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New York CME Requirements (2026): Physicians, NPs, PAs, CRNAs & CAAs
New York 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 York State Department of Health.
General CME: No fixed hour renewal mandate; opioid attestation via NEAT.
Opioid / controlled substance
≥3 hours every 3 years — pain management, palliative care, and addiction. Trigger: all NY prescribers holding a DEA registration. Attested via NEAT on the Health Commerce System.
✓ No board pre-approval gate: No board pre-approval — despite the specific topic curriculum, any ACCME course covering the required topics counts; self-attested via NEAT.
All mandated CME topics
| Topic | Hours | Timing | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Child abuse identification & reporting | 2 | one-time (pre-licensure) | all applicants |
| Infection control / barrier precautions | 7 core elements (no set hours) | every 4 years | all |
| Controlled substances / pain / palliative / addiction | 3 | every 3 years | DEA controlled-substance prescribers |
Citation: PHL §3309-A(3); 8 NYCRR 59.13
Nurse Practitioners (APRN / NP)
Set by the New York State Education Department (NYSED), Office of the Professions - State Board for Nursing — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: None. New York does NOT mandate general continuing education/competency contact hours for nurse practitioner (or RN) registration renewal. NYSED imposes no per-cycle CE hour total; only specific mandated trainings (opioid/pain prescriber education, one-time child abuse, periodic infection control) apply. Aggregator claims of a general '4 hours every 3 years' CE for NY nurses are erroneous (conflate the every-4-year infection control course) and are NOT supported by NYSED primary sources.
Opioid / controlled substance
3 hours, every 3 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 | 3 | At least once every three years (initial completion was required by July 1, 2017, then once every 3 years thereafter) | Any prescriber licensed under Title 8 of the Education Law who treats humans and holds a DEA registration number to prescribe controlled substances (Schedules II-V) - profession-agnostic, applies to NPs with prescriptive authority |
| Pain management, palliative care, and addiction (mandatory prescriber education) | 3 | Once every 3 years | NPs holding a DEA registration to prescribe controlled substances |
| Child abuse identification and reporting | 2 | One-time (pre-licensure/registration); Chapters 56 of 2021 and 25 of 2024 phase in an updated coursework requirement | All nurse practitioners (NP is explicitly listed among professions required to complete this training) |
| Infection control and barrier precautions | NYSED/NYSDOH-approved coursework (no fixed hour count set by NYSED) | Every 4 years | NPs via their underlying Registered Professional Nurse (RN) licensure (RNs are a covered profession; NPs are RNs with added certification) |
Tracking: No CE hours are tracked by NYSED because none are mandated for general renewal. Mandated trainings are satisfied by completing NYSED/NYSDOH-approved coursework; prescriber (opioid) education is attested via the NYSDOH attestation process, and child-abuse/infection-control completion is attested on registration renewal, subject to audit.
Physician Assistants (PA)
Set by the New York State Education Department (NYSED), Office of the Professions - State Board for Medicine — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: None. New York does NOT mandate a general CME/continuing education hour total for physician assistant registration renewal (mirrors NY's physician policy - the state sets no required number of CME credit hours for license renewal). Only specific mandated trainings apply (opioid/pain prescriber education and periodic infection control).
Opioid / controlled substance
3 hours, every 3 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 | 3 | At least once every three years (initial completion was required by July 1, 2017, then once every 3 years thereafter) | Any prescriber licensed under Title 8 of the Education Law who treats humans and holds a DEA registration number to prescribe controlled substances (Schedules II-V) - profession-agnostic, applies to PAs with prescriptive authority |
| Pain management, palliative care, and addiction (mandatory prescriber education) | 3 | Once every 3 years | PAs holding a DEA registration to prescribe controlled substances |
| Infection control and barrier precautions | NYSDOH-approved coursework (no fixed hour count set) | Every 4 years | All practicing physician assistants (covered profession - Group 2) |
Tracking: No CE hours are tracked by NYSED because none are mandated for general renewal. Mandated trainings are completed via NYSDOH-approved coursework; opioid prescriber education is satisfied via the NYSDOH attestation process, and infection control completion is attested on the 3-year registration renewal, subject to audit.
Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA)
Set by the New York State Education Department (NYSED), Office of the Professions — State Board for Nursing, as the licensor of the Registered Professional Nurse (RN). New York does NOT license, certify, or title CRNAs; NYSED recognizes only NPs and CNSs as advanced practice. CRNAs are recognized solely by the NYS Department of Health facility regulations (10 NYCRR 405.13 hospitals; 10 NYCRR 755.4 ambulatory surgery/diagnostic & treatment centers), which list a 'certified registered nurse anesthetist' (per the federal definition, 42 CFR 410.69(b)) as a qualified anesthesia practitioner working under physician supervision. — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: No general CE/contact-hour requirement exists for RN registration in New York, and since CRNAs practice on the RN license there is no CRNA CE rule. There is no statute describing CRNA scope ('there is no law describing CRNA scope of practice' — NYSANA FAQ). DOH regulations 10 NYCRR 405.13(a)(1)(iv) and 755.4 recognize CRNAs as qualified anesthesia providers under the supervision of an anesthesiologist or the operating physician (New York has opted out of the CMS physician-supervision condition, but state DOH regs still require supervision). Legislation to create Ed. Law Article 139-A licensing CRNAs (S357-B / A6771-A, 2025-26; earlier S5435-B) remained in Senate Higher Education committee as of 1/7/2026 and per NYSANA testimony of 2/24/2026 had not passed; if enacted it would create a CRNA license with its own renewal rules — monitor.
NBCRNA recertification counts toward state CE (partial). No state CE exists for NBCRNA certification to satisfy. NBCRNA certification is not verified by NYSED (it does not license CRNAs); it is the operative credential under DOH facility regs (via the federal CRNA definition, which requires certification/recertification) and employer credentialing. Mandated infection-control and child-abuse trainings are NOT satisfied by NBCRNA CPC. National layer: NBCRNA continued certification (4-year cycle: 60 Class A + 40 Class B credits, MAC Check).
Opioid / controlled substance [VERIFY]
3 hours, every 3 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 - pain management, palliative care and addiction (mandatory prescriber education) [VERIFY] | 3 | once every 3 years (first completion was due 7/1/2017) | PHL 3309-a(3): every prescriber licensed under Title 8 of the Education Law (RNs are Title 8 licensees) who treats humans and holds a DEA registration to prescribe controlled substances. NYSANA's FAQ confirms it reaches 'CRNAs with DEA numbers prescribing controlled substances'. CRNAs without a DEA registration (the majority) are not covered. |
| Infection control and barrier precautions (HIV/HBV) [VERIFY] | Course (no set hours) | every 4 years (NYSED/NYSDOH-approved coursework; no fixed hour count); attested at every registration | All registered nurses incl. CRNAs (RN licensees) |
| Child abuse identification and reporting (mandated reporter training; updated curriculum incl. implicit bias, ACEs, virtual settings, I/DD per Ch. 56 of 2021 and Ch. 25 of 2024) [VERIFY] | 2 | one-time at initial licensure; all mandated reporters (incl. those previously trained) must complete the updated curriculum by 11/17/2026 | Registered Nurses (listed profession) incl. CRNAs |
Tracking: No CE hours tracked. Infection control and child abuse completion attested on the 3-year RN registration renewal (subject to audit); PHL 3309-a completion attested to NYSDOH Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement via the prescriber attestation portal. NBCRNA certification tracked by employers/NBCRNA only.
Some figures flagged [VERIFY] — verify with the board.
Anesthesiologist Assistants (CAA)
Not authorized to practice in New York.
Certified anesthesiologist assistants cannot practice in New York — there is no CAA license, certification or physician-delegation pathway, so there are no state CE requirements to track here. Pending / recent legislation: A1072 (Assemblymember Buttenschon; co-sponsor Hevesi), 2025-2026 – 'Relates to licensure of anesthesiologist assistants' (new Education Law Art. 131-D; direct supervision by physician anesthesiologist; state AA committee; $100 license / $50 triennial renewal). Referred to Assembly Higher Education 2025-01-08; re-referred 2026-01-07; no Senate same-as; no committee action as of 2026-08-24. Prior: A10498 (2023-2024). 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 York'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)
- NY has NO total-hour CME mandate — only these topic trainings.
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 York 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.