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Oklahoma CME Requirements (2026): Physicians, NPs, PAs, CRNAs & CAAs
Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma State Board of Medical Licensure.
General CME: 60 hours every 3 years (MD); 16 hours per year AOA Category 1 (DO).
Opioid / controlled substance
≥1 hours per year — pain management OR opioid use/addiction. Trigger: DEA registrants. (DO: 1 hour CS/pain must be a Board-approved seminar.)
✓ No board pre-approval gate: MD: no pre-approval (generic ACCME Category 1). DO: the 1-hour CS/pain seminar must be approved by the OK Osteopathic Board.
All mandated CME topics
| Topic | Hours | Timing | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pain management OR opioid use & addiction | 1 | each year | DEA registrants |
| Provider rights & responsibilities / end-of-life medical treatment laws | ~1 | biennial | physicians at inpatient facilities |
Citation: 59 O.S. §495a.1; OAC 435:10-15-1
Nurse Practitioners (APRN / NP)
Set by the Oklahoma Board of Nursing (OBN) — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: None strictly mandated for RN/APRN renewal; 24 contact hours of nursing CE per 2-year cycle is one of five acceptable 'continuing qualifications' options (OAC 485:10-7-3). APRNs holding INDEPENDENT prescriptive authority must complete a minimum of 40 hours of Category I CME within the 2-year period preceding renewal (59 O.S. Sec. 567.4a; OAC 485:10-16-6).
Opioid / controlled substance
2 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) | 15 contact hours | per cycle | prescribers |
| Opioid / controlled-substance prescribing | 2 | Per 2-year prescriptive-authority renewal cycle (equivalent to 1 hours per year) | APRNs (CNP/CNM/CNS) with prescriptive authority who hold an active DEA registration number; waived if the APRN demonstrates no current DEA registration |
Tracking: Self-attestation at renewal through the OBN Nurse Portal; prescriptive-authority CE documented on the Board's 'Prescriptive Authority Continuing Education Tracking Form' (paCEU.pdf). Board conducts random and for-cause audits; selected licensees must submit proof of CE. Retain documentation.
Physician Assistants (PA)
Set by the Oklahoma State Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision (Oklahoma Medical Board) — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: At least 20 hours of Category I Continuing Medical Education (CME) during the preceding calendar year (OAC 435:15-3-17). Newly licensed PAs are exempt from reporting CME until one year after initial licensure. A PA who fails to meet the requirement by December 31 must complete 40 hours of Category I CME (plus verification) before renewal.
Opioid / controlled substance
1 hour, 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 | 1 | Each calendar year (annual renewal cycle) | All licensed physician assistants (part of the required annual 20 Category I CME hours) |
Tracking: The Oklahoma Academy of Physician Associates (OAPA) logs and reports PA CME hours to the Board. PAs certify completion at renewal; the Board conducts random and for-cause audits, and audited PAs must submit proof of required CME within 30 calendar days.
Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA)
Set by the Oklahoma Board of Nursing (OBN) — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: OAC 485:10-7-3 continuing qualifications (any one): 520 work hrs; 24 contact hrs nursing CE; current national specialty certification; Board-approved refresher; 6 academic credit hrs. Identical to NP dataset.
NBCRNA recertification counts toward state CE (partial). Current national certification satisfies the base RN/APRN 'continuing qualification' (OAC 485:10-7-3 option 3) and is a CRNA license condition, but it does NOT replace the 8 pharmacology units required to renew CRNA drug-ordering authority; those units must themselves be 'recognized by the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists'. 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
| Topic | Hours | Timing | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anesthesia pharmacology CE (advanced pharmacology relating to administration of anesthesia) | 8 | per cycle (2 yrs preceding renewal) | CRNAs holding OAC 485:10-18 authority (order/select/obtain/administer) - not every CRNA. Replaces - does not add to - the 15-hr (supervised) / 40-hr Cat I (independent) pharmacology/CME rules that apply to CNP/CNM/CNS prescriptive authority (485:10-16-6). |
Tracking: Self-attestation at renewal in OBN Nurse Portal; CRNA pharmacology units documented on the Board's prescriptive-authority CE tracking form; random/for-cause audit; retain documentation. No CE Broker.
Anesthesiologist Assistants (CAA)
Set by the Oklahoma State Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: Licenses renew biennially on or before October 31 (OAC 435:65-5-1(a)). The renewal rule (435:65-5-2) requires the completed application, fees, current supervision protocol and proof of malpractice insurance/financial responsibility; it does not state an hour requirement. The Act requires passing the NCCAA exam for initial licensure (59 O.S. § 3206(B)) and the initial application requires 3 hrs HIV/AIDS, 1 hr domestic violence and 2 hrs medical-error CME (§ 3206(D)).
NCCAA recertification counts toward state CE (partial). NCCAA exam required for licensure; ongoing NCCAA certification maintenance is not expressly required by rule at renewal (VERIFY with Board – renewal form may ask for current NCCAA status). National layer: NCCAA certification (50 CME hours every 2 years — 40 anesthesia + 10 general — plus the CDQ exam).
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
| Topic | Hours | Timing | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| HIV/AIDS (Category I) [VERIFY] | 3 | Initial licensure application | AA applicants |
| Domestic violence [VERIFY] | 1 | Initial licensure application | AA applicants |
| Prevention of medical errors [VERIFY] | 2 | Initial licensure application | AA applicants |
Tracking: Self-report at biennial renewal; notarized CME statements at initial application.
Some figures flagged [VERIFY] — verify with the board.
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 Oklahoma'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)
- MD board only. No other special topics.
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 Oklahoma 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.