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New Hampshire CME requirements 2026 rules for physicians, NPs, PAs, CRNAs and CAAs
New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire. Below, each profession's total hours, mandated topics, opioid/controlled-substance rule, and tracking, plus the one federal rule they share. Physician rules reviewed September 27, 2026.
Physicians (MD / DO)
Set by the New Hampshire Board of Medicine. Verified September 27, 2026.
General CME: 100 hours every 2 years.
Opioid / controlled substance
3 hours every 2 years: pain management and addiction disorder. Trigger: DEA-holding PDMP registrants.
✓ No board pre-approval needed (content caveat): generic ACCME Category 1 counts if abstract/objectives reference the required topics.
All mandated CME topics
| Topic | Hours | Timing | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pain management or addiction disorders | 3 | per renewal | controlled-substance (PDMP-registered) prescribers |
Citation: RSA 318-B:40; Med 502
Nurse Practitioners (APRN / NP)
Set by the New Hampshire Board of Nursing (NH Office of Professional Licensure and Certification), separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics. Verified October 19, 2026.
General CE: 30 contact hours to maintain RN continuing competence plus 30 additional APRN contact hours (at least 20 of the 30 must be specific to the specialty practice area). Current national certification may be counted as 30 of the 60 contact hours (Nur 401.03(b)).
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) | 5 contact hours | per cycle (within the 60) | All APRNs, regardless of DEA registration (Nur 401.03) |
| Opioid / controlled-substance prescribing | 3 | Each 2-year renewal cycle and as a condition of initial licensure (RSA 318-B:40). Per NH Board of Nursing / OPLC guidance, the 3 hours are drawn from (nested within) the 5 required pharmacology hours. | APRN holding active DEA registration / controlled-substance prescriptive authority in New Hampshire (registrant of the controlled drug prescription health and safety program / PDMP). |
Tracking: Self-report/attestation at online renewal via NH OPLC; licensee retains certificates/records and must produce them upon Board audit.
Physician Assistants (PA)
Set by the New Hampshire Board of Medicine (NH Office of Professional Licensure and Certification), separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics. Verified July 20, 2026.
General CE: 100 hours of approved CME per 2-year cycle, of which a minimum of 40 must be AMA PRA Category 1 Credit (mirrors the physician standard in Med 402.01); remaining hours may be Category 2 / other approved.
Opioid / controlled substance
3 hours, every year, 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 | 3 | Annual for PAs (biennial for physicians); condition of licensure & renewal | PA holding active DEA registration / controlled-substance prescriptive authority in NH (registrant of the controlled drug prescription health and safety program / PDMP). |
Tracking: Self-report/attestation at online renewal via NH OPLC (Board of Medicine); licensee retains certificates/records and must produce them upon Board audit.
Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA)
Set by the New Hampshire Board of Nursing (Office of Professional Licensure and Certification, OPLC), separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics. Verified August 24, 2026.
General CE: Nur 401.03(a)(2): APRN renewal requires 'at least 30 educational contact hours to satisfy the requirements of RN continuing competence and an additional 30 hours, 5 of which shall be education in pharmacology within 2 years'; Nur 403.01(d): of the additional 30, at least 20 specific to the specialty practice area and 5 in pharmacology appropriate to the specialty practice area. Nur 401.03(b): 'The national certification required by (a)(3) above may be counted as 30 of the 60 contact hours.' Nur 401.03 last amended eff. September 27, 2023; Nur 403.01 eff. October 22, 2015.
NBCRNA recertification counts toward state CE (partial). Current NBCRNA certification counts as 30 of the 60 required hours. The remaining 30 must still be earned, and the rule does not state which half the certification replaces; the Board's education page frames national certification as fulfilling the RN-level CE (Nur 403.01(a)), leaving the APRN 30 (20 specialty + 5 pharmacology) to be documented. NBCRNA CPC Class A credits that are anesthesia-specific and pharmacology-related can be used to satisfy those APRN hours as ordinary CE. National layer: NBCRNA continued certification (4-year cycle: 60 Class A + 40 Class B credits, MAC Check).
Opioid / controlled substance
3 hours, every 2 years, for CRNAs who hold controlled-substance registration. Timing is built into the free multi-state planner.
All mandated CE topics
| Topic | Hours | Timing | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anesthesia-specific CE | 20 | per cycle | All APRNs incl. CRNAs |
| Pharmacology / pharmacotherapeutics | 5 | per cycle | All APRNs including CRNAs, regardless of DEA registration: the rule contains no CRNA carve-out. |
| Opioid / controlled-substance prescribing | 3 | Condition of initial licensure and each biennial renewal; nested within the 5 pharmacology hours per OPLC Board of Nursing guidance ('3 of the 5 hours must address opioid prescribing, pain management, or substance abuse disorder'). | CRNA who holds an active DEA registration / is registered with the NH controlled drug prescription health and safety program. RSA 318-B:40 applies to 'all prescribers required to register with the program who possess a [DEA] license number'. No profession exemption, so a DEA-registered CRNA is covered; a CRNA without individual DEA registration is not. |
Tracking: Self-attestation at online renewal via OPLC; licensee retains certificates and produces them on audit. RSA 318-B:40 completion documentation is submitted with the renewal application.
Anesthesiologist Assistants (CAA)
Not authorized to practice in New Hampshire. Verified August 24, 2026.
Certified anesthesiologist assistants cannot practice in New Hampshire: 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, and it does not replace New Hampshire'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.
Common questions about New Hampshire CME
How many CME hours does New Hampshire require for physicians?
New Hampshire requires 100 / 2 years (40 Category I / 60 Category II) of continuing medical education (RSA 318-B:40; Med 502). 100 hours every 2 years.
Does New Hampshire require opioid or controlled-substance CME?
Yes. 3 hours every 2 years: pain management and addiction disorder. Trigger: DEA-holding PDMP registrants.
Does my opioid CME course need New Hampshire board approval?
No board pre-approval (content caveat): generic ACCME Category 1 counts if abstract/objectives reference the required topics.
How is CME tracked in New Hampshire?
New Hampshire tracking: CE Broker. Board: New Hampshire Board of Medicine.
Do nurse practitioners and physician assistants have different CME requirements in New Hampshire?
Yes. In New Hampshire, nurse practitioners (APRNs) are licensed by the board of nursing and physician assistants (PAs) by the PA/medical board, each setting its own CE hours and mandated topics. These differ from the physician (MD/DO) figures. The federal DEA MATE Act and most state opioid/controlled-substance prescribing CME still apply to APRNs and PAs who hold a DEA registration. See the profession-specific sections on this page.
What are the CME requirements for CRNAs and anesthesiologist assistants in New Hampshire?
CRNAs in New Hampshire are regulated by the New Hampshire Board of Nursing (Office of Professional Licensure and Certification, OPLC) and must also maintain NBCRNA certification (a 4-year cycle of 60 Class A and 40 Class B credits). Certified anesthesiologist assistants are not authorized to practice in New Hampshire, so there are no state CAA CE requirements; NCCAA certification (50 CME hours every 2 years plus the CDQ exam) still applies nationally. See the CRNA and CAA sections on this page.
More on New Hampshire
- What a New Hampshire license costs, and how long the board says it takes
- What else can hold up a renewal: PDMP accounts, fingerprints, lawful presence
- Licensed in more than one state? How one course can count in several
- Adding a state through the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact
- Track New Hampshire CME next to your other licenses
Every license, certificate and renewal date on one list, checked against each board’s own rules, with a reminder before anything is due. 30 days free with a card on file. Licensed in more than one state? The free planner times your opioid and controlled-substance hours so one course counts in as many states as it can.
This page summarizes New Hampshire board rules and statutes as of September 27, 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.