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Alaska CME and nursing CE requirements
Continuing education and license renewal rules for physicians, advanced practice clinicians and nurses licensed in Alaska, as recorded by ClinLicense for planning.
Planning aid only. ClinLicense is not legal or compliance advice. Boards change rules between cycles, so confirm every requirement with the board before you rely on it.
- Licensing board
- Alaska State Medical Board
- License lookup
- Public license verification
- License renewal
- Every 2 years
MD CME requirements
Reviewed 2026-10-31 This entry was last reviewed on 2026-10-31. That date records our own review and is not a board approval. Some details below are marked for confirmation, so treat those as unverified until the board confirms them. Always confirm with the board before you rely on it.
- Total hours
- 50 hours every 2 years, with at least 40 in Category 1 or the equivalent
- License renewal
- Every 2 years
Required topics
| Topic | Hours | How often | Applies to | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opioid & controlled-substance prescribing | 2 | Every cycle | DEA registrants | Pain management and opioid use/addiction for DEA-registered prescribers; once per cycle (confirm) |
Notes. 50 hours per 2 years, at least 40 Category 1. Opioid/pain topic details to confirm.
DO CME requirements
Not yet verified Not yet verified, confirm with the board. This entry has not been checked against the board’s own published rules.
- Total hours
- 50 hours every 2 years, with at least 40 in Category 1 or the equivalent
- License renewal
- Every 2 years
Required topics
| Topic | Hours | How often | Applies to | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opioid & controlled-substance prescribing | 2 | Every cycle | DEA registrants | Pain management and opioid use/addiction for DEA-registered prescribers; once per cycle (confirm) |
Notes. Copied from the MD block as a planning default; the osteopathic rules were not separately confirmed. Confirm with the board.
NP CME requirements
Reviewed 2026-11-01 This entry was last reviewed on 2026-11-01. That date records our own review and is not a board approval. Some details below are marked for confirmation, so treat those as unverified until the board confirms them. Always confirm with the board before you rely on it.
- Total hours
- 30 hours every 2 years
- License renewal
- Every 2 years
Required topics
| Topic | Hours | How often | Applies to | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pharmacology | 24 | Every cycle | Some licensees, see the note | 12 contact hours advanced pharmacotherapeutics plus 12 hours clinical management of patients, required for prescriptive authority renewal (12 AAC 44.440(f)); counted within the 30 hours |
Notes. Board of Nursing Continuing Education Guidelines (updated 2/9/18), quoting 12 AAC 44.610 (30 contact hours per biennium; at least 20 from ANCC/ACCME/ACPE or certifier-accredited sponsors) and 44.440(f). The board has proposed amending the APRN CE rules, so confirm the current text with the board.
PA CME requirements
Reviewed 2026-11-01 This entry was last reviewed on 2026-11-01. That date records our own review and is not a board approval. Always confirm with the board before you rely on it.
- Total hours
- 100 hours every 2 years
- License renewal
- Every 2 years
Required topics
| Topic | Hours | How often | Applies to | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opioid & controlled-substance prescribing | 2 | Every cycle | DEA registrants | Two hours covering pain management, opioid use and addiction for PAs with a DEA registration (waivable until a DEA number is obtained) |
Notes. Alaska PA renewal (form revised 10/05/2026) cites 12 AAC 40.470: the PA must keep current NCCPA certification and meet NCCPA CME and recertification requirements. The 100 hours per two years is the NCCPA maintenance standard and is not stated on the form; the state itself requires the certification attestation.
CRNA CME requirements
Reviewed 2026-11-01 This entry was last reviewed on 2026-11-01. That date records our own review and is not a board approval. Some details below are marked for confirmation, so treat those as unverified until the board confirms them. Always confirm with the board before you rely on it.
- Total hours
- 30 hours every 2 years
- License renewal
- Every 2 years
Required topics
| Topic | Hours | How often | Applies to | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pharmacology | 24 | Every cycle | Everyone | CRNA renewal application must certify 12 hours advanced pharmacotherapeutics plus 12 hours clinical management within the previous two years (12 AAC 44.660(b)); counted within the 30 hours |
Notes. Board of Nursing Continuing Education Guidelines (updated 2/9/18), quoting 12 AAC 44.610 and 44.660(b). Confirm the current text with the board because amendments have been proposed.
CAA CME requirements
Not yet verified Not yet verified, confirm with the board. This entry has not been checked against the board’s own published rules.
- Total hours
- Not recorded, and the renewal cycle is not recorded
- License renewal
- Every 2 years
Required topics
No mandated topics are recorded for this profession in this state. That is not the same as the board having none, so confirm with the board.
Notes. Secondary source; confirm with the board. The CU Anschutz AA program list (states where AAs work by license, regulation or certification, or by physician delegation) and the BYU 2023 list of authorized states do not include Alaska, so no state licensure for anesthesiologist assistants was found. This is not confirmed on a board or statute page.
Alaska nursing CE requirements
Nursing boards usually count continuing education in contact hours rather than CME credits, and the nursing license renews on its own schedule, which may differ from the medical board dates above. Nurse practitioners and nurse anesthetists have their own sections above.
Nurse Licensure Compact Alaska is not a member of the Nurse Licensure Compact. Nurses practicing in Alaska need a Alaska license, and a multistate license from a compact state does not cover practice there. The compact covers RN and LPN/LVN licenses only, and advanced practice authority is still granted state by state. This compact list was last reviewed on November 3, 2026. Read the compact guide for RNs and LPNs.
Registered nurses (RN)
Reviewed 2026-11-03 This entry was last reviewed on 2026-11-03 against the source linked below. That date records our own review and is not a board approval.
- Continuing education
- 30 contact hours every 2 years
- Other ways to meet it
- Alaska requires RNs and LPNs to document two of three methods each biennium (continuing education under 12 AAC 44.610, professional activities, or nursing employment), or to meet 12 AAC 44.640 (refresher course, nursing coursework of at least six academic credits, or passing the NCLEX). The continuing education method is 30 contact hours, at least 20 of them from an ANCC, ACCME, ACPE or certifier-accredited sponsor, and no more than 10 from facility in-service education.
- Nursing license renewal
- Every 2 years
- Board
- Alaska Board of Nursing
- Source
- The board page this entry was checked against
No mandated topics are recorded for this license. That is not the same as the board having none, so confirm with the board.
Notes. Alaska requires RNs and LPNs to document two of three methods each biennium (continuing education under 12 AAC 44.610, professional activities, or nursing employment), or to meet 12 AAC 44.640 (refresher course, nursing coursework of at least six academic credits, or passing the NCLEX). The continuing education method is 30 contact hours, at least 20 of them from an ANCC, ACCME, ACPE or certifier-accredited sponsor, and no more than 10 from facility in-service education. The 30 hours is therefore one of several routes, not an absolute minimum.
Licensed practical and vocational nurses (LPN/LVN)
Reviewed 2026-11-03 This entry was last reviewed on 2026-11-03 against the source linked below. That date records our own review and is not a board approval.
- Continuing education
- 30 contact hours every 2 years
- Other ways to meet it
- Alaska requires RNs and LPNs to document two of three methods each biennium (continuing education under 12 AAC 44.610, professional activities, or nursing employment), or to meet 12 AAC 44.640 (refresher course, nursing coursework of at least six academic credits, or passing the NCLEX). The continuing education method is 30 contact hours, at least 20 of them from an ANCC, ACCME, ACPE or certifier-accredited sponsor, and no more than 10 from facility in-service education.
- Nursing license renewal
- Every 2 years
- Board
- Alaska Board of Nursing
- Source
- The board page this entry was checked against
No mandated topics are recorded for this license. That is not the same as the board having none, so confirm with the board.
Notes. Alaska requires RNs and LPNs to document two of three methods each biennium (continuing education under 12 AAC 44.610, professional activities, or nursing employment), or to meet 12 AAC 44.640 (refresher course, nursing coursework of at least six academic credits, or passing the NCLEX). The continuing education method is 30 contact hours, at least 20 of them from an ANCC, ACCME, ACPE or certifier-accredited sponsor, and no more than 10 from facility in-service education. The 30 hours is therefore one of several routes, not an absolute minimum.
Certified nurse-midwives (CNM)
Not yet verified This nursing entry has not been checked against the board’s own published rules, so confirm it with the board before you rely on it.
- Continuing education
- 30 contact hours every 2 years
- Nursing license renewal
- Every 2 years
- Board
- Alaska Board of Nursing
- Source
- The board page this entry was checked against
No mandated topics are recorded for this license. That is not the same as the board having none, so confirm with the board.
Notes. APRN renewal in Alaska is tied to the RN renewal and to current national certification. A secondary summary of 12 AAC 44.400 reports that an APRN whose certifier has no continuing education requirement must document 60 contact hours in the population focus each period, and the board page for prescriptive authority cites advanced pharmacotherapeutics hours under 12 AAC 44.440(f). The board guideline covers RNs, LPNs, nurse practitioners and CRNAs only, so the CNM rule was not confirmed; the 30 hours shown is the RN-license option.
Clinical nurse specialists (CNS)
Not yet verified This nursing entry has not been checked against the board’s own published rules, so confirm it with the board before you rely on it.
- Continuing education
- 30 contact hours every 2 years
- Nursing license renewal
- Every 2 years
- Board
- Alaska Board of Nursing
- Source
- The board page this entry was checked against
No mandated topics are recorded for this license. That is not the same as the board having none, so confirm with the board.
Notes. Alaska's board guideline does not address clinical nurse specialists, and a secondary summary of 12 AAC 44.400 suggests APRN renewal depends on national certification, with 60 population-focus hours if the certifier has no continuing education rule. The 30 hours shown is the RN-license option; confirm the CNS rule with the board.
See nursing CE requirements by state to compare Alaska with other states.
Plan this renewal
Use the free opioid CME planner to see the controlled-substance rules for Alaska next to other states, or the license cost calculator to estimate fees. Read how multi-state CME works if you hold more than one license.
Nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurse anesthetists and anesthesiologist assistants usually also maintain national certification, which has its own cycle. The recertification basics guide explains how that fits alongside state rules. Nurses who hold licenses in more than one state can read the Nurse Licensure Compact for RNs and LPNs.
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