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Arkansas CME requirements 2026 rules for physicians, NPs, PAs, CRNAs and CAAs
Arkansas regulates four clinician professions through different boards, each with its own continuing-education rules: physicians (MD/DO), nurse practitioners (APRN/NP), physician assistants (PA) and nurse anesthetists (CRNA). Anesthesiologist assistants (CAA) cannot practice in Arkansas. 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 Arkansas State Medical Board. Verified October 13, 2026.
General CME: 20 credit hours per year; at least 50% (10 hours) must be AMA PRA Category 1.
Opioid / controlled substance
1 hour per year - opioid & benzodiazepine prescribing (counts toward the 20-hour annual total). Trigger: all physicians & PAs.
✓ No board pre-approval needed: generic ACCME Category 1 counts.
All mandated CME topics
| Topic | Hours | Timing | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Controlled substances / opioid & benzodiazepine prescribing | 1 | each year | all physicians & PAs |
Citation: 17 CAR § 140-1101 (formerly Rule 060.00.18-001); A.C.A. 17-80-104
Nurse Practitioners (APRN / NP)
Set by the Arkansas State Board of Nursing (ASBN), separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics. Verified July 20, 2026.
General CE: 15 contact hours accredited practice-focused CE per 2 years or current national certificate or approved academic course. APRNs maintain national certificate.
Opioid / controlled substance
2 hours, every 2 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) | 5 contact hours | per cycle | prescribers |
| Prescribing education (professional boundaries + AR prescribing rules) - one-time for new prescriptive authority | 3 | one-time within 2 years of issuance (certificates after 12/31/2015) | APRNs with prescriptive authority |
Tracking: CE Broker (ASBN); records retained for audit.
Physician Assistants (PA)
Set by the Arkansas State Medical Board (ASMB), separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics. Verified July 20, 2026.
General CE: 20 CME hours per year (17 CAR 140-1809(a)). Maintain NCCPA certificate. Renews annually by birth month.
Opioid / controlled substance
1 hour, every year, 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 | 1 | annually (within the 20-hour annual requirement) | 'each physician assistant' per rule; tied to prescribing opioids/benzodiazepines |
| Pain management (one-time) | 5 | one-time for Schedule II hydrocodone prescribers | PAs with Schedule II hydrocodone authority |
| Prescribing education course (one-time, new prescribers) | 3 | one-time within about 2 years of licensure/prescribing | newly licensed AR prescribers (secondary sources) |
Tracking: CE Broker (ASMB - PA account) + record retention 3 years; audit.
Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA)
Set by the Arkansas State Board of Nursing (ASBN), Arkansas Department of Health, separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics. Verified August 24, 2026.
General CE: Arkansas has a single APRN license; CRNA is a role/category within it, so the RN-base CE rule applies: 15 contact hours of appropriately accredited practice-focused CE, or a current nationally recognized certification/recertification, or one college-credit nursing course, per licensure period (ASBN Rules Ch. 2 Sec. VII; ASBN 'Continuing Education' page). Because ASBN Ch. 4 Sec. III.F requires the APRN to document 'current national certification in the appropriate APRN specialty through a maintenance program of a Board approved certifying body' at every renewal, a CRNA who maintains NBCRNA CPC certification meets the CE condition by that route.
NBCRNA recertification is accepted in place of state CE. The RN-base rule accepts 'a current nationally recognized certification/recertification' in lieu of the 15 contact hours, and ASBN Ch. 4 Sec. III.F makes current national certification via the certifying body's maintenance program (NBCRNA CPC for CRNAs) a mandatory renewal document for every APRN. Note: the ASBN 'Approved Certifications' web list is oriented to RN specialty certifications and does not name NBCRNA verbatim; Ch. 4 does not enumerate certifying bodies, it says 'a national certifying body recognized by the Board'. Flagged for confirmation on the wording only: in practice NBCRNA is the sole CRNA certifier and is the certification ASBN requires for CRNA licensure (Ch. 4 Sec. II.B). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pharmacotherapeutics CE (2 of 5 hours on professional boundaries + Arkansas prescribing rules/laws) | 5 | per cycle (each biennium) | Only if you hold prescriptive authority: APRNs holding an ASBN prescriptive-authority certificate - not CRNAs practicing anesthesia without one (ASBN Ch. 4 Sec. VI.D.9) |
| Prescribing education (professional boundaries + Arkansas prescribing rules/laws), one-time for new prescriptive authority | 3 | one-time, within 2 yr of issuance of prescriptive authority | Only if you hold prescriptive authority: APRNs newly granted prescriptive authority - reaches a CRNA only if the CRNA obtains prescriptive authority |
Tracking: CE Broker (ASBN official CE tracking) plus licensee record retention; random audit. National certification documented at APRN renewal.
Anesthesiologist Assistants (CAA)
Not authorized to practice in Arkansas. Verified August 24, 2026.
Certified anesthesiologist assistants cannot practice in Arkansas: there is no CAA license, certification or physician-delegation pathway, so there are no state CE requirements to track here. Pending / recent legislation: HB1251 (2025, 95th General Assembly) 'To Establish the Arkansas Anesthesiologist Assistant Act; and to provide for licensure of anesthesiologist assistants' - sponsor Rep. Lee Johnson; filed January 27, 2025; passed House 72-17-11 on February 26, 2025; referred to Senate Public Health, Welfare & Labor; 'Died in Senate Committee at Sine Die adjournment' May 5, 2025. No AA bill in the 2026 fiscal session; next opportunity is the 2027 regular session. 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 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 Arkansas'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)
- Per Arkansas Board rules (Rule 17; A.C.A. 17-80-104): Arkansas law has no one-time 3-hour prescribing course for new licensees, though some summaries list one. The only prescribing CME is 1 hour per year on opioids and benzodiazepines, inside the 20-hour total.
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 Arkansas 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.