CE topics for Ohio osteopathic physician (do)s

State-specific subject mandates. Where a mandate applies only to some licensees, the scope is listed.

Documentation and audit

Common questions

How many CE hours does a Ohio DO need to renew?

Ohio osteopathic physicians (DO) must complete 50 CME credits of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the State Medical Board of Ohio. Fifty hours of board-approved CME per two-year registration period (ORC 4731.282(A)(1); OAC 4731-10-02(A)). One of the fifty hours must be the board-approved course on a licensee's duty to report misconduct. The remaining hours must come from the activities listed in OAC 4731-10-02(A), which for a DO means activities recognized by the AOA as Category 1 and certified by the Ohio Osteopathic Association, by an institution or organization accredited by the Ohio Osteopathic Association or the AOA, or awarded Category 1 credit directly by the AOA. The rule also lets a DO use AMA Category 1 activities under paragraph (A)(1). Because the rule additionally allows graduate medical training hours and volunteer service hours in place of part of the total, no separate Category 1 minimum is recorded. CME taken after a registration period ends and used to renew or reinstate a suspended license cannot also count toward the current period. The board may grant a pro rata CME waiver for a licensee disabled by illness or accident, or absent from the United States, for at least six consecutive months in a registration period (OAC 4731-10-01(J), 4731-10-03).

How often does a Ohio DO license need to be renewed?

Osteopathic Physician (DO) licenses in Ohio renew every two years. A license to practice osteopathic medicine and surgery is valid for two years and expires on the date two years from the date it was issued. It is renewed for additional two-year periods through the eLicense Ohio system. The board sends a renewal notice at least one month before expiration, but not receiving it does not excuse the licensee from renewing.

What specific CE topics are required for Ohio osteopathic physicians (DO)?

Licensee's duty to report misconduct: 1 CME credit every renewal cycle. Continuing medical education in medical marijuana: 2 CME credits on a periodic schedule set by the board (physicians who hold a certificate to recommend medical marijuana). Citations: Licensee's duty to report misconduct (OAC 4731-10-02(A); ORC 4731.224) and continuing medical education in medical marijuana (ORC 4731.30(F)).

Do Ohio 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 2 years. CME must be approved by the board. For DOs the qualifying activities are AOA Category 1 activities certified by the Ohio Osteopathic Association, certified by an institution or organization accredited by the Ohio Osteopathic Association or the AOA, or awarded Category 1 credit directly by the AOA; AMA Category 1 activities under OAC 4731-10-02(A)(1) also qualify. The licensee certifies completion at renewal; the board may select applications for verification and may audit a random sample. Verification must show the activity, the date of attendance or completion, and hours, and records are kept two years after the end of the CME period.

Sources

Last verified September 7, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.

• OAC 4731-10-02, Requisite hours of continuing medical education for license renewal or reinstatementStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 7, 2026
• ORC 4731.282, Continuing medical educationStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 7, 2026
• ORC 4731.281, License renewalStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 7, 2026
• OAC 4731-10-08, Evidence of continuing medical educationStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 7, 2026
• ORC 4731.30, Certificate to recommend medical marijuanaStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 7, 2026
• Duty to Report, State Medical Board of Ohio help centerState board page, accessed September 7, 2026
• Renewal FAQs, State Medical Board of OhioState board page, accessed September 7, 2026

Ohio runs one combined board. The State Medical Board of Ohio licenses medicine and surgery (MD), osteopathic medicine and surgery (DO), and podiatric medicine and surgery under the same chapter, the same fifty-hour CME rule, and the same two-year renewal, so the MD and DO records cite the same sources. The only MD/DO difference in the rule is the accrediting path for the CME itself: AMA Category 1 through the Ohio State Medical Association for MDs, AOA Category 1 through the Ohio Osteopathic Association for DOs. Ohio dropped the older 100-hour requirement; ORC 4731.282 as amended has required fifty hours since October 17, 2019. Renewal basis is two years from the date of issuance under ORC 4731.281(A)(1), not a fixed statewide date. The topic key duty_to_report is not on the canonical list; it is used because the mandate is specifically the board's duty-to-report-misconduct course, and medical_marijuana is likewise a non-canonical key for the certificate to recommend requirement. Whether the first renewal is prorated or exempt is not stated in ORC 4731.281, ORC 4731.282, or OAC Chapter 4731-10; the board's FAQ says CME requirements are fulfilled after licensure, upon renewal, which is not explicit enough to record as an exemption. No carryover provision appears in Chapter 4731-10. Ohio sets no opioid, human trafficking, or implicit bias CME mandate in the rules read; ORC 4731.282(C) only directs the board to approve courses on domestic violence and chronic pain, it does not require licensees to take them.