Home › CME by state › Montana
Montana CME requirements 2026 rules for physicians, NPs, PAs, CRNAs and CAAs
Montana regulates four clinician professions through different boards, each with its own continuing-education rules: physicians (MD/DO), nurse practitioners (APRN/NP), physician assistants (PA) and nurse anesthetists (CRNA). Anesthesiologist assistants (CAA) cannot practice in Montana. Below, each profession's total hours, mandated topics, opioid/controlled-substance rule, and tracking, plus the one federal rule they share. Physician rules reviewed October 13, 2026.
Physicians (MD / DO)
Set by the Montana Board of Medical Examiners. Verified October 13, 2026.
General CME: None.
Opioid / controlled substance
No opioid-specific mandate; no general CME mandate. Federal MATE Act (8 hours one-time) only.
✓ No board pre-approval needed: no approved-course list. An accredited course meeting the federal MATE Act standard satisfies it.
All mandated CME topics
No additional mandated topics identified beyond the total above.
Citation: Mont. Administrative R. 24.156
Nurse Practitioners (APRN / NP)
Set by the Montana Board of Nursing, separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics. Verified October 13, 2026.
General CE: Montana no longer requires continuing education for APRN renewal. The Board of Nursing repealed all CE contact-hour requirements for LPN, RN and APRN renewal, including the pharmacology hours for prescribers, effective November 18, 2023 (MAR Notice 24-159-93; ARM 24.159.2101/.2102/.2104/.2106 repealed). APRNs must keep current national certification, send the Board proof of each recertification within 30 days, and keep an individualized quality-assurance plan (ARM 24.159.1469).
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: No CE to report at renewal. Proof of national recertification goes to the Board within 30 days of issue; documentation is kept 5 years.
Physician Assistants (PA)
Set by the Montana Board of Medical Examiners, separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics. Verified July 20, 2026.
General CE: Montana does not require CME for PAs to obtain or renew a license. (Board resources confirm PAs are not required to complete continuing education at this time.) PA licenses renew biennially (expire Oct 31). PAs maintain NCCPA certification separately (national requirement, not state).
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: Not applicable - no state CE requirement to track. No CE Broker use for the medical board.
Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA)
Set by the Montana Board of Nursing (Department of Labor & Industry, Business Standards Division), separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics. Verified August 24, 2026.
General CE: Montana's former rule required 24 contact hours per biennium, with 12 hours of pharmacotherapeutics for prescriptive-authority holders. That regime was repealed. The Board's Notice of Amendment and Repeal (MAR 24-159-93, 2023 MAR p. 1611, certified to the Secretary of State Nov 7, 2023, published MAR Issue 22, 11/17/2023, effective 11/18/2023) states: 'The board is removing all CE requirements for renewal of LPN, RN, and APRN licensure' (Response 6) and repeals the pharmacology-specific CE for prescribers (Responses 5, 7, 8). The Board's Continuing Education page now reads: 'the Montana Board of Nursing no longer requires continuing education contact hours to be completed as a requirement for renewal of a nursing license.' Current ARM 24.159.1469 (as amended eff. 11/18/2023) requires the APRN to 'engage in ongoing competence development' (formal education, CE, or clinical practice), retain documentation 5 years, submit verification of national recertification to the Board within 30 days of issuance, and maintain an individualized QA plan meeting the standards of the APRN's national professional organization. ARM 24.159.1468 (as amended) makes prescriptive authority concurrent with the 2-year license and requires only a renewal application and fee. Licenses renew biennially (Dec 31 per ARM 24.101.413).
NBCRNA recertification is accepted in place of state CE. Current NBCRNA certification/recertification is the state's sole recurring competence requirement for a CRNA; verification of each recertification must be filed with the Board within 30 days (ARM 24.159.1469(1)(a)). There is no state CE count to substitute for. 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: No CE attestation at renewal. APRN must retain competence-development documentation 5 years and produce on Board request; national recertification verification filed within 30 days of issuance (ARM 24.159.1469). No CE Broker.
Some figures are marked “Confirm with the board”: the research could not pin them to a primary source. Verify with the board.
Anesthesiologist Assistants (CAA)
Not authorized to practice in Montana. Verified August 24, 2026.
Certified anesthesiologist assistants cannot practice in Montana: 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 every profession on this page. 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 and applies in every state. 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)
- MT does not require CME to obtain/renew a physician license (Board of Medical Examiners FAQ). No special topics. ARM Ch. 24.156.
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.
This page summarizes Montana board rules and statutes as of October 13, 2026 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 July 20, 2026, with the opioid/controlled-substance timing structured on July 23, 2026; CRNA and CAA data was researched against nursing-board, medical-board and practice-act primary sources on August 24, 2026 (items the research could not pin to a primary source are marked “Confirm with the board”). This is educational information, not legal advice. Always verify current requirements with your own board before relying on them.