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Minnesota CME Requirements (2026): Physicians, NPs, PAs, CRNAs & CAAs
Minnesota 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 Minnesota Board of Medical Practice.
General CME: 75 hours every 3 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: Minn. R. 5605.0100
Nurse Practitioners (APRN / NP)
Set by the Minnesota Board of Nursing — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: RN license requires 24 contact hours of continuing education during each 24-month registration period. For APRNs, maintaining current national certification in the licensed role/population is required and, per the Board, satisfies the 24 contact hours; there are no ADDITIONAL CE hours mandated specifically for the APRN license beyond the RN CE / certification maintenance.
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-report/attestation in the Board of Nursing online account at renewal; do not submit documents unless selected for a random audit; licensee must retain CE records. No CE Broker.
Physician Assistants (PA)
Set by the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: 50 contact hours of AMA/AAPA Category 1 continuing education every 2 years as a condition of renewal. Alternatively, a PA may satisfy the requirement by holding current National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) certification.
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-report/attestation to the Board of Medical Practice at renewal; retain documentation in case of audit. No CE Broker.
Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA)
Set by the Minnesota Board of Nursing — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: The RN license (which every APRN must hold) requires 24 contact hours per 24-month period. The Board accepts a current nursing specialty certificate from a national organization whose standards include periodic CE/competency requirements as meeting the CE requirement; NBCRNA is expressly listed among the seven Board-recognized certifying bodies. The APRN license must be renewed with current national certification and carries no separate CE hours.
NBCRNA recertification is accepted in place of state CE. Current NBCRNA certification both (a) is a condition of APRN licensure/renewal (Minn. Stat. 148.211 subd. 1a) and (b) satisfies the 24-hour RN CE requirement per the Board's continuing-education page. 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: Self-attestation in the Board online account at renewal; retain records; random audit. No CE Broker. Same as APRN dataset.
Anesthesiologist Assistants (CAA)
Not authorized to practice in Minnesota.
Certified anesthesiologist assistants cannot practice in Minnesota — there is no CAA license, certification or physician-delegation pathway, so there are no state CE requirements to track here. Pending / recent legislation: HF 4460 (Huot et al.) / SF 4517 (Kupec, Nelson, Utke), 94th Legislature 2026 – 'Anesthesiologist assistant licensure established' (Board of Medical Practice, AA Advisory Council). HF 4460 introduced 2026-03-18, referred to House Health Finance & Policy; SF 4517 introduced 2026-03-17, referred to Senate Health & Human Services. Neither received a committee vote before adjournment (2026-05-18); dead for 2026. Supported by MMA. 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 Minnesota'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 current recurring special-topic mandate. Former one-time 2-hour opioid best-practices (Minn. Stat. 214.12 subd.6) EXPIRED (was due 12/31/2022). MOC/board certificate accepted in lieu.
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 Minnesota 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.