Home › CME by state › Rhode Island
Rhode Island CME Requirements (2026): Physicians, NPs, PAs, CRNAs & CAAs
Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island Board of Medical Licensure & Discipline.
General CME: 40 hours every 2 years (no named topic block currently required).
Opioid / controlled substance
One-time 8 hours Category 1 for Schedule-II-opioid prescribers (216-RICR-20-20-4 4.4(P)); the biennial 40-hour renewal names no specific topics. (X-DEA / MAT-trained holders exempt from the one-time 8 hours.)
✓ No board pre-approval gate: No board pre-approval - generic ACCME Category 1 accepted; DOH rule states 'no one specific course is required.' The biennial renewal currently names no topics.
All mandated CME topics
| Topic | Hours | Timing | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Controlled substances / opioid prescribing / pain management | 8 | one-time (before 1st CS registration renewal) | Schedule II opioid prescribers |
Citation: 216-RICR-40-05-1 §1.5.5
Nurse Practitioners (APRN / NP)
Set by the Rhode Island Department of Health, Board of Nurse Registration and Nursing Education — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: 10 continuing education contact hours related to nursing practice per 2-year cycle; 1 CE hour = 1 contact hour; must be from ANCC or other recognized professional nursing organizations / approved nursing programs (216-RICR-40-05-3.5).
Opioid / controlled substance
8 hours, one time, 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 | 8 | One-time; must be completed before renewal of the practitioner's controlled substance registration or within 2 years, whichever is longer | Any practitioner (defined to include APRNs/NPs) who prescribes a Schedule II opioid. Exemption: practitioners who completed the DATA 2000 waiver course and hold an active DEA certificate with an 'X' designation are exempt. |
Tracking: Self-attestation at online renewal; licensee must retain proof of completion for no less than 4 years and is subject to random Department audit (216-RICR-40-05-3.5).
Physician Assistants (PA)
Set by the Rhode Island Department of Health, Board of Licensure of Physician Assistants — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: Approved continuing medical education (aggregators specify AMA PRA Category 1 Credit); accumulation period runs July 1 through June 30 (216-RICR-40-05-24.8(B)).
Opioid / controlled substance
8 hours, one time, 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 | 8 | One-time; must be completed before renewal of the practitioner's controlled substance registration or within 2 years, whichever is longer | Any practitioner (definition includes physician assistants) who prescribes a Schedule II opioid. Exemption: practitioners who completed the DATA 2000 waiver course and hold an active DEA certificate with an 'X' designation are exempt. |
Tracking: Self-attestation at renewal; licensee must retain course descriptions, proof of attendance, or other documentation of completion for a minimum of 4 years, subject to audit (216-RICR-40-05-24.8(C)).
Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA)
Set by the Rhode Island Department of Health, Board of Nurse Registration and Nursing Education (R.I. Gen. Laws 5-34.2-2(a)) — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: 'Every person seeking renewal of a license under the provisions of the Act and this Part, shall provide satisfactory evidence to the Department that in the preceding two years the practitioner has completed the ten (10) required continuing education hours' related to nursing practice, from ANCC-approved or other recognized nursing providers (216-RICR-40-05-3.5(A)-(B)). Licensure as a nurse anesthetist requires current RN licensure, COA-accredited program, initial certification and 'Recertification, as applicable by the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists Council on Recertification of Nurse Anesthetists or their predecessors or successors' (now NBCRNA) (5-34.2-3).
State CE is owed in addition to NBCRNA. 216-RICR-40-05-3.5 contains no certification-in-lieu provision; the 10 hours are attested separately. NBCRNA recertification is a distinct, mandatory condition of the CRNA license (5-34.2-3(3)). CE earned for NBCRNA CPC counts toward the 10 hours if it is nursing-practice CE from a recognized provider (3.5(B)). National layer: NBCRNA continued certification (4-year cycle: 60 Class A + 40 Class B credits, MAC Check).
Opioid / controlled substance
8 hours, one time, for holders of controlled-substance prescriptive authority. Timing is built into the free multi-state planner.
All mandated CE topics
No additional mandated topics identified beyond the total above.
Tracking: Self-attestation at online renewal (216-RICR-40-05-3.5(C)); retain CE documentation >=4 years; random Department audit (3.5(D)). No CE Broker. Nurse anesthetist license renews concurrently with RN license (5-34.2-4(b)).
Anesthesiologist Assistants (CAA)
Not authorized to practice in Rhode Island.
Certified anesthesiologist assistants cannot practice in Rhode Island — 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 Rhode Island'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)
- Verified 2026-07-16 vs 216-RICR-40-05-1 & 216-RICR-20-20-4 4.4(P): RI has NO Alzheimer's/dementia CME (removed - aggregator artifact). The only topic mandate is the one-time 8-hour controlled-substance CME for Schedule II prescribers; general renewal = 40 hours per 2 years with no named 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 Rhode Island 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.