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District of Columbia CME requirements 2026 rules for physicians, NPs, PAs, CRNAs and CAAs
District of Columbia 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 DC Board of Medicine. 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 DC Board of Medicine. Verified October 13, 2026.
General CME: 50 hours every 2 years, including 5 hours on the District's public health priorities and 2 hours of LGBTQ cultural competency.
Opioid / controlled substance
No opioid-specific mandate. Federal MATE Act (8 hours one-time) applies.
✓ No board pre-approval needed: generic ACCME Category 1 counts. The federal MATE Act requirement is a single 8-hour course.
All mandated CME topics
| Topic | Hours | Timing | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public health priorities of the District | 5 | per renewal | all |
| LGBTQ cultural competency | 2 | per renewal | all |
Citation: 17 DCMR; DC Code 3-1205.10
Nurse Practitioners (APRN / NP)
Set by the District of Columbia Board of Nursing (DC Health), separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics. Verified July 20, 2026.
General CE: 24 contact hours per 2 years (expire Jun 30 even years). ANCC-approved, relevant to practice. Pharmacology carve-out for advanced practice.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pharmacology / pharmacotherapeutics (prescriptive authority) | 15 (within the 24) | per cycle | prescribers |
| LGBTQ cultural competency | 2 | each 2-year renewal | all DC nurses including RNs/APRNs |
| Public health priorities of the District (including responsible opioid prescribing, sexual health/HIV, implicit bias) | 2.4 (10% of 24) | each 2-year renewal (at least 10% of total CE) | DC health professionals including RNs/APRNs |
Tracking: Self-report/upload at DC Health online renewal (DOH Enterprise); DC participates in CE Broker for nursing; random audit.
Physician Assistants (PA)
Set by the District of Columbia Board of Medicine (DC Health), separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics. Verified July 20, 2026.
General CE: 100 hours CME per 2 years; at least 40 Category 1 (AMA PRA/AAFP/AAPA), rest Category 1 or 2. Active NCCPA certificate may substitute for the 100 but mandated topics still apply.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pharmacology / pharmacotherapeutics (prescriptive authority) | None | per cycle | prescribers |
| LGBTQ cultural competency | 2 | each 2-year renewal | DC PAs |
| HIV/AIDS | 3 | each 2-year renewal | DC PAs |
| Public health priorities of the District | 10 | each 2-year renewal (at least 10% of total; 10% of 100) | DC health professionals including PAs |
Tracking: Self-report/upload at DC Health online renewal; random audit. NCCPA certificate accepted in lieu of 100 hours.
Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA)
Set by the District of Columbia Board of Nursing (DC Health, Health Regulation and Licensing Administration), separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics. Verified August 24, 2026.
General CE: Codified rule for CRNAs (17 DCMR Ch. 57, 'Certified Registered Nurse-Anesthetists'): renewal requires evidence of current NBCRNA (formerly CCNA) certification/recertification (5703.5(b)) and 'fifteen (15) contact hours of continuing education, which shall include a pharmacology component', approved by AANA or another Board-recognized national certifying organization, earned in the 2 years preceding the application (5703.5(c)). Failure to maintain national recertification results in loss of licensed nurse-anesthetist status (5705.6). The Board's operative renewal guidance for all APRNs (published 'CE Methods of Compliance' for the 2022 RN/APRN renewal, reiterated by the Board's 2026 renewal notices) applies 24 contact hours per 2-year cycle including 15 hours pharmacology for APRNs, 2 hours LGBTQ cultural competency, and public-health-priority hours. The Board does not publish a CRNA-specific CE sheet; the APRN figures govern in practice. Renewal cycle: historically June 30 of even years; credentials issued on/after June 16, 2024 transition to birth-month expiration (last day of birth month), with 50% of CE (all mandatory topics still required) for shortened first terms.
State CE is owed in addition to NBCRNA. Current NBCRNA certification is a mandatory renewal condition (17 DCMR 5703.5(b); 5705.6) but does not substitute for the contact-hour requirement; 5703.5(c) imposes the CE hours cumulatively. Note that 5703.5(c) allows AANA-approved CE, so NBCRNA CPC Class A credits (AANA-approved) will generally also satisfy the DC hours, including the pharmacology component, if the pharmacology hours are met. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pharmacology / pharmacotherapeutics Confirm with the board | 15 | per cycle | All DC APRNs including CRNAs (the CRNA chapter itself mandates a pharmacology component; the Board's APRN renewal guidance sets 15 of 24 hours) |
| LGBTQ cultural competency Confirm with the board | 2 | per cycle | All DC nurses incl. CRNAs |
| DC Health public health priorities (10% of total, about 2.4 hours) Confirm with the board | 2.4 | per cycle (10% of the 24-hour total; domains: sexual & reproductive health, chronic disease, One Health, workforce retention, community & patient safety - includes responsible opioid prescribing) | All DC health professionals incl. CRNAs |
Tracking: Self-report/upload at DC Health online renewal; DC nursing participates in CE Broker; random audit. National certification proof required at renewal.
Some figures are marked “Confirm with the board”: the research could not pin them to a primary source. Verify with the board.
Anesthesiologist Assistants (CAA)
Set by the DC Board of Medicine (DC Health, Health Regulation and Licensing Administration), separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics. Verified August 24, 2026.
General CE: D.C. Code § 3-1206.32: 'The Board of Medicine shall renew the license of an anesthesiologist assistant who, in addition to meeting the requirements of § 3-1205.10, has submitted to the Board, along with the application for renewal, documentation of current certification as an Anesthesiologist Assistant - Certified ("AA-C") ... including completion of the necessary continuing medical education credits required to maintain AA-C status.' 17 DCMR § 5108.2 requires the renewal applicant to show they have been 'recertified by the National Commission for Certification of Anesthesiologist Assistants (NCCAA), or its successor organization'. The District sets no separate hour count; NCCAA requires 50 hours biennially (40 Category I anesthesia CME, 10 Category II) registered by June 1 (nccaa.org/cmerequirements). Renewal term: licenses 'shall expire at 12:00 midnight of December 31 of each even-numbered year' (17 DCMR § 5101.1).
NCCAA recertification is accepted in place of state CE. NCCAA certification maintenance is the DC CME requirement; no additional DC-specific hour count applies other than the cross-cutting LGBTQ cultural competency credits under § 3-1205.10. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| LGBTQ cultural competency / specialized clinical training | 2 | Each renewal period | Every health occupation licensed, registered or certified under the Health Occupations Revision Act that works directly with patients (AAs are licensed under the Act and administer anesthesia to patients) |
Tracking: Documentation of current NCCAA certification submitted with the biennial online renewal (DC Health online portal); Board may audit CE compliance under 17 DCMR ch. 51 / § 3-1205.10.
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. 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).
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This page summarizes District of Columbia 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.