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Alabama CME requirements 2026 rules for physicians, NPs, PAs, CRNAs and CAAs
Alabama regulates five clinician professions through different boards, each with its own continuing-education rules: physicians (MD/DO), nurse practitioners (APRN/NP), physician assistants (PA), nurse anesthetists (CRNA) and anesthesiologist assistants (CAA), regulated by the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners. Below, each profession's total hours, mandated topics, opioid/controlled-substance rule, and tracking, plus the one federal rule they share. Physician rules reviewed October 13, 2026.
Physicians (MD / DO)
Set by the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners. Verified October 13, 2026.
General CME: 25 hours AMA PRA Category 1 (or AOA Category 1-A) per calendar year (January 1 to December 31).
Opioid / controlled substance
2 hours every 2 years: controlled-substance prescribing, abuse recognition, chronic pain. Trigger: Alabama Controlled Substances Certificate (ACSC) holders.
✓ No board pre-approval needed: generic ACCME AMA PRA Category 1 on the CS-prescribing topic counts.
All mandated CME topics
| Topic | Hours | Timing | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Controlled substance prescribing / abuse recognition / chronic pain | 2 | every 2 years | AL Controlled Substances Certificate holders |
| Professional boundaries: the Board-provided course “Navigating Professional Boundaries in Medicine” (PBI Education) | 2 | one-time (all active by 12/31/2025; new within 12 months) | all (must be the Board-provided PBI Education course) |
Citation: Ala. Administrative Code 540-X-14
Nurse Practitioners (APRN / NP)
Set by the Alabama Board of Nursing (ABN), separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics. Verified July 20, 2026.
General CE: 24 contact hours per biennial license period from a Board-approved provider. Renewal Sep 1-Dec 31; single-state renew even years, compact odd years.
Opioid / controlled substance
4 hours, every 2 years, for holders of controlled-substance prescriptive authority. Timing is built into the free multi-state planner.
All mandated CE topics
| Topic | Hours | Timing | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pharmacology / pharmacotherapeutics (prescriptive authority) | 24 hours | per cycle | prescribers |
| Opioid / controlled-substance prescribing | 4 | 4 credits every 2 years (QACSC renewal); 12 hours initial | CRNPs/CNMs holding a QACSC (controlled-substance prescriptive authority) |
Tracking: Self-report at ABN renewal; ABN audit. Not CE Broker. QACSC CME tracked separately by ALBME.
Physician Assistants (PA)
Set by the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners / Medical Licensure Commission (ALBME), separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics. Verified July 20, 2026.
General CE: 50 AMA PRA Category 1 credits every 2 calendar years (about 25/year), cycle ends Dec 31; ACCME-accredited AMA PRA Category 1.
Opioid / controlled substance
4 hours, every 2 years, for holders of controlled-substance prescriptive authority. Timing is built into the free multi-state planner.
All mandated CE topics
| Topic | Hours | Timing | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pharmacology / pharmacotherapeutics (prescriptive authority) | 12 hours | per cycle | prescribers |
| Opioid / controlled-substance prescribing | 4 | 4 credits every 2 years (QACSC renewal); 12 hours initial | PAs holding a QACSC (controlled-substance prescriptive authority) |
| Navigating Professional Boundaries in Medicine (Board-designated) | 2 | one-time; all active PAs by 12/31/2025; new within 12 months (effective 1/1/2025) | all licensed PAs |
Tracking: Self-report to ALBME; audit; retain certificates 3 years. Not CE Broker.
Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA)
Set by the Alabama Board of Nursing (ABN), separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics. Verified August 24, 2026.
General CE: Same RN rule as all Alabama nurses: 'A licensed nurse shall earn in each earning period not less than 24 contact hours of Board-approved or Board-recognized continuing education as a condition for renewal' (r. 610-X-4-.08). First renewal after initial licensure: 4-hour Board-provided regulatory course + 1 hour per remaining calendar month, max 24. CRNA approval renews concurrently with the RN license each biennium (r. 610-X-9-.03). Renewal window Sep 1–Dec 31 of even years (single-state RN).
State CE is owed in addition to NBCRNA. Current NBCRNA certification is a condition of CRNA approval (approval expires on the earlier of RN license expiry or national certification expiry, and loss of certification must be reported immediately), but ch. 610-X-4/610-X-9 contain no provision allowing certification to substitute for the 24 contact hours; the 24 hours (incl. 6 pharmacology) must be earned from Board-approved/recognized providers and posted to the ABN CE record. National layer: NBCRNA continued certification (4-year cycle: 60 Class A + 40 Class B credits, MAC Check).
Opioid / controlled substance
No standalone state opioid/controlled-substance CE mandate identified for this profession. The federal DEA MATE Act (one-time 8-hour training) still applies if you hold a DEA registration.
All mandated CE topics
| Topic | Hours | Timing | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anesthesia pharmacology CE | 6 | per cycle | All Alabama CRNAs, regardless of prescriptive authority (CRNAs have none) - pharmacology specific to the CRNA practice area, within the 24; unlike CRNPs/CNMs, whose 6 hours are tied to prescriptive authority. |
| Board-provided regulatory/scope-of-practice course (first renewal after initial RN licensure only) | 4 | one-time | newly licensed nurses (RN level) |
Tracking: Board-approved providers post hours electronically to the licensee's ABN CE Record ('My Profile'); renewal cannot be completed until 24 hours (incl. 6 pharmacology) are on the record; Board audit. not CE Broker. No QACSC/ALBME tracking for CRNAs.
Anesthesiologist Assistants (CAA)
Set by the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners, separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics. Verified August 24, 2026.
General CE: Rule 540-X-7-.62(1): 'Effective January 1, 2025, every two calendar years, each anesthesiologist assistant licensed by the Board must earn not less than fifty (50) hours of AMA PRA Category 1 Credits or the equivalent ... as a condition precedent to receiving his or her annual renewal of license.' Equivalents in (3) include AOA, AAFP, ACOG, advanced life support courses (max 2 credits/course) and 'programs accredited by the Federation for Advancement of Anesthesia Care Team (FAACT)'. (7) initial licensees exempt during first calendar year; (8) deployed military exempt; (6) hardship waivers at Board discretion. Separately, r. 540-X-7-.37(2): effective Jan 1 2024 AAs must complete Board-prescribed CE on Alabama rules/statutes governing supervised practice not more than 48 months before or within 12 months after registration to a physician.
State CE is owed in addition to NCCAA. The Alabama CME rule counts hours of AMA PRA Category 1 or listed equivalents; it does not state that maintaining NCCAA certification satisfies the 50-hour requirement. NCCAA Category I anesthesia CME (ACCME-accredited) would generally also qualify as AMA PRA Category 1 hours, but the state requirement is hour-based. National layer: NCCAA certification (50 CME hours every 2 years, 40 anesthesia + 10 general, plus the CDQ exam).
Opioid / controlled substance
No standalone state opioid/controlled-substance CE mandate identified for this profession. The federal DEA MATE Act (one-time 8-hour training) still applies if you hold a DEA registration.
All mandated CE topics
| Topic | Hours | Timing | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Board-designated professional boundaries course | Course (no set hours) | New licensees: within 12 months of license issue date; all active AAs: by Dec 31 2025 (one-time, no exemptions) | All licensed anesthesiologist assistants |
| Board-prescribed CE on Alabama rules and statutes governing supervised practice | Course (no set hours) | Not more than 48 months before, or within 12 months after, registration to a supervising physician (effective Jan 1 2024) | All anesthesiologist assistants registering to a physician |
Tracking: Self-certification of compliance on the annual renewal application (due Dec 31); AAs must retain attendance records/certificates for three years and produce them on Board request; failure to keep records is unprofessional conduct (r. 540-X-7-.62(4)-(5)). Board Licensee Gateway offers CME document upload.
Federal: DEA MATE Act (all professions)
One rule is the same for every profession on this page. Every DEA-registered prescriber (physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and any CRNA or CAA who holds a DEA registration) must complete a one-time 8-hour training on treating patients with opioid or other substance use disorders, as a condition of DEA registration/renewal (since June 27, 2023). It is federal and applies in every state, and it does not replace Alabama's recurring opioid/controlled-substance CME. A MATE-qualifying accredited course will usually still count toward your state general CME/CE total. How the MATE Act differs from state rules
Authority: MATE Act §1263, Consolidated Appropriations Act 2023 (21 U.S.C. §823).
Pick your profession and all your states in the free planner and get one 5-year schedule that batches your opioid/controlled-substance CME so a single course covers as many licenses as possible.
This page summarizes Alabama board rules and statutes as of October 13, 2026 for five separately-regulated professions: physicians (MD/DO), nurse practitioners (APRNs), physician assistants (PAs), nurse anesthetists (CRNAs), and anesthesiologist assistants (CAAs). Each is governed by its own board and its hour totals and mandated topics differ. Never assume one profession's figures apply to another. Physician data is compiled from FSMB and state medical-board sources; APRN/PA data was validated against nursing- and PA/medical-board rules on July 20, 2026, with the opioid/controlled-substance timing structured on July 23, 2026; CRNA and CAA data was researched against nursing-board, medical-board and practice-act primary sources on August 24, 2026 (items the research could not pin to a primary source are marked “Confirm with the board”). This is educational information, not legal advice. Always verify current requirements with your own board before relying on them.