CRNA Continuing Education

CRNA Continuing Education Requirements Under the MAC Program

To maintain NBCRNA certification, CRNAs complete the NBCRNA MAC Program, a four-year cycle that includes continuing education, professional development, and MAC Check. Each cycle consists of three parts, Class A credits (MAC Ed), Class B credits (MAC Dev), and the MAC Check, a quarterly knowledge check. You will also see these called CME or CEU credits, though NBCRNA and AANA both use the term CE, so this guide does too. Keep reading to understand the full process for keeping your CE up to date, including how many credits you need, what they cost, and how to report them, kept straight to the point since you’re busy with clinical shifts.

What CRNA Continuing Education Involves

CRNA continuing education is the ongoing coursework you complete to keep your NBCRNA certification current. CME and CEU are the same thing here under a different name, so a course labeled either one still counts toward your CRNA CME requirements, as long as it meets the standards below. Continuing education for CRNAs is one required part of the larger MAC Program, alongside the MAC Check, licensure and practice attestations, and every practicing CRNA works through it on a repeating four-year cycle.

CRNA Continuing Education Requirements per Cycle

AANA publishes a full breakdown of MAC Ed and MAC Dev credits if you want the numbers straight from the source, otherwise keep reading for a summary. Class A, Class B, and the quarterly MAC Check make up the bulk of the NBCRNA recertification requirements you are responsible for, alongside staying licensed and in clinical practice throughout the cycle.

How Many CE Credits CRNAs Need Each Cycle

CRNA continuing education credits break down to 60 Class A (MAC Ed) credits and 40 Class B (MAC Dev) credits every four-year cycle, on top of the quarterly MAC Check. If you earn more than 60 Class A credits, then the extra will count toward your 40 Class B credits, but Class B credits cannot be applied toward the Class A minimum. For example, 75 Class A credits fulfill the 60-credit requirement and put 15 credits toward MAC Dev, leaving 25 additional Class B credits to earn. You may also meet all 100 required credits with Class A credits alone. For additional confirmation on these details, you can also check these CRNA CE requirements against the current NBCRNA MAC Handbook. 

Class A Credit Requirements (MAC Ed) 

Every Class A (MAC Ed) credit has to come from a course pre-approved by AANA, ANCC, or ACCME, and has to include an assessment component. You will often see these called CE credits, CEU credits, or nurse anesthesia CEU, but what counts for MAC Ed is whether the course carries that approval and assessment, regardless of the label. In practice, most CRNAs meet the 60-credit Class A requirement through AANA prior-approved online courses, journal-based courses, or workshops, since this is where most CE providers focus their offerings. If you go that route, be sure to confirm the course’s AANA CE requirements and approval status before counting it toward your Class A total. 

Class B Credit Requirements (MAC Dev)

Class B (MAC Dev) credits cover the professional development side of your CRNA CE requirements under the MAC Program, things like teaching, publishing, serving on a committee or board, research, or stepping into a new clinical role. These activities do not require prior approval like Class A courses, and they do not involve formal testing or evaluation. Every cycle asks for 40 Class B credits, though surplus Class A credits can fill some or all of that total if you would rather concentrate more of your efforts there. Class A proves you learned something through a graded course, while Class B recognizes your broader contribution to the profession. 

How the MAC Program Replaced the CPC Program

NBCRNA launched MAC on August 1, 2024, with phased enrollment, and all CRNAs were to transition to MAC by 2026, replacing the CPC Program as the sole path to recertification. The CPC program had run on an eight-year span that was split into two four-year cycles, and MAC condensed that down to one four-year cycle with the same requirements each renewal. MAC also dropped the CPC Program’s four required Core Modules and its CPC Assessment, the single high-stakes exam CRNAs previously took once every eight years. The quarterly MAC Check now performs that ongoing assessment, broken into smaller pieces spread across the cycle.  

How the MAC Check Works 

The MAC Check is one of the three pieces that make up the four-year MAC Program cycle, consisting of a quarterly online knowledge check. It replaced the old CPCA, the one-time exam CRNAs used to take under the CPC Program. The MAC Check is the newest part of your NBCRNA recertification requirements, and the one that raises the most questions, since nothing like it existed before. Because it’s still unfamiliar to a lot of CRNAs, this guide goes deeper on the MAC Check than most overviews you’ll find.  

MAC Check Format, Timing, and Scoring

The MAC Check runs across all 16 quarters of your four-year cycle, except for two flexible quarters you are allowed to skip, and the final quarter is set aside as a built-in break. Your first quarter has 25 questions, and every quarter after that has up to 30, including a handful of repeat questions from anything you missed earlier. Each question gives you about a minute, with a shared time bank you can pull from if one runs long, and the correct answers and their reasoning are available right after you submit. It’s the same logic CRNAs use for continuous patient monitoring, applied to a certification exam. Small, frequent readings catch problems sooner than one big reading at the end. 

What Happens If You Miss the Standard

The MAC Check isn’t pass or fail, and falling below the performance standard in a domain won’t cost you your certification on its own. But it costs extra work. For each domain where you land under the standard, you’ll need five additional Class A credits in that area before your next renewal, on top of your standard 60. The real risk is skipping the MAC Check altogether. Meaningful participation is required to keep your NBCRNA certification current under the MAC Program.

How to Earn CRNA CE Credits Online

CRNA continuing education credits mostly come from self-paced online courses now, since that format lets you complete an AANA-approved Class A course without blocking out a whole day. This format fits around clinical shifts better than a live seminar does, which is why most working CRNAs lean on it for the bulk of their 60 Class A credits. Free previews are common too, so you can try a provider’s format before committing to a paid bundle. The two sections below cover CRNA CE online and how to fit it around a clinical schedule. 

Earning Class A CE Credits Online

Online CRNA continuing education usually consists of on-demand audio or written modules accessed from a laptop or phone. They end with an open-book test that most providers let you retake if needed, and a certificate generates automatically upon successful completion. Many CRNAs start by searching to find free CE credits, and free CRNA resources before committing to a paid bundle. Core Anesthesia’s app is one example of CRNA CE online resources that are built this way, with audio modules, PDFs, and an assessment that awards Class A online credit, plus CRNA CEU online options once you pass. 

Fitting CE Around a Clinical Schedule

Fitting 60 Class A credits around clinical shifts works best when the credits don’t take extra time. Audio-based courses let you listen during a commute, allowing you to revisit the written outline and resources later when you have a quiet minute to sit with them. CRNAs spend entire shifts tracking a patient’s vitals while doing four other things at once, so turning a commute into Class A credit isn’t really a new skill. It’s the same skill, applied to something else. 

How to Report Your CRNA CE Credits

If you’re an active AANA member, your Class A credits get reported automatically. If not, then you’ll need to enter each credit into the NBCRNA MAC application yourself before the renewal deadline. Neither path affects which AANA CE requirements a course has to meet to count as Class A in the first place, just how the paperwork moves once you’ve earned it. The two sections below walk through each path so you know exactly what to expect whether AANA handles the reporting or you report your credits directly. 

Reporting for Active AANA Members

Reporting your CRNA continuing education credits is easier for active AANA members. Providers report your earned Class A credits to your AANA CE transcript, typically within days or up to a month, and AANA shares that information with NBCRNA on your behalf. Core Anesthesia is one example of a platform with fully automated nightly reporting. The benefit for members is not having to hand-enter each course into the NBCRNA MAC application yourself. Your certificates also save automatically to your member profile, so you have backup documentation readily available if NBCRNA audits your records.

Reporting to the NBCRNA Yourself

If you’re not an AANA member, reporting your CRNA continuing education credits becomes your responsibility. To do it, log into the NBCRNA portal, enter each Class A and Class B credit, and upload the documentation NBCRNA requires to back it up. This applies to every credit across your full four-year cycle, from every provider you use. Keep your certificates in a folder as you earn them so you are not scrambling to find six months worth of paperwork right before your renewal deadline.

CRNA License Renewal vs NBCRNA Recertification

CRNA license renewal and NBCRNA recertification are two separate obligations, and every practicing CRNA has to keep up with both. NBCRNA recertification requirements cover the national MAC Program credential described above. Your state board of nursing handles license renewal separately, usually every one to two years, with its own CE hour requirement and its own required topics, like jurisprudence or opioid prescribing. AANA-approved Class A credits often count toward your state’s CE hours too, so a well-planned cycle can knock out both requirements at once. This guide covers CRNA continuing education at the national level, so check your specific state board of nursing for exact hours, deadlines, and any state-specific topics. 

CRNA Continuing Education Cost

CRNA recertification cost breaks into two buckets, what NBCRNA charges directly, and what you spend earning the credits themselves. NBCRNA charges a flat $445 per four-year cycle for the MAC application and MAC Check access, which works out to roughly $111 a year. Class A costs are the bigger variable, since provider pricing ranges from about $20 for an individual course or small credit package to several hundred dollars, or more, for bundles that provide enough Class A credits to meet the 60-credit MAC Ed requirement. Many CRNAs start with a free CRNA CEU online preview before committing, and searching for free CE credits is a common first step. Total spend depends on how many credits you still need and which provider you choose. 

CRNA Continuing Education Requirements Checklist

Use the CRNA CE requirements checklist below to confirm you are on track before your renewal deadline. This Class A checklist covers every piece of your four-year cycle, from credits to reporting: 

• 60 Class A (MAC Ed) credits earned, meeting approval and assessment standards  
• 40 Class B (MAC Dev) credits earned, or covered by excess Class A credits 
• MAC Check completed in 13 of your 16 quarters 
• Performance standard met in all four MAC Check domains, or five additional MAC Ed (Class A) credits completed in each domain not met  
• Certificates and documentation saved for every credit you earn 
• Credits reported to AANA if you’re a member, or entered into your NBCRNA MAC application. 
• MAC compliance application and $445 fee submitted before your renewal deadline 
• State board of nursing license renewal and CE hours completed separately

Frequently Asked Questions About Continuing Education as a CRNA

Here are quick answers to the CRNA continuing education questions that come up most often, including CRNA CME requirement questions that don’t always get covered in a straightforward guide. Each answer below stands on its own, so you can jump straight to the one you need. 

Are Core Anesthesia CE credits AANA approved?

Core Anesthesia’s platform carries AANA pre-approved Class A credits that meet MAC Ed standards, with a certificate issued once you pass. Each course lists its own AANA approval code, so you know exactly what you are earning before you start.  

What happens if my CRNA certification lapses?

A lapsed CRNA certification means you cannot practice under that credential until you meet NBCRNA recertification requirements again, and most employers will not let you return to clinical work in the meantime. Short lapses add fees and extra CRNA continuing education credits, but longer lapses trigger NBCRNA’s own Reentry Program. 

Does an NBCRNA recertification transfer between states?

Yes, your NBCRNA certification travels with you around the U.S., since NBCRNA recertification requirements are the same everywhere you practice. That alone does not let you practice in a new state, though. You still need to apply for that state’s own APRN license and meet its CRNA license renewal cycle to practice there.

Is CRNA CME the same as CE credits?

Yes, CRNA CME and CE credits mean the same thing in practice. CRNAs, CE providers, and even NBCRNA itself use CE, CME, and CEU interchangeably, and you’ll often see courses marketed specifically as nurse anesthesia CEU credits. What actually satisfies CRNA CME requirements is AANA, ANCC, or ACCME approval plus an assessment, regardless of which label the course uses. 

Start Earning CRNA CE Credits Online Today

Continuing education for CRNAs does not have to compete with a packed clinical schedule if you can fit it into time that you already have. Core Anesthesia’s CRNA continuing education courses start with free content, so you can try the format before committing to a full bundle, and every course counts toward your Class A requirement once you pass the assessment. Start with Core Anesthesia’s CRNA continuing education courses today, at your own pace, on your own schedule.