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Utah CME Requirements (2026): Physicians, NPs, PAs, CRNAs & CAAs
Utah 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 Utah Division of Professional Licensing.
General CME: 40 hours every 2 years.
Opioid / controlled substance
3.5 hours per period — CS-prescribing classes (+ one-time SBIRT class from 2024). Mandated curriculum including FDA Blueprint, Utah-specific resources, medical-cannabis content. Trigger: every CS prescriber.
⚠ Utah gates its opioid/controlled-substance CME: a generic national course may NOT satisfy it. STRONGEST GATE — provider must be DOPL-recognized; DOPL (with UMA Foundation) vets the specific class; a DOPL approved-course list exists. Generic out-of-state ACCME Category 1 does NOT automatically count.
All mandated CME topics
| Topic | Hours | Timing | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Controlled substance, opioid and pain prescribing (including medical cannabis content) | 3.5 | per licensing period | Utah Controlled Substance License holders |
| SBIRT training | 3.5 | one-time (satisfies CS class that period) | CS prescribers |
| Controlled substance database (PDMP) tutorial | 0.5 | per renewal (waivable) | CS prescribers |
Citation: Utah Administrative Code R156-67-304
Nurse Practitioners (APRN / NP)
Set by the Utah Board of Nursing (Utah Division of Professional Licensing, DOPL) — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: No numeric general CE-hour mandate. Per R156-31b-303(3)(b), an APRN renews by being currently certified or recertified in the licensee's specialty area of practice (national certification). Only an APRN licensed before July 1, 1992 uses the alternative of 30 hours of approved CE plus 400 hours of practice. National certification (maintained per the certifying body's own CE rules) is the operative requirement for the vast majority of APRNs.
Opioid / controlled substance
3.5 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 | 3.5 | each 2-year renewal cycle (APRN license expires January 31 of even years) | APRN with controlled substance prescriptive authority (CS endorsement) |
| SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral to Treatment) training | 3.5 | one-time (mandatory beginning January 1, 2024); satisfies CS CE for the licensing period in which completed | APRN with controlled substance prescriptive authority |
| Suicide prevention training | 0.5 | each renewal cycle | APRN (with CS authority per DOPL renewal page) |
Tracking: Self-attestation at renewal via MyLicenseOne portal (or paper APRN-with-CS Renewal Form). Licensees must retain documentation sufficient to prove compliance with 58-37-6.5 and R156-37-402 for 2 years after the end of the renewal cycle; subject to DOPL audit.
Physician Assistants (PA)
Set by the Utah Physician Assistant Licensing Board (Utah Division of Professional Licensing, DOPL) — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: 40 CE credit hours per 2-year cycle per R156-70a-304, of which a minimum of 34 hours must be ACCME Category 1 — OR maintain current NCCPA certification as the alternative.
Opioid / controlled substance
3.5 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 | 3.5 | each 2-year renewal cycle (PA license/CS endorsement due May 31 of even years) | PA with controlled substance endorsement |
| SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral to Treatment) training | 3.5 | one-time (mandatory beginning January 1, 2024) | PA with controlled substance endorsement |
| Suicide prevention training | 0.5 | each renewal cycle | all PAs |
Tracking: Self-attestation at renewal; NCCPA certification accepted in lieu of the 40-hour CE. Retain CS-CE documentation for 2 years after the renewal cycle per R156-37-402; subject to DOPL audit.
Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA)
Set by the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) — Board of Nursing — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: R156-31b-303(3)(b): an APRN shall (i)(A) 'be currently certified or recertified in the licensee's specialty area of practice' or (B) if licensed before July 1, 1992, complete 30 hours of approved CE and 400 practice hours; and (ii) 'if authorized to prescribe controlled substances, comply with Section R156-37-402 and Section 58-37-6.5'. The APRN license expires January 31 of even-numbered years. Utah Code 58-31b-102 defines the CRNA's scope within APRN practice (pre-anesthetic assessment; ordering/evaluating labs; 'selecting and administering anesthetics and adjunct drugs and fluids'; general/regional/local anesthesia; post-anesthesia 'selecting, ordering, or administering the medications'; emergency airway/ACLS) 'upon the request of a licensed health care professional'. Utah Code 58-31b-301 lists 'advanced practice registered nurse – CRNA without prescriptive practice' as a license classification (grandfathered holders as of 7/1/2007); a CRNA holding the full APRN classification may add a Utah CS license and DEA registration.
NBCRNA recertification is accepted in place of state CE. Current NBCRNA certification/recertification is the renewal competence requirement itself for post-1992 licensees; no state CE count exists to substitute. National layer: NBCRNA continued certification (4-year cycle: 60 Class A + 40 Class B credits, MAC Check).
Opioid / controlled substance
3.5 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 | 3.5 | per 2-yr renewal cycle (APRN/CS license expires Jan 31 even years) | Only CRNAs who hold a Utah controlled-substance license (R156-31b-303(3)(b)(ii); 58-37-6.5(2)(a)). Content must cover FDA opioid education, Utah CS scope, prescribing/PDMP resources, documentation, medical-cannabis per 58-37-6.5(6). CRNAs without a CS license (incl. the 'without prescriptive practice' class) owe nothing. |
| SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral to Treatment) training | 3.5 | one-time (mandatory from 1/1/2024); counts toward CS CE in the cycle completed | CRNAs holding a Utah CS license |
| Suicide prevention training (one of DOPL's approved online courses) | 0.5 | per cycle | APRNs renewing with CS license per DOPL renewal page; applicability to CRNAs without a CS license — VERIFY |
Tracking: Self-attestation at renewal via DOPL MyLicenseOne; retain CS-CE documentation 2 years after the cycle (R156-37-402); DOPL audit. No CE Broker.
Anesthesiologist Assistants (CAA)
Set by the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) with the Physicians Licensing Board — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: R156-70b-303b requires completion of the NCCAA continuing medical education and interval exam (CDQ) requirements for ongoing certification, evidenced by current NCCAA certification; documentation kept 2 years after the renewal cycle; no deferral or waiver. Utah DOPL renewal cycle is biennial (standard DOPL cycle; VERIFY R156-70b-303a date).
NCCAA recertification is accepted in place of state CE. NCCAA certification is the CE standard. 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; DOPL random audit; records 2 years.
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 Utah'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 R156-67-304 & Utah Code 58-37-6.5: suicide-prevention CME is NOT a physician mandate (DOPL lists optional approved courses only; FSMB cite 58-1-511 is wrong) - removed. Real controlled-substance CME = 3.5 hours/period + one-time SBIRT; general 40 hours per 2 years (34 Category 1).
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 Utah 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.