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New Jersey CME Requirements (2026): Physicians, NPs, PAs, CRNAs & CAAs
New Jersey 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 New Jersey State Board of Medical Examiners.
General CME: 100 credits every 2 years.
Opioid / controlled substance
1 credit per biennium — responsible/safe opioid prescribing, alternatives, abuse signs. Trigger: all MD/DO.
✓ No board pre-approval gate: No board pre-approval — generic ACCME/AMA PRA Category 1 accepted; content must address prescription-opioid topics.
All mandated CME topics
| Topic | Hours | Timing | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| End-of-life / palliative care | 2 | per renewal | all |
| Opioid / controlled dangerous substance prescribing | 1 | per renewal | all |
| Sexual misconduct prevention (including a human trafficking component) | 2 | per renewal (effective 7/1/2025) | all |
| Explicit & implicit bias (perinatal) | 1 | per renewal | perinatal providers |
| Cultural competency | 6 | one-time prerequisite | if not in med school |
Citation: P.L. 2017 c.28
Nurse Practitioners (APRN / NP)
Set by the New Jersey Board of Nursing (Division of Consumer Affairs) — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: Remaining contact hours (of the 30) may be in any content relevant to the APN's practice; must be from an approved/accredited provider (e.g., ANCC).
Opioid / controlled substance
1 hour, 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) | 6 contact hours | per cycle | prescribers |
| Opioid / controlled-substance prescribing | 1 | Each biennial renewal cycle | 1 of the 30 contact hours must address prescription opioid drugs (responsible prescribing practices, alternatives to opioids for pain, and risks/signs of opioid abuse, addiction, and diversion). Applies to nurses generally; prescriber-focused content. NJ prescriber opioid-CE statute N.J.S.A. 45:1-7.3 also applies to APN prescribers. |
| End-of-life care / palliative care | 2 | Each biennial renewal (counts toward the 30 hours) | All licensed nurses (RN and APN) |
| Explicit and implicit bias (perinatal care) | 1 | Each renewal, conditional | APNs/nurses who provide perinatal / pregnancy-related care |
Tracking: Self-reported at biennial online renewal; licensees retain certificates of completion and are subject to random Board audit.
Physician Assistants (PA)
Set by the New Jersey State Board of Medical Examiners (Physician Assistant Advisory Committee) — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: All 50 credits must be Category I from an approved provider (AMA, AAPA, AAFP, AOA, or ACCME-accredited); Board may approve courses from other providers. Up to 15 credits earned in the final 6 months of a biennial period may carry over to the next period.
Opioid / controlled substance
1 hour, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opioid / controlled-substance prescribing | 1 | Each biennial renewal, effective September 1, 2017 and thereafter | 1 of the 50 required Category I credits must address prescription opioid drugs (responsible prescribing practices, alternatives to opioids for managing/treating pain, and risks/signs of opioid abuse, addiction, and diversion). Applies to all licensed PAs. |
| Explicit and implicit bias in perinatal care (unconscious bias, cultural competency, reproductive justice, pregnancy-related disparities) | 1 | Renewals after May 5, 2026, conditional | PAs who provide perinatal care |
Tracking: Self-reported at biennial online renewal; PA retains certificates and is subject to Board of Medical Examiners audit.
Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA)
Set by the New Jersey Board of Nursing (Division of Consumer Affairs) — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: N.J.A.C. 13:37-7.8(a): 'Every biennial period, an advanced practice nurse shall complete the continuing education required for the renewal of a registered professional nurse license pursuant to N.J.A.C. 13:37-5.3 and the continuing education requirements of the national certifying agency…' 13:37-5.3: minimum 30 hrs, incl. ≥1 hr prescription opioid drugs. 13:37-7.8(b): 2 credits end-of-life care (N.J.S.A. 45:11-47.1).
NBCRNA recertification counts toward state CE (partial). NBCRNA CPC compliance is itself a mandatory component of NJ APN renewal (13:37-7.8(a)), but it does not replace the 30 RN contact hours or the NJ-specific opioid and end-of-life credits; CPC Class A credits from accredited providers can double-count toward the 30. National layer: NBCRNA continued certification (4-year cycle: 60 Class A + 40 Class B credits, MAC Check).
Opioid / controlled substance [VERIFY]
1 hour, every 2 years, for every CRNA in the state. Timing is built into the free multi-state planner.
All mandated CE topics
| Topic | Hours | Timing | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pharmacology / pharmacotherapeutics [VERIFY] | 6 | per cycle | APNs who prescribe controlled dangerous substances (N.J.S.A. 45:11-49). Whether a CRNA whose only 'prescribing' is ordering/administering anesthesia under joint protocol with NJ CDS registration triggers it is not stated in rule — VERIFY. |
| Opioid / controlled-substance prescribing [VERIFY] | 1 | each biennial renewal (within the 30) | All NJ nurses/APNs incl. CRNAs — 'at least one hour in topics concerning prescription opioid drugs, including alternatives to opioids for managing and treating pain' (13:37-5.3). N.J.S.A. 45:1-7.3 prescriber opioid CE also reaches CRNAs who hold NJ CDS registration. FEDERAL (not state): DEA MATE Act one-time 8-hr SUD training applies only to CRNAs who personally hold a DEA registration. |
| End-of-life / palliative care [VERIFY] | 2 | per cycle (within the 30) | all APNs incl. CRNAs |
| Explicit and implicit bias in perinatal care [VERIFY] | 1 | per cycle, conditional | APNs who provide perinatal care — reaches CRNAs providing obstetric anesthesia only if the Board applies the perinatal-care definition to them (VERIFY) |
Tracking: Self-report at biennial online renewal; retain certificates; random Board of Nursing audit.
Some figures flagged [VERIFY] — verify with the board.
Anesthesiologist Assistants (CAA)
Not authorized to practice in New Jersey.
Certified anesthesiologist assistants cannot practice in New Jersey — 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 New Jersey'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 New Jersey 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.