West Virginia Board of Osteopathic Medicine · OSTEOPATHIC

West Virginia CME Requirements for Osteopathic Physicians (DO)

32 hours biennially. 16-hour AOA Category 1A/1B floor. All courses pre-approved by the Board.

Updated April 2026Sourced from WVBOM
Licensed as an MD instead? West Virginia regulates MDs through a separate board. See West Virginia MD CME requirements →

Compiled by Atlas CME from official board sources · Last updated July 4, 2026

Mandatory topics

For osteopathic physicians, 32 hours is the total CME requirement. West Virginia also names specific topics that must be covered, and each one is listed below.

Nutrition[1]
Hrs vary
Biennial
Universal for all West Virginia DOs. W. Va. Code § 30-14-10(b) statutorily requires that the CME include nutrition education but specifies no hour count — any qualifying nutrition education satisfies the mandate. Tracked as hoursUnspecified: true (Decision 4). Counts within the 32-hour biennial total. Mirrors the parallel MD nutrition mandate at W. Va. Code § 30-3-12.
View sourceVerbatim from source
“The continuing medical education requirement shall include completion of medical education in nutrition.”
W. Va. Code § 30-14-10(b)See source [1] in Primary Sources
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Conditional requirements

These rules apply only when the trigger described under each card is met (for example, holding a state-issued controlled substance registration or treating a specific patient population). Each cites the underlying statute or rule directly.

ConditionalOpioid/Substance Use[2]
3 hrs
Biennial

DOs who prescribe, administer, or dispense controlled substances

View sourceVerbatim from source
“A three hour CME, course which has been approved by the WV Board of Osteopathic Medicine, must be completed by any licensee of the Board who prescribes, administers or dispenses a controlled substance”
WVBDO CME Requirements (DO)See source [2] in Primary Sources
Accepted credit

West Virginia Board of Osteopathic Medicine accepts AOA Category 1-A and AOA Category 2 toward the CME requirement for osteopathic physicians.

Credit systemNotes
AOA Category 1-A
DOs onlymin 16 hrs
16 of 32 biennial hours must be AOA Category 1A or 1B Credit (Osteopathic). AOA Category 1A is the primary form of osteopathic credit. The 16-hour osteopathic minimum is half the 32-hour biennial total.SourceWVBDO CME Requirements (DO)[2]
AOA Category 2
DOs only
AOA Category 1B credit also qualifies for the 16-hour osteopathic minimum. The remaining 16 hours may be any Board-approved CME. All courses must receive prior approval from WVBDO.SourceWVBDO CME Requirements (DO)[2]
Documentation & audit

The Board may request documentation of entries at any time.[2] Documentation retention recommended for the full biennial period and beyond.

Waivers & exemptions

DOs who have not prescribed, administered, or dispensed controlled substances during the two-year reporting period may waive the 3-hour controlled substance CME requirement by signing a waiver attesting to non-prescribing.[3]

FAQ
How many CME hours do West Virginia DOs need?
West Virginia DOs must complete 32 hours of CME per two-year licensing period.[2][1] At least 16 hours must be AOA Category 1A or 1B credit.[2] The remaining 16 hours may be any Board-approved CME. All courses — including those in the 16-hour osteopathic subset — must receive prior approval from the WVBDO. DOs who prescribe, administer, or dispense controlled substances additionally owe a 3-hour WVBDO-approved controlled-substance CME course per W. Va. Code § 30-1-7a, unless they sign a waiver attesting to non-prescribing during the period.[3]
How is the West Virginia DO rule different from the MD rule?
The West Virginia Board of Osteopathic Medicine and the West Virginia Board of Medicine are separate agencies. DOs owe 32 hours biennially with a 16-hour AOA Category 1A/1B floor,[2] while WV MDs owe 50 hours biennially with 30 hours in the specialty area. The WVBDO requires prior approval of all CME courses and does not publish MOC or ABMS alternative pathways. Both boards impose a statutory nutrition CME mandate — DOs under W. Va. Code § 30-14-10(b) and MDs under W. Va. Code § 30-3-12 — with no specified hour count. The 3-hour controlled-substance CME under W. Va. Code § 30-1-7a applies in parallel on both boards.[3]
Why does the WVBDO require course pre-approval?
The WV Board of Osteopathic Medicine's CME page states plainly that courses must receive prior approval from the WV Board of Osteopathic Medicine to be accepted, and advises licensees to check with the CME sponsor before registering to make sure it has been approved.[2] A CME course approved by the WV Board of Medicine on the MD side is not automatically accepted by the WVBDO. The Board retains authority to request documentation of entries at any time; records should be retained through the full biennial period and beyond.

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Other roles in West Virginia

CME requirements for Osteopathic Physicians (DO) in other states

Sources & Citations

Every mandatory topic and conditional requirement above cites the underlying statute or rule. Numbered references below correspond to the bracketed citations next to each requirement.

  1. W. Va. Code § 30-14-10 — Biennial renewal; CME requirements (Board of Osteopathic Medicine)
    Primary sourceAccessed 2026-04-21
    Show verbatim text
    “each licensee shall furnish biennially to the board satisfactory evidence of having completed thirty-two hours of educational refresher course training, of which the total amount of hours must be approved by the American Osteopathic Association, and fifty percent of the required thirty-two hours shall be classified as category (1). The continuing medical education requirement shall include completion of medical education in nutrition.”W. Va. Code § 30-14-10(b)
    “The continuing medical education requirement shall include completion of medical education in nutrition.”W. Va. Code § 30-14-10(b)
  2. Continuing Medical Education Requirements for D.O.'s — WV Board of Osteopathic Medicine
    Primary sourceAccessed 2026-04-21
    Show verbatim text
    “a total of 32 CME hours ... 16 hours must be AOA Category 1A or 1B Credit (Osteopathic).”
    “A three hour CME, course which has been approved by the WV Board of Osteopathic Medicine, must be completed by any licensee of the Board who prescribes, administers or dispenses a controlled substance”WVBDO CME Requirements (DO)
  3. W. Va. Code R. § 24-1 — WVBDO Licensing, Discipline, CME Rule (Final File, eff. 7/1/2024)
    Primary sourceAccessed 2026-04-19
    Show verbatim text
    “Documentation of a minimum of 32 hours of AOA approved Continuing Medical Education, of which at least 50% shall be category 1 or CME hours in standard heart saver courses obtained during the preceding 2-year licensing period pursuant to W. Va. Code § 30-14-10.”W. Va. Code R. § 24-1-15.2.7 · Effective 2024-07-01

This page is provided for general educational purposes and reflects the best available information as of the last reviewed date above. CME requirements change. Atlas CME is not affiliated with the West Virginia Board of Osteopathic Medicine, or any other state licensing board, licensing authority, or professional organization. Osteopathic physicians are solely responsible for verifying their own current CME requirements directly with their state licensing board before relying on any information presented here.

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