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Tennessee CME Requirements (2026): Physicians, NPs, PAs, CRNAs & CAAs
Tennessee 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 Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners.
General CME: 40 hours every 2 years.
Opioid / controlled substance
2 hours per 2-year cycle — controlled-substance prescribing. MUST include the TN Department of Health treatment guidelines on opioids, benzodiazepines, barbiturates, and carisoprodol. Trigger: all licensees.
⚠ Tennessee gates its opioid/controlled-substance CME: a generic national course may NOT satisfy it. MANDATED CURRICULUM (no pre-approval list) — a generic national ACCME Category 1 opioid course does NOT satisfy TN unless it specifically covers the TN DOH guidelines on the four named drug classes.
All mandated CME topics
| Topic | Hours | Timing | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Controlled substance prescribing (opioid, benzodiazepine, barbiturate and carisoprodol guidelines; addiction; risk management) | 2 | biennial | DEA prescribers (exempt: pain clinics, pain/anesthesiology/PM&R/neuro/rheum board-certified) |
| Intractable pain / specialized pain education | no fixed hours | ongoing | intractable-pain-focused practices |
Citation: Tenn. Comp. R. 0880-02-.19
Nurse Practitioners (APRN / NP)
Set by the Tennessee Board of Nursing — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: Tennessee does not mandate a fixed number of general continuing education hours for APRNs. Continuing competence is satisfied by maintaining current certification from a nationally recognized certifying body appropriate to the APRN's specialty area (e.g., ANCC, AANP, AACN) PLUS one additional continuing-competence activity from the RN proof-of-competence list. National recertification is the vehicle that carries substantive CE (including pharmacology). Rule 1000-04-.05 (renewal is biennial per 1000-01-.18).
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) | None | per cycle | prescribers |
| Opioid / controlled-substance prescribing | 2 | per 2-year (biennial) renewal cycle | APRNs holding a Certificate of Fitness to prescribe / prescriptive authority |
Tracking: Licensee retains documentation of controlled-substance prescribing CE; provided to the Board only upon request/audit.
Physician Assistants (PA)
Set by the Tennessee Committee on Physician Assistants (under the Board of Medical Examiners) — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: 100 hours of continuing medical education within the 2-year period prior to license renewal application. A minimum of 50 of the 100 hours must be Category I. The division of hours between Category I and Category II must be consistent with N.C.C.P.A. requirements. CME must be approved in content/structure/format by the A.M.A., A.A.P.A., or N.C.C.P.A. Renewal is biennial (during the licensee's birth month).
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) | None | per cycle | prescribers |
| Opioid / controlled-substance prescribing | 2 | per 2-year renewal cycle (counts within the 100 total) | All PAs (prescriptive authority is standard for licensed PAs); controlled-substance prescribing CE |
Tracking: Licensee retains independent documentation of completion of all CE hours for 4 years from the end of the renewal period; produced to the Committee upon audit. False attestation or failure to obtain hours may result in discipline / renewal denial.
Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA)
Set by the Tennessee Board of Nursing — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: Rule 1000-01-.18(2)(b): APRNs — '1. Evidence of initial or continuing national certification; and 2. One (1) additional item from the Registered Nurse proof of competence list' (e.g., employer evaluation, peer evaluation, 10 contact hrs CE, volunteer work, teaching, published article). Rule 1000-04-.05: all APRNs renew the APRN certificate biennially. Documentation retained 4 yrs; produce within 30 days of Board request. Rules repealed/re-adopted eff. 10/8/2024.
NBCRNA recertification counts toward state CE (partial). NBCRNA certification is mandatory element (1) of continued competence and a certificate condition (1000-04-.03(3)), but one further competence item is required; there is no hour count to be replaced. National layer: NBCRNA continued certification (4-year cycle: 60 Class A + 40 Class B credits, MAC Check).
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 | Only APRNs (incl. CRNAs) holding a Certificate of Fitness: 'A minimum of two (2) contact hours of continuing education designed specifically to address controlled substance prescribing practices… must include instruction in the Tennessee Department of Health's treatment guidelines on opioids, benzodiazepines, barbiturates, and carisoprodol'. CRNAs without a Certificate of Fitness: not required. FEDERAL (not state): DEA MATE Act one-time 8-hr SUD training applies only to CRNAs who personally hold a DEA registration. |
Tracking: Attestation at biennial renewal; licensee keeps personal competence file 4 yrs; produce within 30 days on Board request; audit. No CE Broker.
Anesthesiologist Assistants (CAA)
Set by the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners (Dept. of Health) — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: Per the Board's Feb 2026 rulemaking (Chapter 0880-15), proof of maintaining NCCAA certification satisfies the continuing-education requirement; acceptable CE is that accredited by NCCAA, ASA or AAAA; records retained 4 years and produced on request. Renewal is biennial ($150) in the licensee's birth month; late fee $100.
NCCAA recertification is accepted in place of state CE. Proof of current NCCAA certification satisfies CE (proposed Rule 0880-15; rulemaking hearing 2026-04-13). 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: Self-attestation at renewal; audit – CE documentation retained 4 years (Rule 0880-15).
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 Tennessee'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)
- Controlled substances is TN's ONLY recurring special topic. No HIV/DV/human trafficking CME.
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 Tennessee 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.