California Certified Nurse-Midwife license renewal and CE requirements
California nurse-midwives must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the California Board of Registered Nursing.
California does not issue a standalone nurse-midwife license. The Board of Registered Nursing issues a Nurse-Midwife certificate, abbreviated NMW, on top of a registered nurse license, and Business and Professions Code 2746 directs the board to issue a certificate to practice nurse-midwifery to a person who qualifies under the article and is licensed under the chapter. The board states that an initial California RN license expires the last day of the month following the licensee's birth date, and after that the license renews every two years if renewed on time. The board lists the Nurse-Midwife and Nurse-Midwife Furnishing certificate, shown as NMW/NMF, among the certificates that carry a separate renewal fee due at the same time as the RN license renewal fee, so the nurse-midwife certificate renews alongside the registered nurse license rather than on its own clock.
Summary
California nurse-midwives must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the California Board of Registered Nursing. California does not issue a standalone nurse-midwife license. The Board of Registered Nursing issues a Nurse-Midwife certificate, abbreviated NMW, on top of a registered nurse license, and Business and Professions Code 2746 directs the board to issue a certificate to practice nurse-midwifery to a person who qualifies under the article and is licensed under the chapter. The board states that an initial California RN license expires the last day of the month following the licensee's birth date, and after that the license renews every two years if renewed on time. The board lists the Nurse-Midwife and Nurse-Midwife Furnishing certificate, shown as NMW/NMF, among the certificates that carry a separate renewal fee due at the same time as the RN license renewal fee, so the nurse-midwife certificate renews alongside the registered nurse license rather than on its own clock. California also mandates specific subjects. Implicit bias course: 1 contact hour at the first renewal only (licensees still within the first two years immediately following initial licensure). Continuing education specific to the use of Schedule II controlled substances in settings other than a hospital: required (certified nurse-midwives who hold an active furnishing number and are registered with the Drug Enforcement Administration); the board does not state how often. Advanced pharmacology course covering the drugs and devices to be furnished, including the risks of addiction and neonatal abstinence syndrome associated with the use of opioids: a one-time requirement (certified nurse-midwives applying for a furnishing number). The first renewal is exempt.
California Certified Nurse-Midwife renewal and continuing education rules
"Not stated" means the board's pages and rules we read do not address it. We do not fill in typical values.
| Renewal cycle | Two-year (24 months) |
|---|---|
| Renewal deadline | Tied to the licensee's birth month |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 30 contact hours |
| Self-study or online cap | No cap stated |
| Carryover to next cycle | Not stated |
| First renewal exempt | Yes |
| Other accepted activities | Independent or home study courses, accepted with no limit on the number of contact hours; Continuing medical education, when it is Category 1 and completed within the renewal period; Advanced level college or university courses, converted at 1 quarter unit to 10 contact hours and 1 semester unit to 15 contact hours |
California adds no separate hour total for the Nurse-Midwife certificate. Every registered nurse who wants an active license completes 30 contact hours of continuing education from a board recognized provider every two years, and the nurse-midwife certificate renews alongside that license with an additional fee and no additional hour count. CNM continuing education therefore neither stacks on nor runs parallel to the registered nurse requirement: there is one requirement, carried by the RN license. The board's continuing education page states one advanced practice hour requirement and it is scoped to nurse practitioners, six of the 30 hours in gerontology, dementia or elder care for a nurse practitioner whose patient population is more than 25 percent aged 65 or older. That requirement does not reach a nurse-midwife, and no equivalent role specific hour count for nurse-midwives appears on the board pages read. A licensee is exempt from the 30 hours at the first renewal, during the first two years immediately following initial licensure, and may enter EXEMPT as the course name; the implicit bias hour is the exception a first time renewer still owes. The same course taken twice in one renewal cycle counts once. The board's own nurse-midwife pages state no continuing education requirement specific to nurse-midwives, and they do not require documentation of current American Midwifery Certification Board certification at renewal: national certification is required at application only when the applicant's program was not California board approved, in which case verification comes from the certifying national organization. Because the state does not adopt it as a renewal condition, the AMCB Certificate Maintenance Program's five year totals are not recorded here.
Required CE topics for California certified nurse-midwifes
State-specific subject mandates. Where a mandate applies only to some licensees, the scope is listed.
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Applies to | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Implicit bias courseOne hour of direct participation in an implicit bias course from a board approved continuing education provider, required for newly licensed registered nurses since January 1, 2023. It applies through the registered nurse license, so a nurse-midwife owes it, and it is the one requirement a first time renewer is not exempt from. | 1 contact hour | First renewal only | licensees still within the first two years immediately following initial licensure | Not stated |
| Continuing education specific to the use of Schedule II controlled substances in settings other than a hospitalThe statute requires a certified nurse-midwife who is certified by the board, holds an active furnishing number and is registered with the DEA to provide documentation of continuing education specific to the use of Schedule II controlled substances in settings other than a hospital, based on standards developed by the board. The statute states no hour count and no frequency, leaving both to board standards, so hours is null and frequency is unknown. This is the nurse-midwife analogue of the nurse practitioner requirement in Business and Professions Code 2836.1, and it is recorded here because it attaches to the nurse-midwife furnishing number by name. | Not stated | Frequency not stated | certified nurse-midwives who hold an active furnishing number and are registered with the Drug Enforcement Administration | Business and Professions Code 2746.51 |
| Advanced pharmacology course covering the drugs and devices to be furnished, including the risks of addiction and neonatal abstinence syndrome associated with the use of opioidsFurnishing or ordering drugs or devices is conditional on the board issuing a furnishing number after the nurse-midwife satisfactorily completes a course in pharmacology covering the drugs or devices to be furnished, including the risks of addiction and neonatal abstinence syndrome associated with the use of opioids. The statute sets no hour count and leaves the requirements for satisfactory completion to the board. The board's nurse-midwife practice page states the course must be an advanced pharmacology course associated with a nurse midwife or APRN academic program and that the nurse must register with the DEA to furnish Schedule II drugs. This is an entry requirement for the furnishing number rather than a recurring renewal topic. | Not stated | One time | certified nurse-midwives applying for a furnishing number | Business and Professions Code 2746.51 |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | No, attestation only |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | 4 years |
| Board audits compliance | Yes |
| Approved providers | Courses must be taken through a continuing education provider recognized by the Board of Registered Nursing, and the board tells licensees to verify the provider's current CEP status through BreEZe license verification before enrolling. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a California CNM need to renew?
- California nurse-midwives must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the California Board of Registered Nursing. California adds no separate hour total for the Nurse-Midwife certificate. Every registered nurse who wants an active license completes 30 contact hours of continuing education from a board recognized provider every two years, and the nurse-midwife certificate renews alongside that license with an additional fee and no additional hour count. CNM continuing education therefore neither stacks on nor runs parallel to the registered nurse requirement: there is one requirement, carried by the RN license. The board's continuing education page states one advanced practice hour requirement and it is scoped to nurse practitioners, six of the 30 hours in gerontology, dementia or elder care for a nurse practitioner whose patient population is more than 25 percent aged 65 or older. That requirement does not reach a nurse-midwife, and no equivalent role specific hour count for nurse-midwives appears on the board pages read. A licensee is exempt from the 30 hours at the first renewal, during the first two years immediately following initial licensure, and may enter EXEMPT as the course name; the implicit bias hour is the exception a first time renewer still owes. The same course taken twice in one renewal cycle counts once. The board's own nurse-midwife pages state no continuing education requirement specific to nurse-midwives, and they do not require documentation of current American Midwifery Certification Board certification at renewal: national certification is required at application only when the applicant's program was not California board approved, in which case verification comes from the certifying national organization. Because the state does not adopt it as a renewal condition, the AMCB Certificate Maintenance Program's five year totals are not recorded here.
- How often does a California CNM license need to be renewed?
- Certified Nurse-Midwife licenses in California renew every two years. California does not issue a standalone nurse-midwife license. The Board of Registered Nursing issues a Nurse-Midwife certificate, abbreviated NMW, on top of a registered nurse license, and Business and Professions Code 2746 directs the board to issue a certificate to practice nurse-midwifery to a person who qualifies under the article and is licensed under the chapter. The board states that an initial California RN license expires the last day of the month following the licensee's birth date, and after that the license renews every two years if renewed on time. The board lists the Nurse-Midwife and Nurse-Midwife Furnishing certificate, shown as NMW/NMF, among the certificates that carry a separate renewal fee due at the same time as the RN license renewal fee, so the nurse-midwife certificate renews alongside the registered nurse license rather than on its own clock.
- What specific CE topics are required for California nurse-midwives?
- Implicit bias course: 1 contact hour at the first renewal only (licensees still within the first two years immediately following initial licensure). Continuing education specific to the use of Schedule II controlled substances in settings other than a hospital: required (certified nurse-midwives who hold an active furnishing number and are registered with the Drug Enforcement Administration); the board does not state how often. Advanced pharmacology course covering the drugs and devices to be furnished, including the risks of addiction and neonatal abstinence syndrome associated with the use of opioids: a one-time requirement (certified nurse-midwives applying for a furnishing number). Citations: continuing education specific to the use of Schedule II controlled substances in settings other than a hospital (Business and Professions Code 2746.51) and advanced pharmacology course covering the drugs and devices to be furnished, including the risks of addiction and neonatal abstinence syndrome associated with the use of opioids (Business and Professions Code 2746.51).
- Do California nurse-midwives have to submit CE certificates at renewal?
- Licensees attest to completion at renewal rather than submitting certificates, the board audits a sample of renewals and asks for documentation, and records must be kept for 4 years. Courses must be taken through a continuing education provider recognized by the Board of Registered Nursing, and the board tells licensees to verify the provider's current CEP status through BreEZe license verification before enrolling.
- Is the first California CNM renewal exempt from CE?
- Yes. California does not require continuing education for a CNM's first renewal.
Sources
Last verified September 10, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- License and Certificate Renewal, California Board of Registered NursingState board page, accessed September 10, 2026
- Continuing Education for License Renewal, California Board of Registered NursingState board page, accessed September 10, 2026
- Advanced Practice and Public Health Nurse Certification, California Board of Registered NursingState board page, accessed September 10, 2026
- Nurse-Midwife, California Board of Registered NursingState board page, accessed September 10, 2026
- Business and Professions Code 2746, issuance of the certificate to practice nurse-midwiferyStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 10, 2026
- Business and Professions Code 2746.51, furnishing or ordering of drugs and devices by a certified nurse-midwifeStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 10, 2026
- Licensed Midwives, Medical Board of CaliforniaState board page, accessed September 10, 2026
California has a distinct nurse-midwife credential but not a standalone license. The Board of Registered Nursing lists Nurse-Midwife among six advanced practice and specialty certificates it issues, and Business and Professions Code 2746 directs the board to issue a certificate to practice nurse-midwifery to a person who qualifies under the article and is licensed under the chapter, so the credential sits on top of a registered nurse license. That statutory wording is how the rules read here were established to govern the nurse-midwife: every source is either the Board of Registered Nursing's own pages or the Nurse-Midwifery Practice Act, and the board's description ties the certificate to the Core Competencies for Basic Midwifery Practice adopted by the American College of Nurse-Midwives. California separately licenses non-nurse midwives through a different board: the Medical Board of California licenses Licensed Midwives as its own license category, and nothing from that program is recorded here. The board pattern is a board of registered nursing certifying the nurse-midwife as an advanced practice role. The 30 hour total, the two year birth month cycle, the first renewal exemption, the implicit bias hour, the four year retention, the random audits, the provider recognition rule, the no limit on home study, the CME Category 1 acceptance and the academic unit conversion were all read on the board's own renewal and continuing education pages. The certificate structure and the separate renewal fee for the NMW and NMF certificate were read on the same renewal page and the board's advanced practice page. The furnishing number, the pharmacology course and the Schedule II continuing education were read in Business and Professions Code 2746.51 on the Legislature's own site and corroborated on the board's nurse-midwife practice page. AMCB certification is not required at renewal on anything read: the board requires verification of national certification from the certifying national organization only where the applicant's program was not board approved, so certification is an entry condition in that case and not a renewal condition, and it does not substitute for state hours. Compared with the California nurse practitioner record, the hour total, cycle, retention and implicit bias hour match because all rest on the RN license, but the six hour gerontology requirement does not carry over: the board scopes it to nurse practitioners serving a population more than 25 percent aged 65 or older. Compared with the California nurse anesthetist record, the difference is the prescriber mandates: a nurse anesthetist holds no furnishing number, while Business and Professions Code 2746.51 gives the nurse-midwife one and attaches both the pharmacology course and the Schedule II continuing education to it. The Schedule II continuing education has no hour count or frequency in the statute, which leaves both to standards developed by the board, and the board's own instructions for the nurse-midwife furnishing number are published only as a PDF at https://www.rn.ca.gov/pdfs/applicants/nmf-instruct.pdf, which the no download rule excludes, so any hour count stated only there is not captured. Topic key pharmacology is not in the canonical list. The board did not state carryover or whether certificates are submitted at renewal, so those fields are null; retention and audits were stated and are recorded.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the California Board of Registered Nursing before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.