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Georgia CME Requirements (2026): Physicians, NPs, PAs, CRNAs & CAAs
Georgia 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 Georgia Composite Medical Board.
General CME: 40 hours every 2 years.
Opioid / controlled substance
3 hours one-time (next renewal) — responsible opioid prescribing (+20 hours if ≥50% pain patients). Trigger: DEA + prescribes CS.
✓ No board pre-approval gate: No board pre-approval — broad menu of accepted accreditors (AMA/AOA/AAFP/ACOG/ACEP Category 1).
All mandated CME topics
| Topic | Hours | Timing | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Controlled substances / safe opioid prescribing | 3 | one-time (by 1st renewal after 1/1/2018) | DEA controlled-substance prescribers |
| Pain management / palliative medicine | 20 | per renewal while condition applies | non-certified with 50%+ opioid pts |
| Sexual misconduct / professional boundaries | 2 | one-time (by 1st renewal after 1/1/2022) | all |
Citation: Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 360-15-.01
Nurse Practitioners (APRN / NP)
Set by the Georgia Board of Nursing — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: 30 contact hours biennially (Rule 410-13-.01), OR one of five competency options: 30 CE, national certificate maintenance, accredited academic program, 500+ practice hours with employer verification, or Board-approved activity.
Opioid / controlled substance
1 hour, 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 | 1 | biennial; eff July 1, 2024 | APRNs with delegated emergency Schedule II (hydrocodone/oxycodone) authority |
Tracking: CE Broker (GA Board of Nursing) + self-attestation; records for audit.
Physician Assistants (PA)
Set by the Georgia Composite Medical Board — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: 40 hours Board-approved CE per biennium (Rule 360-5-.07). AMA/AOA/AAPA/AAFP/AAAA Category 1. >=10 hours in supervising physician's specialty. New PAs waived from full 40 at first renewal. Eff. 2026-05-25 the Board may waive PA renewal CE for hardship, disability, illness or legislative service. Hours unchanged.
Opioid / controlled substance
1 hour, 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) | 3 hours | per cycle | prescribers |
| Opioid / controlled-substance prescribing | 1 | biennial; eff July 1, 2024 | PAs authorized to prescribe Schedule II CS under 2024 scope expansion |
| Specialty-specific CE | 10 | per biennium (within 40) | all licensed PAs |
Tracking: CE Broker (GA Composite Medical Board); self-attest, retain 5 years; audit.
Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA)
Set by the Georgia Board of Nursing (APRN authorization as a CRNA under Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 410-11-.04) — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: RN continued competency (Rule 410-13-.01) — one of: (1) 30 CE hours by a Board-approved provider; (2) 'maintenance of certification or recertification by a national certifying body recognized by the Board'; (3) accredited academic program; (4) 500+ practice hours with employer verification; (5) other Board-approved activity. CRNA authorization expires 'on January 31st of odd-numbered years and shall be administratively revoked if not renewed' (410-11-.04(3)); renewal requires renewal application, 'a copy of current national certification/recertification as a certified registered nurse anesthetist which bears the expiration date', and fee (410-11-.04(4)). NBCRNA is the sole recognized CRNA certifying body (410-11-.12).
NBCRNA recertification is accepted in place of state CE. Current NBCRNA certification/recertification is (a) mandatory for CRNA authorization renewal (410-11-.04) and (b) an accepted competency option for RN renewal ('maintenance of certification or recertification by a national certifying body recognized by the Board', 410-13-.01). A CRNA maintaining NBCRNA therefore owes no separate state CE hours. 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
No additional mandated topics identified beyond the total above.
Tracking: CE Broker (GA Board of Nursing) + self-attestation at renewal; retain documentation 4 years (410-13-.01); CRNA renewal submits copy of current NBCRNA card. Same as APRN file.
Anesthesiologist Assistants (CAA)
Set by the Georgia Composite Medical Board — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: Georgia has no standalone AA practice act; AAs are licensed under the Physician Assistant Act and follow PA rules. Rule 360-5-.07: 'not less than forty (40) hours biennially' with 'at least ten (10) hours ... directly related to the specialty of the Board approved primary supervising physician.' Accepted credit: AMA Category 1, AOA Category 1, AAPA Category 1 and 'A.A.A.A. (American Academy of Anesthesiologist's Assistants) Category 1'. Renewal fee $300 (Board fee page). The Anesthesiologist Assistant Act (SB 111, 2023-2024) that would have created a separate AA license died (Senate recommitted Jan 8 2024).
State CE is owed in addition to NCCAA. Rule 360-5-.07 is hour-based and does not list NCCAA certification as satisfying the 40-hour requirement, although AAAA Category 1 credit (the credit type NCCAA counts as Category I) is expressly accepted. NCCAA certification is not referenced in the Georgia rule; § 43-34-103 references certification by the 'National Association for the Certification of Anesthesia Assistants (NACAA) or its successor' (i.e., NCCAA) for initial licensure. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| CME in the specialty of the primary supervising physician (anesthesiology) [VERIFY] | 10 | Each biennium (within the 40) | All PA/AA licensees |
Tracking: Self-attestation at biennial renewal; Board audits CE documentation (retain certificates). Renewal fee $300; reinstatement $400 lapsed / $200 inactive.
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 Georgia'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).
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 Georgia 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.