Nebraska · MD and DO
Nebraska: Prescribing opiates, including 0.5 hour on the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP)
MD: 3 hours, every renewal · DO: 3 hours, every renewal.
Last verified against the sources below. Requirements change — confirm with your Board before you rely on this page. This is general information, not legal advice.
MD (medical doctor)
- Hours
- 3 hours
- How often
- Every renewal
- Who
- Physicians registered with the DEA
- Renewal cycle
- Renews every 2 years; licenses expire at on or before October 1 of even-numbered years (next: October 1, 2028).
- Board
- Nebraska Board of Medicine and Surgery (Nebraska DHHS Licensure Unit)
- The rule
- Neb. Rev. Stat. 38-145(6): physicians who prescribe controlled substances complete at least 3 hours of CE biennially on prescribing opiates (for example prescribing and administering opiates, the risks and signs of addiction, and emergency opiate situations); one-half hour must cover Nebraska's PDMP. The statute applies to prescribers of controlled substances and terminates January 1, 2029, so it still applies to the October 1, 2028 renewal. DHHS offers free videos that meet it, including a 0.5-hour PDMP module. The hours count within the 50.
DO (osteopathic physician)
- Hours
- 3 hours
- How often
- Every renewal
- Who
- Physicians registered with the DEA
- Renewal cycle
- Renews every 2 years; licenses expire at on or before October 1 of even-numbered years (next: October 1, 2028).
- Board
- Nebraska Board of Medicine and Surgery (Nebraska DHHS Licensure Unit)
- The rule
- Neb. Rev. Stat. 38-145(6): physicians who prescribe controlled substances complete at least 3 hours of CE biennially on prescribing opiates (for example prescribing and administering opiates, the risks and signs of addiction, and emergency opiate situations); one-half hour must cover Nebraska's PDMP. The statute applies to prescribers of controlled substances and terminates January 1, 2029, so it still applies to the October 1, 2028 renewal. DHHS offers free videos that meet it, including a 0.5-hour PDMP module. The hours count within the 50.
What to do next
Other states that require it
Alaska, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine and 13 more. Every state that requires it
Sources
- Nebraska DHHS Licensure Unit — Medicine and Surgery (physicians and osteopathic physicians): renewal and continuing education
- Nebraska DHHS — Controlled Substances Continuing Competency Requirement (3 hours on opioids, 0.5 on the PDMP)
- 172 NAC 88 — Licensure of Medicine and Surgery and Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery (effective June 16, 2020), sections 007–008 (Nebraska Rules and Regulations)
- Neb. Rev. Stat. 38-145 — Continuing competency requirements; opiate prescribing CE (subsection 6)
- Neb. Rev. Stat. 38-146 — Continuing competency compliance, waiver and audits
- Neb. Rev. Stat. 38-142 — Credential expiration and biennial renewal
MD facts last verified October 7, 2026 · DO facts last verified October 7, 2026.