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Pennsylvania CME Requirements (2026): Physicians, NPs, PAs, CRNAs & CAAs
Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine.
General CME: 100 hours every 2 years.
Opioid / controlled substance
2 hours per biennium — pain management, addiction ID, or opioid prescribing/dispensing (initial: 2+2 within 12 months). Trigger: CS prescribers/dispensers.
✓ No board pre-approval gate: No board pre-approval — any Category 1 activity from an ACCME-accredited organization counts. No designated course or list.
All mandated CME topics
| Topic | Hours | Timing | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Child abuse recognition & reporting (Act 31) | 2 (+3 one-time at initial) | per renewal | all (mandated reporters) |
| Opioid prescribing, pain management and addiction identification (single combined requirement) | 2 | per renewal | prescribers/dispensers |
| Patient safety / risk management | 12 | per renewal | all |
Citation: 49 Pa. Code §16.19 / §25.271
Nurse Practitioners (APRN / NP)
Set by the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: 30 hours of Board-approved CE applicable to the CRNP's specialty per biennium; the child-abuse (2 hours), pharmacology (16 hours, if prescriptive authority) and opioid (2 hours, if prescriptive authority) requirements are completed AS PART OF the 30 total hours, not in addition.
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) | 30 hours | per cycle | prescribers |
| Opioid / controlled-substance prescribing | 2 | Per biennial renewal period (recurring). A separate one-time 4 hours (2 hours pain management/identification of addiction + 2 hours practices of prescribing/dispensing opioids) is required at initial licensure/prescriptive-authority approval. | Applies only to CRNPs who hold prescriptive authority approval / prescribe controlled substances (DEA-registered prescribers or those using another's DEA number). Counts toward the 30-hour total. |
| Child abuse recognition and reporting (Act 31 of 2014) | 2 | Per biennial renewal (counts toward the 30 total). 3 hours one-time at initial licensure. | All CRNPs (mandatory reporters) |
| Organ donation and tissue recovery education | 2 | One-time, within any 5-year period, beginning May 1, 2026 (applies to all RNs, including CRNPs who also hold RN licensure) | All RNs/CRNPs |
Tracking: Self-reported at renewal; licensee must retain CE documentation and produce it if selected for Board random audit. An 'hour' of CE = 50 minutes (49 Pa. Code 21.334(f)).
Physician Assistants (PA)
Set by the Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine (medical-board PAs) AND State Board of Osteopathic Medicine (osteopathic-board PAs) — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: The PA Code does not set a numeric CME total or category breakdown; it requires 'continuing medical education as required by the NCCPA' plus mandated child-abuse and (for prescribers) opioid education. NCCPA's standard is 100 CME hours per 2-year cycle. FLAG: the '100' is an NCCPA rule, not codified in PA Code.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opioid / controlled-substance prescribing | 2 | Per biennial renewal period (recurring). A separate one-time 4 hours (2 hours pain management/identification of addiction + 2 hours practices of prescribing/dispensing opioids) is required at initial licensure/prescriptive-authority approval, completed within one year. | Applies to PAs who prescribe/dispense controlled substances (hold or use a DEA registration / have prescriptive authority approval). Board of Medicine notice expressly lists 'medical physician assistants who hold prescriptive authority approval' as within the ABC-MAP prescriber definition. |
| Child abuse recognition and reporting (Act 31 of 2014) | 2 | Per biennial renewal. 3 hours one-time at initial licensure. | All PAs, both medical and osteopathic boards (mandatory reporters) |
Tracking: Renewal conditioned on maintaining NCCPA national certification (NCCPA tracks CME); child-abuse and opioid CE self-attested at renewal with documentation retained for Board audit.
Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA)
Set by the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing (Department of State, BPOA). Pennsylvania does NOT license CRNAs as APRNs (only CRNPs are certified as advanced practice nurses under 49 Pa. Code Ch. 21 Subch. C). Act 60 of 2021 (Professional Nursing Law § 8.8, 63 P.S. § 218.8) created a Board-issued 'certified registered nurse anesthetist' certification/designation; implementing regulations (16A-5145, IRRC #3444, proposed 49 Pa. Code §§ 21.1001–21.1040) were at final-form stage but not yet published as of the Board's 7/14/2026 agenda. Until they take effect, CRNAs practice on the RN license under 49 Pa. Code § 21.17 (Anesthesia). — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: Today a Pennsylvania CRNA is an RN and owes the RN CE: 30 hours of Board-approved CE during the biennial period (49 Pa. Code § 21.131), at least 2 of which are approved child-abuse recognition/reporting training (required even at first renewal; § 21.508). Board-approved providers include ANCC-accredited providers and others under § 21.132/21.134; AANA-approved CE is generally acceptable through the Board's provider-approval rules (VERIFY specific provider status). New in 2026: 2 hours of organ donation and tissue recovery education once within 5 years, beginning May 1, 2026, for all RNs (per the Board's CRNP Licensure Snapshot). When 16A-5145 is published, CRNA certification will renew biennially with the RN license and require (a) current national (NBCRNA) recertification and (b) 'at least thirty (30) hours of continuing education' (63 P.S. § 218.8) — the regulatory analysis states these 30 hours are identical to the RN requirement and include the 2-hr child abuse and 2-hr organ donation components, so no additional burden. Section 21.17 is to be deleted one year after publication to give practitioners time to obtain the certification.
State CE is owed in addition to NBCRNA. National recertification is/will be a separate renewal condition (63 P.S. § 218.8(c)) in addition to the 30 CE hours, not a substitute. Under current § 21.17 practice, national certification is the qualifying credential but the RN 30-hour CE still applies. NBCRNA Class A credits from Board-approved providers can count toward the 30 hours if the provider is Board-approved. National layer: NBCRNA continued certification (4-year cycle: 60 Class A + 40 Class B credits, MAC Check).
Opioid / controlled substance [VERIFY]
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Child abuse recognition and reporting (Act 31 of 2014) [VERIFY] | 2 | per cycle (within the 30); 3 hours one-time at initial licensure | All RNs incl. CRNAs; carried into the pending CRNA certification renewal |
| Organ donation and tissue recovery education [VERIFY] | 2 | one-time within any 5-year period, beginning May 1, 2026 | All RNs incl. CRNAs; included in pending CRNA regulation |
Tracking: Self-report at biennial RN renewal; retain documentation 5 years for Board audit (§ 21.131). Pending CRNA certification will renew concurrently with the RN license (renewal fee proposed $61).
Some figures flagged [VERIFY] — verify with the board.
Anesthesiologist Assistants (CAA)
Set by the Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine (via physician delegation rules; no AA credential issued) — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics. Practice pathway: physician delegation — no state CAA license exists; you practice under an anesthesiologist's delegation and the state imposes no CE of its own.
General CE: Pennsylvania issues no AA license, so there is no state CME rule. CAAs practice as delegatees of anesthesiologists under 49 Pa. Code § 18.402, which conditions delegation on the physician's knowledge that the delegatee has 'education, training, experience and continued competency'. NCCAA certification (50 CME hours per 2 years — 40 anesthesia + 10 general — and the CDQ examination in year 4, then every 10 years) is the practical competency standard.
NCCAA recertification is accepted in place of state CE. Not a state rule; NCCAA certification is the de facto competency evidence under the delegation regulation. 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
No additional mandated topics identified beyond the total above.
Tracking: None at state level (no credential); employer/credentialing verification of NCCAA status.
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 Pennsylvania'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)
- FSMB listed opioid+pain as two 2-hour requirements; primary source shows ONE combined 2-hour. DO mirrors via Ch. 25.
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 Pennsylvania 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.