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Maryland CME Requirements (2026): Physicians, NPs, PAs, CRNAs & CAAs
Maryland 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 Maryland Board of Physicians.
General CME: 50 hours every 2 years.
Opioid / controlled substance
2 hours one-time at CDS registration — prescribing/dispensing controlled substances. Trigger: CDS applicants.
✓ No board pre-approval gate: No board pre-approval — generic ACCME Category 1 counts.
All mandated CME topics
| Topic | Hours | Timing | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Implicit bias training | approved program (no set hours; not in 50) | one-time (1st renewal after 4/1/2022) | all |
| Structural racism training | approved program | one-time (1st renewal on/after 4/1/2026 if no prior implicit bias) | all |
| Controlled substances / opioid prescribing | 2 (not in 50) | one-time (before 1st CDS reg on/after 10/1/2018) | MD CDS registrants |
Citation: HB 1452 (2018)
Nurse Practitioners (APRN / NP)
Set by the Maryland Board of Nursing (MBON) — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: No state-mandated numeric CE hours for NP/APRN certification renewal. MBON renews NP certification biennially on the basis of maintaining current national NP certification from a Board-recognized certifying body (AANPCB, ANCC, etc.) plus application and fee (COMAR 10.27.07.04). CE volume/content is therefore driven by the national certifier, not the state (e.g., AANPCB Option 1 = 100 contact hours advanced CE per 5-year cycle; ANCC comparable).
Opioid / controlled substance
2 hours, one time, 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) | 100 hours | per cycle | prescribers |
| Opioid / controlled-substance prescribing | 2 | One-time; attested before/at first Maryland CDS (Controlled Dangerous Substances) registration issued or renewed on or after 10/1/2018 (not repeated thereafter) | All Maryland CDS registrants who prescribe or dispense controlled dangerous substances (profession-agnostic 'all prescribers,' includes NPs) |
| Implicit bias training | Course (no set hours) | One-time; required at first license/certificate renewal on or after 4/1/2022 (exempt if already completed) | All Maryland health-occupation licensees/certificate holders, including RNs and NPs |
| Structural racism / cultural competency training | Course (no set hours) | One-time; to be completed at first renewal on or after 4/1/2026 (per MBON notice; implicit bias completed at same renewal if not done previously) | All Maryland health-occupation licensees/certificate holders, including RNs and NPs |
Tracking: Self-report/attestation to MBON at renewal; Board verifies current national NP certification directly with certifying body; documentation retained by licensee for audit. Maryland does NOT use CE Broker for nurses.
Physician Assistants (PA)
Set by the Maryland Board of Physicians (MBP) — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: 50 hours of continuing education every 2 years: at least 42 hours AMA PRA Category 1 CME PLUS at least 8 hours Category 1 on pharmacology, all earned in the 2-year period preceding license expiration/reinstatement. Alternative: proof of maintenance of NCCPA certification satisfies the CE requirement. First renewal after initial licensure: only the 8-hour Category 1 pharmacology component is required (other Category 1 hours waived).
Opioid / controlled substance
2 hours, one time, 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) | 8 hours | per cycle | prescribers |
| Opioid / controlled-substance prescribing | 2 | One-time; attested before/at first Maryland CDS registration issued or renewed on or after 10/1/2018 (not repeated thereafter) | All Maryland CDS registrants who prescribe or dispense controlled dangerous substances (profession-agnostic 'all prescribers,' includes PAs) |
| Implicit bias training | Course (no set hours) | One-time; required at first license renewal on or after 4/1/2022 (exempt if already completed) | All Maryland health-occupation licensees, including physician assistants |
| Structural racism / cultural competency training | Course (no set hours) | One-time; first renewal on or after 4/1/2026 | All Maryland health-occupation licensees, including physician assistants |
Tracking: Self-report/attestation at renewal via MBP online renewal; documentation (program title, sponsor, dates, location, hours, verification of attendance) retained by licensee for 6 years; subject to MBP audit (civil penalty up to $100 per missing credit hour). Maryland does NOT use CE Broker for PAs.
Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA)
Set by the Maryland Board of Nursing (MBON) — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: COMAR 10.27.06.04 (Renewal of Certification): the nurse anesthetist certification expires with the RN license and is renewed biennially upon (a) continued eligibility, (b) fee, (c) completed renewal application, and (d) 'documentation of a current national certification as a nurse anesthetist from the Council on Certification of Nurse Anesthetists or some other national certifying body recognized by the Board'; practicing on an expired national certification is prohibited. No contact-hour requirement appears anywhere in COMAR 10.27.06 or Health Occ. § 8-513. Maryland RN renewal likewise has no CE (COMAR 10.27.01.13). The CE content/volume therefore flows entirely from the NBCRNA CPC program.
NBCRNA recertification is accepted in place of state CE. Maintaining NBCRNA certification IS the state renewal standard; there is no separate state CE count. Loss of national certification bars practice. National layer: NBCRNA continued certification (4-year cycle: 60 Class A + 40 Class B credits, MAC Check).
Opioid / controlled substance
2 hours, one time, 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 | one-time; attested at first Maryland CDS registration issued or renewed on/after 10/1/2018 | Profession-agnostic: any Maryland CDS registrant who prescribes or dispenses CDS. Reaches a CRNA only if the CRNA personally holds a Maryland CDS registration (needed to prescribe/order CDS under § 8-513). CRNAs who administer CDS solely under facility/anesthesiologist orders without their own CDS registration owe nothing. |
| Implicit bias training (approved program) | Course (no set hours) | one-time; at first renewal on/after 4/1/2022 | All Maryland health-occupation licensees/certificate holders incl. RNs and CRNAs |
| Structural racism / cultural competency training | Course (no set hours) | one-time; at first renewal on/after 4/1/2026 | All Maryland health-occupation licensees/certificate holders incl. RNs and CRNAs |
Tracking: Self-attestation at MBON online renewal; Board verifies national certification with NBCRNA; licensee retains documentation for audit. Maryland does not use CE Broker for nurses. CDS CE attested to OCSA.
Anesthesiologist Assistants (CAA)
Not authorized to practice in Maryland.
Certified anesthesiologist assistants cannot practice in Maryland — there is no CAA license, certification or physician-delegation pathway, so there are no state CE requirements to track here. Pending / recent legislation: HB 1558 (Del.) / SB 951 (Sen. Ellis), 2026 Regular Session – 'State Board of Physicians – Anesthesiologist Assistants – Licensing' (proposed effective 2026-10-01; regs due 2027-10-01; ≤4 AAs per anesthesiologist). HB 1558: first reading House Health 2026-02-13, hearing 3/18 canceled; SB 951: first reading Senate Finance 2026-02-06, hearing 3/06. Neither advanced out of committee before sine die (2026-04-06 approx.) – dead for 2026. No AA bill in 2025 session (MBP 2025 legislative summary). 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 Maryland'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 Maryland 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.