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Wisconsin CME Requirements (2026): Physicians, NPs, PAs, CRNAs & CAAs
Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin Medical Examining Board.
General CME: 30 hours every 2 years.
Opioid / controlled substance
2 of 30 Category 1 hours per 2-year cycle — prescribing opioids and other CS. Trigger: DEA-registered physicians.
✓ No board pre-approval gate: No board pre-approval (current rule) — courses must be AMA/AOA Category 1 but 'no longer require specific approval from the Medical Examining Board.' (An older 2017 FAQ saying otherwise is outdated.)
All mandated CME topics
| Topic | Hours | Timing | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opioid & controlled substance prescribing | 2 | per biennium | DEA registrants (exempt if no DEA) |
Citation: Wis. Administrative Code MED 13.02
Nurse Practitioners (APRN / NP)
Set by the Wisconsin Board of Nursing (DSPS) — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: No separate general CME requirement. The entire 16 contact hours per biennium must be in clinical pharmacology or therapeutics relevant to the APNP's area of practice (N 8.05). 2025 Act 17 replaces APNP certification with APRN licensure effective 2026-09-01: the 16 contact-hour/biennium clinical pharmacology requirement then applies to ALL FOUR APRN roles (CNM, CRNA, CNS, NP), prescriber or not — previously prescribers only. Hours unchanged. The 2-hour controlled-substance element is retained here deliberately: it is absent from the new statutory text (Wis. Stat. 441.09(4)) and ch. N 8 is repealed, but the Board has an open rule project that may restore it.
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) | 16 contact hours | per cycle | prescribers |
| Opioid / controlled-substance prescribing | 2 | Each 2-year (biennial) renewal cycle; part of the 16-hour pharmacology/therapeutics requirement. | All APNPs (prescribers). Framed as 'responsible prescribing of controlled substances' rather than opioid-specific. |
Tracking: Self-report/attest at renewal; not submitted to the board but subject to audit. APNP must retain certificates of attendance issued by the program sponsor for a minimum of 4 years and make them available to the board on request (N 8.05).
Physician Assistants (PA)
Set by the Wisconsin Physician Assistant Affiliated Credentialing Board (DSPS) — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: At least 30 hours of continuing medical education classified as Category 1 (as defined by NCCPA or as approved by the Board) per 2-year cycle (PA 2.04(3)(a)). Alternatively, a PA may submit evidence of active NCCPA certification (or board-approved successor), which the board accepts as meeting the 30-hour Category 1 requirement (PA 2.04(6)).
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 | Each 2-year renewal cycle; part of the 30-hour Category 1 CME requirement. | All PAs. Framed as 'responsible controlled substances prescribing.' |
| Category 1 continuing medical education (NCCPA-defined or board-approved) | 30 | Per 2-year renewal cycle | All PAs (may be satisfied by active NCCPA certification) |
Tracking: Self-report/attest at renewal; subject to audit. PA must retain certificates of CME attendance for a minimum of 4 years and provide them to the board on request (PA 2.04(5)). First renewal after initial licensure is exempt from the CME requirement (PA 2.04(4)).
Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA)
Set by the Wisconsin Board of Nursing (Department of Safety and Professional Services, DSPS) — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: Wisconsin has no general CE requirement for RNs. Pre-9/1/2026: a CRNA who holds an APNP certificate must complete '16 contact hours per biennium in clinical pharmacology or therapeutics relevant to the advanced practice nurse prescriber's area of practice, including at least 2 contact hours in responsible prescribing of controlled substances' (N 8.05(1)); biennium 10/1 even yr - 9/30 even yr; retain certificates 4 yrs (N 8.05(3)). Post-9/1/2026: 2025 Wis. Act 17 (AB 257) creates APRN licensure in four recognized roles incl. CRNA; 'To obtain a renewal, an APRN must complete at least 16 contact hours of continuing education during the renewal period in clinical pharmacology or therapeutics relevant to the APRN's area of practice' plus the biennial nursing workforce survey (Leg. Council Act Memo, Renewal). Every APNP certified on 8/31/2026 is automatically granted an APRN license; DSPS stopped accepting APNP applications 8/3/2026; first APRN renewal opens mid-Jan 2028 and closes 2/29/2028, requiring fees, liability insurance, CE completion, and current national certification or Continuous Competence Assessment participation (DSPS). Emergency ch. N 8 rules retain 16 hrs incl. 2 hrs responsible CS prescribing for those with prescriptive authority (secondary: NatLawReview summary).
State CE is owed in addition to NBCRNA. National certification (NBCRNA) is a licensure/renewal condition under Act 17 and DSPS renewal guidance, but it does not substitute for the statutory 16 pharmacology/therapeutics contact hrs; NBCRNA Class A pharmacology credits may be used to satisfy the 16 hrs if content is clinical pharmacology/therapeutics relevant to anesthesia. Pre-9/1/2026 APNP rule N 8.05 likewise had no certification-in-lieu provision. 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 every CRNA in the state. Timing is built into the free multi-state planner.
All mandated CE topics
| Topic | Hours | Timing | Applies to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pharmacology / pharmacotherapeutics [VERIFY] | 16 | per cycle | Pre-9/1/2026: CRNAs holding an APNP certificate only. From 9/1/2026: ALL APRN-licensed CRNAs (statute imposes it on every APRN licensee regardless of prescribing) |
| Opioid / controlled-substance prescribing [VERIFY] | 2 | per biennium, within the 16 pharmacology/therapeutics hrs | Every APNP-certified CRNA until August 31, 2026. From September 1, 2026 this applies to CRNAs holding prescriptive authority (2025 Wis. Act 17; emergency ch. N 8) - VERIFY whether a non-prescribing CRNA APRN is exempt from the 2-hr CS sub-requirement |
Tracking: Self-attest at renewal via LicensE portal; not submitted but subject to audit; retain sponsor certificates at least 4 yrs (N 8.05(3)). Not CE Broker. Next APRN renewal window mid-Jan to 2/29/2028.
Some figures flagged [VERIFY] — verify with the board.
Anesthesiologist Assistants (CAA)
Set by the Wisconsin Medical Examining Board (DSPS), advised by the Council on Anesthesiologist Assistants — separate from the physician rules above, with its own hours and topics.
General CE: 'Each person licensed as an anesthesiologist assistant shall include with his or her application for renewal under s. 448.07 proof of meeting the criteria for recertification by the National Commission on Certification of Anesthesiologist Assistants ... including any continuing education requirements' (§ 448.13(3)). Renewal due September 30 of each even-numbered year (DSPS).
NCCAA recertification is accepted in place of state CE. NCCAA recertification criteria are the state 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: Proof of NCCAA recertification with biennial renewal (DSPS online).
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 Wisconsin'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)
- No other special-topic 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 Wisconsin 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.