Home / State requirements / Arizona
Arizona CME and nursing CE requirements
Continuing education and license renewal rules for physicians, advanced practice clinicians and nurses licensed in Arizona, 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
- Arizona Medical Board
- License lookup
- Public license verification
- License renewal
- Every 2 years, based on your birthday
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
- 40 hours every 2 years, with at least 40 in Category 1 or the equivalent
- License renewal
- Every 2 years, based on your birthday
Required topics
| Topic | Hours | How often | Applies to | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opioid & controlled-substance prescribing | 3 | Every cycle | DEA registrants | Opioid-related, substance use disorder or addiction CME for DEA-registered prescribers |
Notes. 40 Category 1 hours per 2 years. Osteopathic (DO) licensees may be under a separate osteopathic board with its own rules (AOA Category 1-A/1-B credit); confirm with that board.
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
- 40 hours every 2 years, with at least 40 in Category 1 or the equivalent
- License renewal
- Every 2 years, based on your birthday
- Board for this profession
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Required topics
| Topic | Hours | How often | Applies to | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opioid & controlled-substance prescribing | 3 | Every cycle | DEA registrants | Opioid-related, substance use disorder or addiction CME for DEA-registered prescribers |
Notes. A separate osteopathic board exists in this state, and its hours may differ from the MD board (some require AOA Category 1-A credit). Hours copied from the MD block. 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
- Not recorded, and the renewal cycle is not recorded
- License renewal
- Every 2 years, based on your birthday
Required topics
| Topic | Hours | How often | Applies to | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opioid & controlled-substance prescribing | 3 | Every cycle | DEA registrants | A.R.S. 32-3248.02: at least 3 hours of opioid-, substance use disorder- or addiction-related CE each license renewal cycle for health professionals authorized to prescribe schedule II drugs with a DEA registration; may count toward general CE |
Notes. Source: statute text on azleg.gov (state legislature). The nursing board's own renewal and APRN pages could not be confirmed, so the renewal-cycle length, the 960-practice-hours-in-5-years rule and the fee amounts reported by secondary sources are not confirmed on a board page; confirm 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. 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
- Not recorded, and the renewal cycle is not recorded
- License renewal
- Every 2 years, based on your birthday
Required topics
| Topic | Hours | How often | Applies to | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opioid & controlled-substance prescribing | 3 | Every cycle | DEA registrants | A.R.S. 32-3248.02: at least 3 hours of opioid-, substance use disorder- or addiction-related CE each license renewal cycle for health professionals authorized to prescribe schedule II drugs with a DEA registration; may count toward general CE |
Notes. Source: statute text on azleg.gov. A secondary source reports that the Arizona Regulatory Board of Physician Assistants requires 40 CME hours at renewal with the 3 opioid hours inside them, but the board's page does not confirm this, so the 40 hours is not verified; confirm with the board.
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
- No hour minimum recorded, and the renewal cycle is not recorded
- License renewal
- Every 2 years, based on your birthday
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. Arizona Administrative Code Title 4 ch. 19 (Supplement 24-4, Dec 31 2024, archived copy of the Secretary of State PDF): the rules set no CE-hour requirement for renewal. Renewal of the APRN/CRNA certificate requires current national certification or recertification and either 960 practice hours in the past five years or a post-licensure program or remedial coursework (R4-19-505 and related). Confirm with the board.
Arizona 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 Arizona has implemented the Nurse Licensure Compact. A registered or practical nurse whose primary state of residence is Arizona can hold a multistate license issued by Arizona, which carries the privilege to practice in the other compact states, and a nurse with a multistate license from another compact state can practice in Arizona under that privilege. Renewal and CE for a multistate license follow the rules of the home state that issued it. 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
- The board requires no continuing education for this license.
- Continuing competency
- Renewal every four years, by April 1, requires one practice or education alternative from the board: 960 practice hours in the past five years, a nursing graduation or advanced degree in the past five years, or a board-approved refresher course.
- Nursing license renewal
- Every 4 years, based on a fixed calendar date (04-01)
- Board
- Arizona State Board of Nursing
- Source
- The board page this entry was checked against
Notes. Arizona requires no continuing education hours for RN or LPN renewal. Renewal every four years, by April 1, requires one practice or education alternative from the board: 960 practice hours in the past five years, a nursing graduation or advanced degree in the past five years, or a board-approved refresher course.
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
- The board requires no continuing education for this license.
- Continuing competency
- Renewal every four years, by April 1, requires one practice or education alternative from the board: 960 practice hours in the past five years, a nursing graduation or advanced degree in the past five years, or a board-approved refresher course.
- Nursing license renewal
- Every 4 years, based on a fixed calendar date (04-01)
- Board
- Arizona State Board of Nursing
- Source
- The board page this entry was checked against
Notes. Arizona requires no continuing education hours for RN or LPN renewal. Renewal every four years, by April 1, requires one practice or education alternative from the board: 960 practice hours in the past five years, a nursing graduation or advanced degree in the past five years, or a board-approved refresher course.
Certified nurse-midwives (CNM)
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
- The board requires no general continuing education hours for this license, apart from the required topics listed below.
- Continuing competency
- Renewal requires 960 hours of APRN practice in the past five years, an active Arizona or multistate RN license and active national certification, and the APRN certificate expires with the RN license.
- Nursing license renewal
- Every 4 years, based on a fixed calendar date (04-01)
- Board
- Arizona State Board of Nursing
- Source
- The board page this entry was checked against
Required topics
| Topic | Contact hours | How often | Applies to | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opioid & controlled-substance prescribing | 3 | Every cycle | DEA registrants | Opioid, substance use disorder or addiction-related continuing education for APRNs with an active DEA registration (A.R.S. 32-3248.02) |
Notes. Arizona requires no general continuing education hours for APRN renewal. Renewal requires 960 hours of APRN practice in the past five years, an active Arizona or multistate RN license and active national certification, and the APRN certificate expires with the RN license. APRNs with an active DEA registration must complete three hours of opioid, substance use disorder or addiction-related continuing education (A.R.S. 32-3248.02).
Clinical nurse specialists (CNS)
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
- The board requires no general continuing education hours for this license, apart from the required topics listed below.
- Continuing competency
- Renewal requires 960 hours of APRN practice in the past five years, an active Arizona or multistate RN license and active national certification, and the APRN certificate expires with the RN license.
- Nursing license renewal
- Every 4 years, based on a fixed calendar date (04-01)
- Board
- Arizona State Board of Nursing
- Source
- The board page this entry was checked against
Required topics
| Topic | Contact hours | How often | Applies to | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opioid & controlled-substance prescribing | 3 | Every cycle | DEA registrants | Opioid, substance use disorder or addiction-related continuing education for APRNs with an active DEA registration (A.R.S. 32-3248.02) |
Notes. Arizona requires no general continuing education hours for APRN renewal. Renewal requires 960 hours of APRN practice in the past five years, an active Arizona or multistate RN license and active national certification, and the APRN certificate expires with the RN license. APRNs with an active DEA registration must complete three hours of opioid, substance use disorder or addiction-related continuing education (A.R.S. 32-3248.02).
See nursing CE requirements by state to compare Arizona with other states.
Plan this renewal
Use the free opioid CME planner to see the controlled-substance rules for Arizona 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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