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Colorado CME Requirements (2026): Physicians, NPs, PAs, CRNAs & CAAs
Colorado 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 Colorado Medical Board.
General CME: 30 hours per 24-month compliance period (HB24-1153).
Opioid / controlled substance
2 hours per cycle — best-practice opioid prescribing, SUD recognition, referral, PDMP. Trigger: prescribers (opt-out if none).
✓ No board pre-approval gate: No board pre-approval — generic ACCME Category 1 counts.
All mandated CME topics
| Topic | Hours | Timing | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Substance use disorder / opioid prevention | 2 | per renewal period | all (exempt if board-certificate with equivalent training or attest no opioid prescribing) |
Citation: SB 19-228; HB24-1153
Nurse Practitioners (APRN / NP)
Set by the Colorado State Board of Nursing (DORA/DPO) — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: No state-mandated general CE hours for RNs/APRNs. APRNs maintain current national certification (3 CCR 716-1). Licenses renew biennially (expire Sep 30).
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 | per renewal cycle (biennial) | APRNs with prescriptive authority (RXN) who prescribe opioids/CS; profession-agnostic all-prescriber mandate |
| Cultural competence & equity [PENDING] | TBD (pending Board of Nursing rulemaking) | Pending — HB26-1044 sets no hour figure. EFFECTIVE DATE UNCONFIRMED: signed 2026-05-05, safety clause unverified, default 2026-08-12. | APRNs (Colorado Board of Nursing) |
Tracking: Self-attestation at DORA/DPO online renewal; random audit. Not CE Broker.
Physician Assistants (PA)
Set by the Colorado Medical Board (DORA/DPO) — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: No routine state general CME hour mandate for active PA renewal. 100/2yr + NCCPA applies only to reinstatement/reactivation (3 CCR 713-1.9).
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 | per renewal cycle (biennial) | PAs who prescribe opioids/CS; profession-agnostic all-prescriber mandate |
Tracking: Self-attestation at DORA/DPO online renewal; random audit. Not CE Broker.
Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA)
Set by the Colorado State Board of Nursing (DORA / Division of Professions and Occupations) — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: Colorado imposes no numeric CE hours on RNs or APRNs. Rule 1.14 H(3) requires an APRN to demonstrate continued competency by 'meeting the requirements to maintain certification by a Certifying Body' (or an alternative Board-approved method). RN license renews biennially (expires Sept 30 of odd years); the APRN registry entry renews with it. Citations: 3 CCR 716-1 Rule 1.14 H(3); https://dpo.colorado.gov/Nursing/FAQ.
NBCRNA recertification is accepted in place of state CE. There is no state CE requirement to substitute for; maintaining NBCRNA (Council on Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists) certification IS the continued-competency requirement for CRNAs on the Advanced Practice Registry. Rule 1.14 D(4)(b)(1) names the 'Council on Certification of Nurse Anesthetists' as the CRNA certifying body. 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 | At least 2 hours per renewal period (biennial) | ONLY CRNAs who hold RXN prescriptive authority. Rule 1.23 applies to 'advanced practice registered nurse with prescriptive authority'; a CRNA on the registry without RXN is outside the rule. RXN holders may claim the C.R.S. 12-30-114(1)(b) exemptions (attest they do not prescribe opioids / have equivalent training). Statute allows 'up to 4 hours'; Board implemented 2. |
Tracking: Self-attestation at DORA/DPO online renewal; random audit. Not CE Broker. Same as APRN dataset.
Anesthesiologist Assistants (CAA)
Set by the Colorado Medical Board (Division of Professions and Occupations, DORA) — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: No Colorado statute or Medical Board rule imposes a CME hour requirement on licensed anesthesiologist assistants for ordinary renewal. C.R.S. § 12-240-130.5 (added by 2024 Ch. 385 / HB24-1153, eff. Aug 7 2024) requires 'thirty CME credit hours within the compliance period' commencing with renewals on or after Jan 1 2026, but the statute is written for physicians and does not extend to AAs or PAs. Board Rule 1.10 addresses 'continued competency' only for AA applicants for licensure, reinstatement or reactivation; one accepted pathway is 'proof of current certification by the National Commission on Certification of Anesthesiologist Assistants (NCCAA)' with 'CME hours as required by the certifying body'. Rule 1.16 requires the AA to keep the license 'active and current'.
NCCAA recertification counts toward state CE (partial). There is no state CME hour requirement to substitute for. Current NCCAA certification (with the certifying body's CME) is one accepted way to show continued competency when applying for licensure, reinstatement after expiry, or reactivation (Rule 1.10). Initial licensure requires having passed the NCCAA certifying exam (§ 12-240-112(1)). The rules reviewed do not expressly require maintaining NCCAA certification as a condition of routine renewal. 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
No additional mandated topics identified beyond the total above.
Tracking: No CME attestation for AAs; continued-competency documentation submitted only with reinstatement/reactivation applications (Rule 1.10). Renewal is online through DORA/DPO.
Some figures flagged [VERIFY] — verify with the board.
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 Colorado'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)
- General 30-hour rule: C.R.S. 12-240-130.5 (HB24-1153). Statute reaches renewals on/after 1/1/2026, but CO DPO states it will not apply until the 2027 renewal cycle; CO renews biennially, so 2027 is the first cycle actually captured. Bias/health-disparity topics under stakeholder consideration, not yet mandated.
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 Colorado 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.