Nurse Practitioner State CE Requirements and Suggested Courses

CMEList November 4, 2019

Similar to physicians, physician assistants, and other clinicians, most Nurse Practitioners (NPs) are required to complete a specific number of CME/CE hours to maintain their license to practice as well as avoiding additional consequences such as fines. The number of hours you are required to complete as an NP can vary drastically dependant on what state you practice in. Find your state below to find out exactly how many CME/CE hours you need to complete to continue practicing as an NP in your state. Also, take a look at the suggest CME/CE course to start earning your credits as soon as possible.

State  

State Nurse Practitioner CE Requirements  

Suggested Course  

Alabama
  • 24 CE hours every 2 Years
    • 6 must be in Pharmacology specific to your specialty if you have prescriptive authority

BoardVitals Pharmacology CE Question Bank for Nurse Practitioners and APRNs 

Alaska
  • Maintain a national certification
  • 12 CE hours in advanced pharmacotherapeutics if they have prescriptive authority pharmacotherapeutics
  • 12 CE hours in the clinical management of patients if they have prescriptive authority

BoardVitals Pharmacology CE Question Bank for Nurse Practitioners and APRNs 

Arizona
  • Maintain a national certification
  • Complete one of the following 2 requirements:
    • 1.  Complete an APN program in the last 5 years
    • 2. Practice over 960 hours where the NP worked for compensation as a volunteer

BoardVitals CME Pro Plus with up to a free $2,000 gift card 

Arkansas
  • Maintain a national certification

BoardVitals CME Pro Plus with up to a free $2,000 gift card 

California
  • 30 CE hours every 2 years

 

Colorado
  • No continuing education requirements but must renew every 2 years by September 30th.

BoardVitals CME Pro Plus with up to a free $2,000 gift card

Connecticut
  • No continuing education requirements but must renew every odd year by October 31st.

BoardVitals CME Pro Plus with up to a free $2,000 gift card 

District of Columbia
  • Maintain a national certification
  • 24 CE hours every 2 years
  • 15 hours must be in pharmacology
  • 9 hours must be related to their area of practice

BoardVitals Pharmacology CE Question Bank for Nurse Practitioners and APRNs

Delaware
  • If the NP holds a national certification in their specialty area:
    • 1500 hours of practice in their specialty area over the last 5 years or 
    • 600 hours of practice in their specialty area and graduation from their specialty program within the past two years
  • If the NP does not hold a national certification in their specialty area
    • 600 hours of practice over the past two years in the specialty they are applying to or
    • 1000 hours of supervised practice
  • 10 hours in pharmacology/pharmacotherapeutics if NP has prescriptive authority

BoardVitals Pharmacology CE Question Bank for Nurse Practitioners and APRNs 

Florida
  • 24 CE hours every 2 years
    • 12 must be CNE
    • 12 can be CME
  • 2 hours must be from medical errors courses approved by the Florida Board of Nursing
  • 2 hours must be the rules of the board
  • 2 additional hours on board-approved domestic violence every biennium

 

Georgia
  • No continuing education requirements but must renew every 2 years

BoardVitals CME Pro Plus with up to a free $2,000 gift card 

Hawaii
  • No CE requirements but must renew every odd-numbered year by June 30th
  • 30 CE hours if the NP has prescriptive authority

BoardVitals CME Pro Plus with up to a free $2,000 gift card 

Idaho
  • 30 CE hours every 2 years on even-numbered years by August 31st 

 

Illinois
  • 50 CE hours every even-numbered year

BoardVitals CME Pro Plus with up to a free $2,000 gift card

Indiana
  • No CE requirements but must renew by October 31st on the off numbered years every 2 years

BoardVitals CME Pro Plus with up to a free $2,000 gift card

Kansas
  • 30 CNE hours in the NP’s specialty area every 2 years by the last day of their birth month

 

Kentucky
  • Maintain a national certification in the NP’s practice area every year or
  • 14 board approved contact hours
    • 5 must be continuing education in pharmacology 
  • 2 CE hours on HIV/AIDS every 10 years
  • One time requirement of 1.5 CE hours on pediatric abuse head trauma within 3 years of licensure

BoardVitals Pharmacology CE Question Bank for Nurse Practitioners and APRNs 

Louisiana
  • Hold a national certification in the NP’s focus area and renew every year by January 31st or
  • 300 AP nursing practice hours every year
  • 30 nursing CE contact hours or  2 specialty relevant college credit hours per year 
  • 6 pharmacology CE hours if NP has prescriptive authority

BoardVitals Pharmacology CE Question Bank for Nurse Practitioners and APRNs 

Maine
  • 75 contact hours nursing, medicine, allied health, or the NP’s focus area every 2 years by the NP’s birthday
    • 30 must be Category 1
    • More than 45 cannot be Category 2
  • 15 pharmacology contact hours for NPs with prescriptive authority who have not prescribed drugs previous 2 years
  • 45 pharmacology contact hours for NPs with prescriptive authority who have not prescribed drugs previous 5 years

BoardVitals CME Pro Plus with up to a free $2,000 gift card 

Maryland
  • No CE requirements but must renew every year by the 28th of their birth month
  • Maintain a national certification

BoardVitals CME Pro Plus with up to a free $2,000 gift card 

Massachusetts
  • Maintain a national certification
  • Renew every 2 years on the even-numbered year by the NP’s birthday

BoardVitals CME Pro Plus with up to a free $2,000 gift card 

Michigan  
Minnesota
  • 24 CE contact hours every 2 years
  • Maintain a national certification
  • Maintain a current RN license

 

Mississippi
  • 40 CE hours related to the NP’s advanced clinical practice every 2 even numbered years
    • 20 must be traditional learning, face to face
    • 2 must be on the use of controlled substances

 

Missouri
  • Renew by April 30th of each odd-numbered year
  • Maintain a national certification and RN license

BoardVitals CME Pro Plus with up to a free $2,000 gift card

Montana
  • 40 contact hours every 2 years
  • 10 contact hours in pharmacology if the NP has prescriptive authority

BoardVitals Pharmacology CE Question Bank for Nurse Practitioners and APRNs 

Nebraska
  • Renew every 2 years on even-numbered years by October 31st
  • Maintain an RN license
  • 40 CE hours
    • 10 hours must be on pharmacotherapeutics

BoardVitals Pharmacology CE Question Bank for Nurse Practitioners and APRNs 

Nevada
  • 30 nursing CE hours every two years by the NP’s birthday
  • Additional 15 CE hours in the NP’s specialty
  • One time requirement of 4 hours in bioterrorism

 

New Hampshire
  • Renew every 2 years by the NP’s birthday
  • 30 CE hours to maintain their RN license or maintain a national certification
  • 30 additional CE hours in the NP’s specialty
    • 5 hours must be on pharmacology

BoardVitals Pharmacology CE Question Bank for Nurse Practitioners and APRNs 

New Jersey 
  • 30 CE hours every 2 years
  • Maintain a national certification

 

New Mexico
  • 50 CE hours every 2 years
    • 30 must satisfy renewal of an RN license
    • 15 must be on pharmacology
    • 5 must be in the NP’s area of practice

BoardVitals Pharmacology CE Question Bank for Nurse Practitioners and APRNs 

New York
  • Renew every 3 years
  • Maintain a national certification

BoardVitals CME Pro Plus with up to a free $2,000 gift card 

North Carolina
  • 50 CE hours every year by the last day of the NP’s birth month
    • 20 hours must be approved by the ANCC or ACCME or other national credentialing bodies

BoardVitals CME Pro Plus with up to a free $2,000 gift card 

North Dakota 
  • 12 CE hours every 2 years by December 31st

BoardVitals CME Pro Plus with up to a free $2,000 gift card

Ohio
  • Renew every 2 years on odd-numbered years 
  • 24 CE hours every 2 years
    • 1 hour must be Category A--related to the Ohio Nurse Practice Act and the rules of the Ohio Board of Nursing. 
  • 12 pharmacology hours if the NP is authorized to prescribe and certificate to prescribe has been held for a full license cycle
  • 6 pharmacology hours if the NP is authorized to prescribe and certificate to prescribe has been held for less than a full license cycle

BoardVitals Pharmacology CE Question Bank for Nurse Practitioners and APRNs

Oklahoma
  • Renew every 2 even-numbered year by the last day of their birth month
  • Maintain a national nursing certification
  • 15 contact hours or 1 academic credit hour on directly related to pharmacotherapeutics, clinical application and use of pharmacological agents in the prevention of illness, and in the restoration and maintenance of health if the NP has prescriptive authority

BoardVitals Pharmacology CE Question Bank for Nurse Practitioners and APRNs

Oregon
  • Renew their license every 2 years
  • Maintain a national certification
  • Fulfill one of these practice requirements
    • 960 hours of NP practice over the past 5 years
    • Graduate from an NP education program within the past year
    • Graduate from an NP education program and practice as an NP at least 192 hours within the last two years.
  • 100 CE hours every 2 years
  • If the NP has prescriptive authority:
    • 50% of continuing education must be on the NP’s specialty area
    • 15 hours must be on pharmacotherapeutic content at the advanced nursing level
    • 45 contact hour pharmacology course or 400 hours of utilizing prescriptive authority at an advanced practice level or 
    • Graduation from a clinical nurse specialist or nurse practitioner program within the two years preceding renewal and continuing education hours prorated from the date of graduation

BoardVitals CME Pro Plus with up to a free $2,000 gift card

Pennsylvania
  • Maintain an RN license
  • 30 CE hours every 2 years
  • 16 of 30 hours must be on pharmacology if NP has prescription authority

BoardVitals Pharmacology CE Question Bank for Nurse Practitioners and APRNs 

Rhode Island
  • 10 CE hours every 2 years by March 31st 
  • 30 pharmacology CE hours every 6 years if the NP has prescriptive authority

BoardVitals Pharmacology CE Question Bank for Nurse Practitioners and APRNs 

South Carolina
  • Renew biennially
  • Complete one of the following:
    • 30 CE hours from a board recognized activity
    • maintenance of certification or recertification by a national certifying body recognized by the board
    • Completion of an academic program of study in nursing or a related field
    • verification of competency and the number of hours practiced, as evidenced by employer certification on a form approved by the board
  • 20 CE hours in pharmacotherapeutics if NP has prescriptive authority
    • 2 of the 20 must be related to prescribing of controlled substances if the NP has controlled substance prescriptive authority

 

South Dakota
  • No CE requirements but must renew every 2 years

BoardVitals CME Pro Plus with up to a free $2,000 gift card

Tennessee
  • Renew every 2 years
  • Maintain a national certification
  • 1 contact hour designed to address the prescribing of controlled substances if NP has a Certificate of Fitness

 

Texas
  • 20 CE hours relevant to the NP’s focus area
  • Maintain a national certification
  • 5 pharmacology CE hours if the NP has prescriptive authority

BoardVitals Pharmacology CE Question Bank for Nurse Practitioners and APRNs 

Utah
  • Renew every 2 years on even-numbered years by January 31st
  • Maintain a national certification or 
  • 30 CE hours and 400 practice hours if licensed before July 1st, 1992

 

Vermont
  • Renew every odd-numbered year by March 31st
  • Complete one of the following:
    • 960 hours of practice as an APRN over the past 5 years
    • 400 hours in the previous 2 years prior to submitting a renewal application
    • Graduated from an approved program within the past 2 years
  • Maintain a national certification

BoardVitals CME Pro Plus with up to a free $2,000 gift card 

Virginia
  • 40 CE hours in the NP’s specialty area every 2 years
  • Maintain a national certification

BoardVitals CME Pro Plus with up to a free $2,000 gift card 

Washington
  • 30 CE hours every 3 years
  • 15 hours in pharmacotherapeutics related to their scope and practice if the NP has prescriptive authority

BoardVitals Pharmacology CE Question Bank for Nurse Practitioners and APRNs 

West Virginia
  • 24 contact hours every 2 years
    • 12 hours must be on pharmacotherapeutics
    • 12 hours must be on the clinical management of patients

BoardVitals Pharmacology CE Question Bank for Nurse Practitioners and APRNs 

Wisconsin
  • 16 contact hours every 2 years on clinical pharmacology/therapeutics relevant to the NP’s specialty.

BoardVitals Pharmacology CE Question Bank for Nurse Practitioners and APRNs 

Wyoming
  • Maintain a national certification or
  • 60 hours in the NP’s specialty and 400 hours as an APRN over the last two years if the NP is not nationally certified and recognized as an APRN before July 1st, 2005
  • 15 contact hours in pharmacology and clinical management of drug therapy or pharmacotherapeutics if the NP has prescriptive authority

BoardVitals CME Pro Plus with up to a free $2,000 gift card