Indiana Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist license renewal and CE requirements
Indiana does not require continuing education for CRNA license renewal, which happens every two years.
Indiana issues no nurse anesthetist license. The board states that all CRNAs who do not need prescriptive authority practice under their Indiana Registered Nurse license or an out of state compact RN license, so the credential a nurse anesthetist renews is the RN license, which expires October 31 of every odd-numbered year regardless of issuance date. The renewal cycle opens no later than 90 days before expiration and notices go to the email address on file. A CRNA who also holds the separate APRN Prescriptive Authority license renews that on the same October 31 odd-year date; an APRN Compact RN license instead carries the expiration date of the home state compact license.
Summary
Indiana does not require continuing education for CRNA license renewal, which happens every two years. Indiana issues no nurse anesthetist license. The board states that all CRNAs who do not need prescriptive authority practice under their Indiana Registered Nurse license or an out of state compact RN license, so the credential a nurse anesthetist renews is the RN license, which expires October 31 of every odd-numbered year regardless of issuance date. The renewal cycle opens no later than 90 days before expiration and notices go to the email address on file. A CRNA who also holds the separate APRN Prescriptive Authority license renews that on the same October 31 odd-year date; an APRN Compact RN license instead carries the expiration date of the home state compact license. Indiana also mandates specific subjects. Pharmacology: 8 hours every renewal cycle (only a CRNA who also holds the optional Indiana APRN Prescriptive Authority or APRN Compact RN license; it does not reach a nurse anesthetist practicing on the RN license alone).
Indiana Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist 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 | Same date for every licensee, 10/31 each cycle |
| Continuing education required | No |
This differs from the Indiana nurse practitioner record, and the reason is the credential structure rather than a different hour count. The board states plainly that there are no CEU requirements for the renewal of LPN or RN licenses in Indiana, and that the Advanced Practice Registered Nurse license is the authority to prescribe rather than a license to practice as a nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist or CRNA: all CNPs, CRNAs and other advanced practice registered nurses who do not need prescriptive authority practice under their Indiana Registered Nurse license or out of state compact RN license. A nurse anesthetist who does not prescribe therefore has no Indiana continuing education requirement at all. A CRNA who does obtain the optional APRN Prescriptive Authority license takes on that license's requirement: at least 30 contact hours of continuing education per two year licensure period, including at least 8 contact hours of pharmacology, from a nationally approved sponsor of continuing education for advanced practice nurses (848 IAC 5-1-3). That layer is prorated on a first cycle: prescriptive authority granted less than 12 months before expiration requires no continuing education, and authority granted at least 12 but less than 24 months before expiration requires 15 contact hours including at least 4 pharmacology hours, all completed after the authority was granted. Prescriptive authority also requires a current written collaborative practice agreement with an Indiana licensed practitioner on file. Indiana sets no continuing education figure of its own for nurse anesthesia practice and does not adopt NBCRNA Continued Professional Certification credit totals; national certification appears only as an accepted substitute during a prescriptive authority audit.
Required CE topics for Indiana certified registered nurse anesthetists
State-specific subject mandates. Where a mandate applies only to some licensees, the scope is listed.
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Applies to | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PharmacologyAt least 8 of the 30 contact hours required to renew prescriptive authority must be pharmacology, counted inside the 30 rather than on top. On a prorated first cycle of 15 hours, at least 4 must be pharmacology. Non-canonical topic key. | 8 hours | Every renewal | Only a CRNA who also holds the optional Indiana APRN Prescriptive Authority or APRN Compact RN license; it does not reach a nurse anesthetist practicing on the RN license alone | 848 IAC 5-1-3 |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | No, attestation only |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | 3 years |
| Board audits compliance | Yes |
| Approved providers | Nothing to document for a nurse anesthetist renewing only the RN license, which carries no continuing education. For the optional APRN Prescriptive Authority license, continuing education must be approved by a nationally approved sponsor of continuing education for advanced practice nurses approved by the board; the board lists the United States Department of Education, the Council on Post-Secondary Education, the Joint Commission, federal, state and local government agencies, colleges and teaching institutions accredited by the US Department of Education or the Council on Post-Secondary Education, a national organization of licensed advanced practice registered nurses, affiliated national, state, district or local organizations operating under one of those, and hospital internship or residency programs approved by one of them. Licensees keep certificates of completion for up to 3 years from the date of renewal; the board may audit up to 10 percent of licensees and runs an APRN prescriptive authority audit every two years under IC 25-23-1-19.8. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Indiana CRNA need to renew?
- Indiana does not require continuing education for CRNA license renewal, which happens every two years. This differs from the Indiana nurse practitioner record, and the reason is the credential structure rather than a different hour count. The board states plainly that there are no CEU requirements for the renewal of LPN or RN licenses in Indiana, and that the Advanced Practice Registered Nurse license is the authority to prescribe rather than a license to practice as a nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist or CRNA: all CNPs, CRNAs and other advanced practice registered nurses who do not need prescriptive authority practice under their Indiana Registered Nurse license or out of state compact RN license. A nurse anesthetist who does not prescribe therefore has no Indiana continuing education requirement at all. A CRNA who does obtain the optional APRN Prescriptive Authority license takes on that license's requirement: at least 30 contact hours of continuing education per two year licensure period, including at least 8 contact hours of pharmacology, from a nationally approved sponsor of continuing education for advanced practice nurses (848 IAC 5-1-3). That layer is prorated on a first cycle: prescriptive authority granted less than 12 months before expiration requires no continuing education, and authority granted at least 12 but less than 24 months before expiration requires 15 contact hours including at least 4 pharmacology hours, all completed after the authority was granted. Prescriptive authority also requires a current written collaborative practice agreement with an Indiana licensed practitioner on file. Indiana sets no continuing education figure of its own for nurse anesthesia practice and does not adopt NBCRNA Continued Professional Certification credit totals; national certification appears only as an accepted substitute during a prescriptive authority audit.
- How often does a Indiana CRNA license need to be renewed?
- Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist licenses in Indiana renew every two years. Indiana issues no nurse anesthetist license. The board states that all CRNAs who do not need prescriptive authority practice under their Indiana Registered Nurse license or an out of state compact RN license, so the credential a nurse anesthetist renews is the RN license, which expires October 31 of every odd-numbered year regardless of issuance date. The renewal cycle opens no later than 90 days before expiration and notices go to the email address on file. A CRNA who also holds the separate APRN Prescriptive Authority license renews that on the same October 31 odd-year date; an APRN Compact RN license instead carries the expiration date of the home state compact license.
- What specific CE topics are required for Indiana nurse anesthetists?
- Pharmacology: 8 hours every renewal cycle (only a CRNA who also holds the optional Indiana APRN Prescriptive Authority or APRN Compact RN license; it does not reach a nurse anesthetist practicing on the RN license alone). Citations: pharmacology (848 IAC 5-1-3).
- Do Indiana nurse anesthetists 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 3 years. Nothing to document for a nurse anesthetist renewing only the RN license, which carries no continuing education. For the optional APRN Prescriptive Authority license, continuing education must be approved by a nationally approved sponsor of continuing education for advanced practice nurses approved by the board; the board lists the United States Department of Education, the Council on Post-Secondary Education, the Joint Commission, federal, state and local government agencies, colleges and teaching institutions accredited by the US Department of Education or the Council on Post-Secondary Education, a national organization of licensed advanced practice registered nurses, affiliated national, state, district or local organizations operating under one of those, and hospital internship or residency programs approved by one of them. Licensees keep certificates of completion for up to 3 years from the date of renewal; the board may audit up to 10 percent of licensees and runs an APRN prescriptive authority audit every two years under IC 25-23-1-19.8.
Sources
Last verified September 8, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- Nursing Licensing Information, Indiana Professional Licensing Agency (RN renewal, APRN prescriptive authority renewal, continuing education and APRN audit sections)State board page, accessed September 8, 2026
- Indiana State Board of Nursing, Indiana Professional Licensing AgencyState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
Indiana does not issue a distinct CRNA credential, and it does not fold nurse anesthetists into a general APRN license either. The board's own licensing page says the Advanced Practice Registered Nurse license is for the authority to prescribe and is not a license to practice as a nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist or CRNA, and that all CNPs, CRNAs and other APRNs who do not need prescriptive authority should practice under their Indiana Registered Nurse license or out of state compact RN license. The same page says there are no CEU requirements for the renewal of LPN or RN licenses in Indiana. Both statements are on the official state host, so the record is high confidence with required set to false: the credential that actually governs an Indiana nurse anesthetist carries no state continuing education. The 30 contact hours with 8 pharmacology hours, the prorated first cycle, the 3 year certificate retention, the 10 percent audit and the acceptance of national certification in lieu of the hours during an audit were all read on that same board page; they are recorded as a conditional prescriber layer rather than as the state's CRNA requirement, which is the difference from the Indiana nurse practitioner record where prescriptive authority is the normal case. The rule citation 848 IAC 5-1-3 is quoted by the board page; the Indiana Administrative Code text itself was not read because Indiana publishes it only as PDF files, which the no download rule excludes. One topic key is outside the canonical list: pharmacology. No opioid topic is recorded for nurse anesthetists. Indiana states no first renewal proration for the RN license, so renewal.first_renewal_prorated is left null even though the prescriptive authority layer is prorated.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Indiana State Board of Nursing (Indiana Professional Licensing Agency) before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.