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Hawaii CME Requirements (2026): Physicians, NPs, PAs, CRNAs & CAAs
Hawaii 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 Hawaii Medical Board.
General CME: 40 hours every 2 years.
Opioid / controlled substance
No opioid-specific mandate. Federal MATE Act (8 hours one-time) only.
✓ No board pre-approval gate: No board pre-approval — the federal MATE Act requirement is a single 8-hour course.
All mandated CME topics
No additional mandated topics identified beyond the total above.
Citation: HAR 16-85 Subch.5; HRS 453-6
Nurse Practitioners (APRN / NP)
Set by the Hawaii Board of Nursing (DCCA PVL) — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: APRNs WITH prescriptive authority: 30 contact hours per biennium (22 clinical specialty + 8 pharmacology). Base RN/APRN renewal uses non-numeric continuing-competency option. Maintain national certificate.
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) | 8 contact hours | per cycle | prescribers |
Tracking: Self-report/attestation via MyPVL portal; random audit. NOT CE Broker.
Physician Assistants (PA)
Set by the Hawaii Medical Board (DCCA PVL) — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: 40 hours CME per 2 years (cycle Feb 1-Jan 31 odd years). AMA PRA Category 1, AOA Category 1-A, or AAPA Category 1. No sub-allocations.
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: Self-maintain records; random audit by Hawaii Medical Board. No CE Broker.
Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA)
Set by the Hawaii Board of Nursing (DCCA Professional & Vocational Licensing Division) — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: All RN/APRN licensees must meet the HRS §457-9.3 continuing-competency requirement each biennium (licenses expire June 30 of odd years) by completing ONE learning-activity option (e.g., 30 contact hours) OR by holding current national certification from a Board-recognized body. The Board's Continuing Competency Manual states 'APRN with current national cert: renew online; no learning activity documentation needed.' Prescriptive-authority holders additionally owe 30 CE hours per HAR §16-89-123.
NBCRNA recertification is accepted in place of state CE. NBCRNA is expressly on the Board's list of recognized national certifying bodies ('NBCRNA: CRNA'); current certification exempts the licensee from all learning-activity options for the base RN/APRN renewal. For the SEPARATE prescriptive-authority 30-hour CE, HAR §16-89-123 permits 'continuing education required for recertification by a recognized national certifying body, earned within the current renewal biennium' to be accepted in lieu of the 30 hours — so NBCRNA CPC credits earned in the biennium may be used, but the 8-hour pharmacology allocation should still be documented (VERIFY with Board whether the in-lieu clause waives the 8-hour pharmacology split). 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 | 8 | per cycle | Only CRNAs who hold and renew APRN prescriptive authority. CRNAs do not need prescriptive authority to provide anesthesia care (HAR §16-89-119(c)), so most CRNAs owe no pharmacology hours. |
Tracking: Self-attestation via MyPVL online renewal; random post-renewal audit with 60 days to produce documentation; keep records 4 years. Not CE Broker. Same as APRN dataset.
Anesthesiologist Assistants (CAA)
Not authorized to practice in Hawaii.
Certified anesthesiologist assistants cannot practice in Hawaii — 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 Hawaii'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 special-topic CME mandate (no opioid/controlled-substance/pain/ethics). Aggregators cite '40' = Category 1 floor only; actual is 100. HAR 16-85 Subch.5; HRS 453-6.
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 Hawaii 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.