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Massachusetts CME and nursing CE requirements
Continuing education and license renewal rules for physicians, advanced practice clinicians and nurses licensed in Massachusetts, 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
- Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine
- 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.
Board-approved course required At least one topic must come from a course the board has approved, and a general CME course may not count. Check the board’s approved list before you buy.
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Risk management / patient safety | 10 | Every cycle | Everyone | Risk management; confirm exact hours |
| Opioid & controlled-substance prescribing | No minimum | Every cycle | DEA registrants Board-approved course required | State requires opioid/controlled-substance education from a board-approved source; hours not confirmed. Confirm with the board. |
Notes. 50 hours per 2 years, at least 40 Category 1. Additional mandated topics (opioid/pain, end-of-life, domestic violence, etc.) exist whose hours are not confirmed here.
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.
Board-approved course required At least one topic must come from a course the board has approved, and a general CME course may not count. Check the board’s approved list before you buy.
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Risk management / patient safety | 10 | Every cycle | Everyone | Risk management; confirm exact hours |
| Opioid & controlled-substance prescribing | No minimum | Every cycle | DEA registrants Board-approved course required | State requires opioid/controlled-substance education from a board-approved source; hours not confirmed. Confirm with the board. |
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
- 15 hours every 2 years
- 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. Board of Registration in Nursing: all licensed nurses complete 15 contact hours in the 2 years before renewal (first renewal exempt). APRNs must also keep Board-approved national certification, and prescribers of controlled substances need M.G.L. c.94C s.18(e) prescriber training (hours not stated on page read). No separate APRN pharmacology hour count was found on the 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
- 100 hours, and the renewal cycle is not recorded, with at least 40 in Category 1 or the equivalent
- 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. Board of Registration of Physician Assistants renewal page: 100 contact hours with a minimum of 40 in Category 1 for the registration period. PAs who prescribe controlled substances must also complete c.94C s.18 prescriber training (pain management, opioid risks, identifying patients at risk of substance use disorder; hours not stated) and Chapter 260 domestic violence training. The 4-hour pharmacology figure is not confirmed on a board page; confirm with the board. Renewal cycle length not stated on the page.
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
- 15 hours every 2 years
- 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. Board of Registration in Nursing: all licensed nurses complete 15 contact hours in the 2 years before renewal (first renewal exempt). APRNs must also keep Board-approved national certification, and prescribers of controlled substances need M.G.L. c.94C s.18(e) prescriber training (hours not stated on page read). No separate APRN pharmacology hour count was found on the page; Confirm with the board. CRNAs are APRNs in Massachusetts; same page applies.
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. Massachusetts is not among the states or jurisdictions listed for anesthesiologist assistant practice by the CU Anschutz AA program. Massachusetts 2025 to 2026 bills to license anesthesiologist assistants (House Docket 1575 and Senate Docket 1923) (H.2484, status Referred on malegislature.gov) show no license exists yet; the Board of Registration in Medicine page is not confirmed here.
Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts has enacted the Nurse Licensure Compact but has not implemented it yet. Until it does, nurses practicing in Massachusetts need a Massachusetts license, and a multistate license from another 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
- 15 contact hours every 2 years
- Nursing license renewal
- Every 2 years, based on your birthday
- Board
- Massachusetts Board of Registration in 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. 244 CMR 5.02 requires every licensed nurse to complete 15 hours of continuing education in the two years before renewal; the Board's page and the CE rule exempt a new licensee's first renewal. RN licenses renew on the birthday in even-numbered years (244 CMR 8.05).
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
- 15 contact hours every 2 years
- Nursing license renewal
- Every 2 years, based on your birthday
- Board
- Massachusetts Board of Registration in 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. 244 CMR 5.02 requires every licensed nurse to complete 15 hours of continuing education in the two years before renewal; the Board's page and the CE rule exempt a new licensee's first renewal. LPN licenses renew on the birthday in odd-numbered years (244 CMR 8.05).
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
- 15 contact hours every 2 years
- Nursing license renewal
- Every 2 years, based on your birthday
- Board
- Massachusetts Board of Registration in 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. 244 CMR 5.02 requires every licensed nurse to complete 15 hours of continuing education in the two years before renewal; the Board's page and the CE rule exempt a new licensee's first renewal. Certified nurse-midwives are APRNs in Massachusetts and renew the APRN authorization with the RN license, so the APRN rule applies: 15 hours, plus Board-approved national certification. Controlled substance prescribers also need the training under M.G.L. c.94C s.18(e), with no hour count stated.
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
- 15 contact hours every 2 years
- Nursing license renewal
- Every 2 years, based on your birthday
- Board
- Massachusetts Board of Registration in 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. 244 CMR 5.02 requires every licensed nurse to complete 15 hours of continuing education in the two years before renewal; the Board's page and the CE rule exempt a new licensee's first renewal. Clinical nurse specialists are APRNs in Massachusetts and renew with the RN license, so the APRN rule applies: 15 hours, plus Board-approved national certification.
See nursing CE requirements by state to compare Massachusetts with other states.
Plan this renewal
Use the free opioid CME planner to see the controlled-substance rules for Massachusetts 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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