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Alaska CME Requirements (2026): Physicians, NPs, PAs, CRNAs & CAAs
Alaska 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, in the states that license them). Below, each profession's total hours, mandated topics, opioid/controlled-substance rule, and tracking, plus the one federal rule they share. Last reviewed 2026-08-24.
Physicians (MD / DO)
Set by the Alaska State Medical Board.
General CME: 50 hours AMA PRA Category 1 / AOA every 2 years.
Opioid / controlled substance
2 hours every 2 years — pain management and opioid use/addiction. Trigger: DEA registrants.
✓ No board pre-approval gate: No board pre-approval — generic ACCME/AOA Category 1 counts.
All mandated CME topics
| Topic | Hours | Timing | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pain management & opioid use and addiction | 2 | per cycle (recurring) | DEA registrants; waivable via 12 AAC 40.220 if no DEA |
Citation: Alaska Stat. §08.64.312
Nurse Practitioners (APRN / NP)
Set by the Alaska Board of Nursing — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: Continued competency: complete at least TWO of three each 2 years - 30 CE contact hours, OR 320 hours employment, OR 30 hours uncompensated professional activity (12 AAC 44.600-.640).
Opioid / controlled substance
2 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) | 15 contact hours | per cycle | prescribers |
| Opioid / controlled-substance prescribing | 2 | within 2-year period before renewal (biennial), tied to CS prescriptive authority | APRNs holding a DEA registration / CS prescriptive & dispensing authority |
Tracking: Self-report/attestation to Board of Nursing; audit. NOT CE Broker.
Physician Assistants (PA)
Set by the Alaska State Medical Board — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: Avg 25 hours Category I (AMA/AOA/CPMR) per year = 50/2yr (12 AAC 40.200-.220). Must maintain active NCCPA certificate. Cycle expires Dec 31 even years. AS 08.64.312(c): the Board may exempt a PA from CE for extenuating circumstances, capped at 15 hours per 5-year period. The 2-hour pain/opioid CE is NOT exemptible unless the PA shows no current DEA registration. EFFECTIVE DATE UNCONFIRMED — the enrolled bill has no effective-date section; Alaska constitutional default is approximately 2026-09-16.
Opioid / controlled substance
2 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) | None | per cycle | prescribers |
| Opioid / controlled-substance prescribing | 2 | each 2-year cycle (biennial) | PAs holding a valid DEA registration (waived if none) |
Tracking: Self-report/attestation to State Medical Board; audit. NOT CE Broker.
Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA)
Set by the Alaska Board of Nursing (Dept. of Commerce, Community & Economic Development, Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing) — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: The stand-alone CRNA article (12 AAC 44.500-44.560: initial authorization, scope, CRNA prescriptive authority, permits, renewal, reinstatement) was REPEALED 5/16/2018; CRNAs are now licensed and renewed as APRNs under 12 AAC 44.380-44.490 (Statutes and Regulations - Nursing, Sept. 2025 compilation, pp. 23-30). Renewal (12 AAC 44.470): completed application, biennial fee, current Alaska RN license in good standing, and 'documentation that the applicant holds national certification for each of the roles and population focus areas in which the applicant is seeking renewal.' 12 AAC 44.400(a)(4): an APRN 'shall, in the absence of a continuing education requirement of the certifying body, submit documented evidence of having obtained 60 contact hours of continuing education in the population focus of the advanced practice registered nurse every two years.' For the RN license, 12 AAC 44.610(a)(1) accepts 'at least 30 contact hours of continuing education for renewal of a license or current certification by a national nursing certification body' as the CE method, and lists 'a nurse anesthetist certifying body' among accreditation standards accepted (12 AAC 44.610(a)(1)(A)(v)). APRN licenses expire Nov 30 of even-numbered years (same as RN).
NBCRNA recertification is accepted in place of state CE. Maintaining NBCRNA certification is the APRN renewal requirement itself (12 AAC 44.470(2)(A)); the 60-hr default in 12 AAC 44.400(a)(4) is triggered only where the certifying body imposes no CE requirement. For the RN component, 'current certification by a national nursing certification body' satisfies the CE method of the continued-competency menu (12 AAC 44.610(a)(1)). For prescriptive-authority renewal, the APRN must hold 'a current national certification that indicates completion of the continuing education mandated by that body' (12 AAC 44.470(2)(B)). National layer: NBCRNA continued certification (4-year cycle: 60 Class A + 40 Class B credits, MAC Check).
Opioid / controlled substance
2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opioid / controlled-substance prescribing | 2 | during each 2-yr licensing cycle (attested at APRN renewal); also within 2 yrs before initial CS-authority application | Only CRNAs who hold a valid DEA registration AND state controlled-substance prescriptive authority; CRNAs without DEA/CS authority are not subject |
Tracking: Self-report/attestation on the APRN renewal (national certification documentation submitted; opioid CE attested); RN continued-competency attestation with Board audit (12 AAC 44.660). Not CE Broker.
Anesthesiologist Assistants (CAA)
Not authorized to practice in Alaska.
Certified anesthesiologist assistants cannot practice in Alaska — there is no CAA license, certification or physician-delegation pathway, so there are no state CE requirements to track here. No pending licensure bill was found as of August 2026. NCCAA certification requirements (50 CME hours every 2 years + the CDQ exam) still apply nationally.
Federal — DEA MATE Act (all professions)
One rule is the same for everyone below. 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, applies in every state, and does not replace Alaska'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).
Notes (physician data)
- No other special-topic CME.
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.
Build my multi-state CME plan →This page summarizes Alaska board rules and statutes as of 2026-08-24 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 2026-07-20, with the opioid/controlled-substance timing structured on 2026-07-23; CRNA and CAA data was researched against nursing-board, medical-board and practice-act primary sources on 2026-08-24 (items the research could not pin to a primary source are flagged [VERIFY]). This is educational information, not legal advice — always verify current requirements with your own board before relying on them.