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South Dakota CME Requirements (2026): Physicians, NPs, PAs, CRNAs & CAAs
South Dakota 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 South Dakota Board of Medical & Osteopathic Examiners.
General CME: None.
Opioid / controlled substance
No opioid/CS mandate; no general CME mandate. Federal MATE Act (8 hours one-time) only.
✓ No board pre-approval gate: No board pre-approval — no approval/list mechanism. Ensure a MATE-Act course meets the federal 8-hour SUD standard.
All mandated CME topics
No additional mandated topics identified beyond the total above.
Citation: SDCL 36-4-24.1; ARSD Art. 20:47
Nurse Practitioners (APRN / NP)
Set by the South Dakota Board of Nursing — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: No state CME/CE hour mandate for APRN license renewal. South Dakota does not require continuing education hours for RN, LPN, or APRN renewal; instead APRNs must maintain active national certification in their role/population focus through an approved certifying body, and the certifying organization (not the state) sets any CE requirements. The underlying RN license requires practice-hour verification (140 hours in any 12-month period or 480 hours in 6 years) in lieu of CE.
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: State board verifies maintenance of active national certification at renewal (biennial, on licensee birthday). Any CE is tracked by the national certifying body (e.g., ANCC, AANPCB), not the SD Board of Nursing.
Physician Assistants (PA)
Set by the South Dakota Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: At least 30 hours of continuing education annually, OR maintain current certification by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) as an alternative compliance path. CE is measured on an annual basis.
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: Reported to the SD Board of Medical & Osteopathic Examiners at renewal; PAs holding current NCCPA certification satisfy the requirement via NCCPA. Some secondary sources reference CE Broker for CE reporting (unverified against primary board rules).
Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA)
Set by the South Dakota Board of Nursing (Department of Health) — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: SDCL 36-9-45: licenses renew biennially; ARSD 20:48:03:10: expiration on the licensee's birth date every second year. ARSD 20:48:05:06: 'Licensure as a nurse anesthetist shall be renewed at the same time as the renewal of the registered nurse license... The applicant for renewal of licensure shall show evidence of meeting the recertification requirements of the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists.' No CE hour requirement exists for any SD nurse license (ARSD 20:48:12 repealed 7 SDR 41, eff. 1980-11-03).
NBCRNA recertification is accepted in place of state CE. NBCRNA recertification IS the renewal standard — the rule names NBCRNA expressly. There is no separate state CE to satisfy. 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
No additional mandated topics identified beyond the total above.
Tracking: Board verifies NBCRNA recertification evidence and RN practice hours at biennial online renewal (birth-date expiration). No CE Broker.
Anesthesiologist Assistants (CAA)
Not authorized to practice in South Dakota.
Certified anesthesiologist assistants cannot practice in South Dakota — 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 South Dakota'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)
- SD mandates NO CME for physician renewal. SDCL 36-4-24.1; ARSD Art. 20:47 has no CE chapter. No 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 South Dakota 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.