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Arizona CME Requirements (2026): Physicians, NPs, PAs, CRNAs & CAAs
Arizona 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 Arizona Medical Board.
General CME: 40 hours AMA PRA Category 1 every 2 years (MD board); AOA for DO board.
Opioid / controlled substance
3 hours per cycle — opioid-, SUD-, or addiction-related. Trigger: DEA registrants.
✓ No board pre-approval gate: No board pre-approval — generic ACCME Category 1 counts.
All mandated CME topics
| Topic | Hours | Timing | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opioid / substance use disorder / addiction | 3 | per renewal | Schedule II / DEA prescribers |
Citation: A.R.S. §32-3248.02
Nurse Practitioners (APRN / NP)
Set by the Arizona State Board of Nursing (AZBN) — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: No numeric general CE mandate. Continued competence via 960+ APRN practice hours in prior 5 years + current national certification/recertification. RN+APRN renew every 4 years by Apr 1 (R4-19-506).
Opioid / controlled substance
3 hours, every 4 years, for holders of controlled-substance prescriptive authority. A board-approved / state-specific course is required — generic accredited credit may not count. Timing is built into the free multi-state planner.
All mandated CE topics
| Topic | Hours | Timing | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pharmacology / pharmacotherapeutics (prescriptive authority) | 45 contact hours | per cycle | prescribers |
| Opioid / controlled-substance prescribing | 3 | each renewal cycle (recurring) | APRNs authorized to prescribe Schedule II CS with valid DEA registration (profession-agnostic all-prescribers) |
Tracking: Self-report/attestation via AZBN Nurse Portal; audit. Not CE Broker.
Physician Assistants (PA)
Set by the Arizona Regulatory Board of Physician Assistants (AZPA) — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: 40 hours AMA PRA Category 1 per biennial renewal (AAPA/AMA/AOA or acceptable accreditor). Biennial on/before birthday.
Opioid / controlled substance
3 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 | 3 | each cycle (recurring); counts toward the 40 Category 1 | PAs authorized to prescribe Schedule II CS with valid DEA registration (profession-agnostic) |
Tracking: Self-report/attestation to AZPA; audit (A.R.S. 32-2523).
Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA)
Set by the Arizona State Board of Nursing (AZBN) — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: Arizona imposes no general CE hour requirement on RNs or APRNs. R4-19-506 conditions APRN certificate renewal (any role, CRNA included — the rule expressly cross-references A.R.S. 32-1634.04 for CRNAs) on (a) evidence of current national certification/recertification and (b) 960 hours of practice in the role within the past 5 years or completion of an APRN program within 5 years. If the practice requirement is not met, the alternative pathway is 45 contact hours of advanced pharmacology + 45 contact hours related to the role + precepted clinical hours (300–1,000+ depending on time out of practice) — a reactivation pathway, not a recurring CE mandate. The APRN certificate expires when the RN license (4-year cycle, renew by April 1) or the national certification expires, whichever is first (AZBN renewal FAQ). Separate SB1602 (2023) 'CRNA Dental Anesthesia Registration' (no fee; requires national anesthesia certification; 7-business-day incident reporting) is a registration, not a CE-bearing credential.
NBCRNA recertification is accepted in place of state CE. Maintaining NBCRNA certification is the state's competency mechanism: there is no state CE count to be 'in lieu of'. Current national certification/recertification is REQUIRED for APRN-CRNA renewal (R4-19-506) and the certificate lapses if national certification lapses. NBCRNA CPC requirements therefore constitute the entire recurring education obligation, except the statutory 3-hr opioid CE for DEA-registered CRNAs. National layer: NBCRNA continued certification (4-year cycle: 60 Class A + 40 Class B credits, MAC Check).
Opioid / controlled substance
3 hours, every 4 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 | 3 | each license renewal cycle (4-yr RN/APRN cycle), recurring; included as part of any other CE requirements | Statute applies to a health professional 'authorized under this title to prescribe schedule II controlled substances and who has a valid DEA registration number' or authorized to dispense CS. A CRNA who holds a valid DEA registration is treated by AZBN's renewal FAQ ('APRNs with active DEA licenses must complete a minimum of three hours') as subject; a CRNA without a DEA number is not. Ambiguity: CRNAs 'order' rather than 'prescribe' (32-1634.04(C)), so a strict reading could exempt them even with a DEA number — VERIFY with AZBN. |
Tracking: Self-attestation via AZBN Nurse Portal at renewal; national certification verified; random audit. Arizona does not use CE Broker for nursing.
Anesthesiologist Assistants (CAA)
Not authorized to practice in Arizona.
Certified anesthesiologist assistants cannot practice in Arizona — 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 Arizona'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 for MDs. DO: same +24hr AOA Category 1-A distribution.
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 Arizona 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.