The Florida Board of Medicine oversees licensing for both Medical Doctors (MDs) and osteopaths (D.O.s). Physicians must take Continuing Medical Education (CME) courses for license renewal every two years. The requirements are different for the first, second and third license renewals for medical doctors. All subsequent renewals have the same requirements as the third renewal. Osteopaths complete 40 hours of training every two years. All CME courses for medical doctors have to be approved by the American Medical Association (AMA). Osteopaths may take either AMA courses or courses provided by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA).
First Renewal
Course requirements for the first renewal are one hour of HIV/AIDS training and two hours of prevention of medical errors education. The course on preventing medical errors must include three major categories: a study of root cause analysis; error reductions, prevention and patient safety; and the five commonly misdiagnosed conditions of the previous two years.
Second Renewal
Course requirements for the second renewal are 38 hours of general CME and two hours of prevention of medical errors education.
All Other Renewals
Course requirements for all further renewals are 36 hours of general CME and two hours of prevention of medical errors education. There is an additional domestic violence course, which must be completed every six years.
Osteopaths
Osteopaths must complete 13 AOA Category 1-A courses for the first license renewal. For every subsequent renewal, they must take 14 courses. Additionally, they must complete one hour of risk management training, two hours of prevention of medical errors training and two hours of domestic violence training for each renewal. They must also complete one hour of coursework regarding Florida laws and one hour of coursework learning substance abuse regulations. For the first renewal, one hour of HIV/AIDS training is required. There are seven Category 1-A credits available. Formal Osteopathic CME involves formal study in a classroom. Osteopathic medical teaching, grand rounds and faculty development programs give credit for hours spent training students of osteopathic medicine and osteopathic medical staff. Federal aviation courses also fulfill the Category 1-A requirement. Osteopaths may take either the Federal Aviation Administration's "Aviation Medicine" course or the United States Army's "Flight Surgeon Primary Course." Osteopaths can receive credit for federal programs if they are active military duty or if they are working for a government institution. Additionally, osteopaths may receive credit for judging osteopathic clinical case and research presentations.
Other CME Credits
Medical doctors can receive five hours of CME credit for providing pro bono services. Osteopaths can receive 10 hours of CME credit for providing pro bono medical services. Medical doctors also can receive additional CME credit for attending AMA-approved meetings or instructing AMA-approved classes.
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