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Maine CME Requirements (2026): Physicians, NPs, PAs, CRNAs & CAAs
Maine 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 Maine Board of Licensure in Medicine.
General CME: 40 hours every 2 years.
Opioid / controlled substance
3 hours every 2 years — prescribing of opioid medication. Trigger: prescribes controlled substances.
✓ No board pre-approval gate: No board pre-approval — generic ACCME/AOA Category 1 counts.
All mandated CME topics
| Topic | Hours | Timing | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Controlled substances / opioid prescribing | 3 | per 2 years | opioid prescribers |
Citation: Code Me. R. §373; 02 ME §383
Nurse Practitioners (APRN / NP)
Set by the Maine State Board of Nursing — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: 50 contact hours (CEUs) every 2-year renewal in nursing, medicine or allied health within the APRN's area of practice; minimum 30 hours must be Category I, remainder may be Category II. Requirement applies per specialty for APRNs holding multiple advanced-practice licenses.
Opioid / controlled substance
3 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) | 15 contact hours | per cycle | prescribers |
| Opioid / controlled-substance prescribing | 3 | every 2 years (per renewal cycle); must be completed since last renewal | APRNs whose scope of practice includes prescribing opioid medication (i.e., APRNs with prescriptive authority) |
Tracking: Self-attestation on renewal application; Maine State Board of Nursing does not use CE Broker and is not a repository of records — licensees retain documentation and must produce it if selected for audit.
Physician Assistants (PA)
Set by the Maine Board of Licensure in Medicine (allopathic PAs; osteopathic PAs licensed under Maine Board of Osteopathic Licensure) — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: 100 hours of CME per 2-year licensure period, with at least 40 hours in Category 1 (AMA/ACCME/Maine Medical Association/Board-accredited); remaining 60 hours may be Category 1 or Category 2. Category 1 may substitute for Category 2 but not vice versa. Governed by Board Rule Chapter 2.
Opioid / controlled substance
3 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) | 3 hours | per cycle | prescribers |
| Opioid / controlled-substance prescribing | 3 | every 2 years (each renewal cycle) | PAs who prescribe opioid medication |
Tracking: Self-attestation on the renewal application (applicant attests CME completed); the Board does not serve as a repository — PAs maintain their own CME files and produce them on audit. Not a CE Broker state.
Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA)
Set by the Maine State Board of Nursing — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: Board Rules Chapter 8 (eff. 2/26/2020) Sec. 8(1)(A): a CRNA 'seeking continuing approval to practice as an advanced practice registered nurse must have completed during the 2 year period of licensure a minimum of 50 contact hours of continuing education in nursing, medicine or allied health in practice for which the individual has been approved.' Sec. 8(1)(B): minimum 30 contact hrs Category I; Sec. 8(1)(C): no more than 20 Category II. Category I includes activities approved by the 'Council on Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists' (i.e., NBCRNA) (Sec. 8(2)(A)). Sec. 4(3): continuing approval is requested concurrently with RN renewal and must include evidence of current certification and 'evidence of recertification by the Council on Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists'; $100 approval fee.
State CE is owed in addition to NBCRNA. NBCRNA recertification is mandatory to keep the CRNA approval (Ch. 8 Sec. 4(3)(B)) but is NOT accepted in lieu of the 50-hr state CE; the rule imposes the 50 hrs on CRNAs by name (Sec. 8 heading and 8(1)(A)). NBCRNA/AANA-approved activities count as Category I hours (Sec. 8(2)(A)). National layer: NBCRNA continued certification (4-year cycle: 60 Class A + 40 Class B credits, MAC Check).
Opioid / controlled substance [VERIFY]
3 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 [VERIFY] | 15 | per cycle | All CRNAs at each biennial renewal (Board clarification approved 12/8-9/2021, letter 1/10/2022); hours count within the 50 |
| Opioid / controlled-substance prescribing [VERIFY] | 3 | every 2 yrs (Category I), as a condition of prescribing opioid medication | 32 M.R.S. s. 2210: any Chapter 31 licensee 'whose scope of practice includes prescribing opioid medication'; Ch. 8 Sec. 8(1)(B): 'advanced practice registered nurses with prescriptive authority.' A CRNA who prescribes Schedule III-V opioids post-operatively under Sec. 7(1)(C) is within scope; a CRNA who only administers anesthetics and never writes opioid prescriptions is arguably outside. Board has not published CRNA-specific guidance - VERIFY. |
Tracking: Affirmation under oath on the continuing-approval form; documentation kept by the CRNA for two renewal periods; random or targeted Board audit (Ch. 8 Sec. 8(1)(A)). Audited licensees submit certificates for Category I and outlines for Category II (Board FAQ). Not CE Broker.
Some figures flagged [VERIFY] — verify with the board.
Anesthesiologist Assistants (CAA)
Not authorized to practice in Maine.
Certified anesthesiologist assistants cannot practice in Maine — 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 Maine'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 other topic mandates.
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 Maine 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.