Kentucky Certified Nurse-Midwife license renewal and CE requirements
Kentucky nurse-midwives must complete 14 contact hours of continuing education every year to renew their license with the Kentucky Board of Nursing.
Kentucky does not issue a separate nurse-midwife license. The Kentucky Board of Nursing licenses the nurse-midwife as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse in the Certified Nurse Midwife designation, and Kentucky nursing credentials renew every year on a fixed schedule. The licensure and continuing competency earning period runs November 1 through October 31. The renewal window for LPN, RN, APRN, dialysis technician and sexual assault nurse examiner credentials is September 15 through midnight Eastern time on October 31, and renewal is completed in the KBN Nurse Portal. The APRN and RN credentials are renewed together in a combined APRN/RN renewal application, which also presents the primary state of residence declaration. Separately from the renewal date, current national certification must never lapse: 201 KAR 20:056 Section 7(2)(b)(1) states that an APRN who does not provide evidence of current certification or recertification before its expiration date shall have the APRN license voided, so a nurse-midwife is on two clocks, the October 31 renewal and the American Midwifery Certification Board expiration date on file with the board.
Summary
Kentucky nurse-midwives must complete 14 contact hours of continuing education every year to renew their license with the Kentucky Board of Nursing. Kentucky does not issue a separate nurse-midwife license. The Kentucky Board of Nursing licenses the nurse-midwife as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse in the Certified Nurse Midwife designation, and Kentucky nursing credentials renew every year on a fixed schedule. The licensure and continuing competency earning period runs November 1 through October 31. The renewal window for LPN, RN, APRN, dialysis technician and sexual assault nurse examiner credentials is September 15 through midnight Eastern time on October 31, and renewal is completed in the KBN Nurse Portal. The APRN and RN credentials are renewed together in a combined APRN/RN renewal application, which also presents the primary state of residence declaration. Separately from the renewal date, current national certification must never lapse: 201 KAR 20:056 Section 7(2)(b)(1) states that an APRN who does not provide evidence of current certification or recertification before its expiration date shall have the APRN license voided, so a nurse-midwife is on two clocks, the October 31 renewal and the American Midwifery Certification Board expiration date on file with the board. Kentucky also mandates specific subjects. Pharmacology contact hours: 5 contact hours every renewal cycle. Pain management or addiction disorders, within the pharmacology hours: 3 contact hours every renewal cycle (A nurse-midwife who is registered with the DEA and has a Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (KASPER) account as defined by 201 KAR 20:057 Section 1(7)). Treating and managing patients with opioid or other substance use disorders: a one-time requirement of 8 contact hours (A nurse-midwife who has a DEA registration. Due after June 27, 2023 and before the APRN's next scheduled DEA registration.). Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia: a one-time requirement of 1 contact hour (all nurses. A licensee holding an active nursing license on July 15, 2024 must complete it on or before October 31, 2027; a licensee first licensed after that date has three years from licensure.). Suicide prevention: a one-time requirement of 2 contact hours (nurses who completed a nursing program outside Kentucky, or a Kentucky program of nursing before August 2025. An APRN holding a privilege to practice as a registered nurse who obtained initial licensure after July 15, 2024 has three years from licensure.). Domestic violence and elder abuse, neglect and exploitation: a one-time requirement of 3 contact hours (nurses who completed a nursing program outside Kentucky, or a Kentucky program of nursing before May 1988). Pediatric abusive head trauma: a one-time requirement of 1.5 contact hours (nurses who completed a nursing program outside Kentucky, or a Kentucky program of nursing before December 2011). Medicinal cannabis continuing education: 3 contact hours every renewal cycle (A nurse-midwife with authorization to provide written certifications for the use of medicinal cannabis). Hours do not carry over between cycles.
Kentucky 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 | Annual (12 months) |
|---|---|
| Renewal deadline | Same date for every licensee, 10/31 each cycle |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 14 contact hours |
| Self-study or online cap | No cap stated |
| Carryover to next cycle | No |
| First renewal exempt | Not stated |
| Other accepted activities | Current national certification or recertification related to the nurse's practice role, in place of the 14 contact hours, plus the subject specific hours in 201 KAR 20:215 Section 5; Seven contact hours plus a satisfactory nursing employment evaluation covering at least six months of the earning period; Completion of a nursing related research project as principal investigator, coinvestigator or project director, plus the Section 5 subject hours; Publication of an article in a peer reviewed health related journal, plus the Section 5 subject hours; Service as a preceptor for at least one nursing student or new employee for at least 120 hours in a one to one relationship, plus the Section 5 subject hours; Designing and delivering a nursing continuing education presentation, credited at twice the contact hours offered to an attendee; Postlicensure academic courses, at 15 contact hours per semester or trimester hour and 12 contact hours per quarter hour, with a grade of C or better or a pass |
The base figure is annual, not biennial: 14 contact hours per earning period, and the earning period runs November 1 through October 31. Advanced practice continuing education in Kentucky does not stack a second general hour total on the registered nurse requirement, and it does not run on a separate clock. It replaces the general total and adds subject specific hours on top. The board states plainly that an APRN's certification meets the 14 contact hour requirement for the RN license, and 201 KAR 20:215 Section 3(2) makes current national certification or recertification one of the four ways any licensee validates continued competency. What an APRN owes in addition are the subject hours in Section 5, chief among them five contact hours in pharmacology every earning period, which is why a Kentucky nurse-midwife maintaining AMCB certification still has annual state hours to earn. The 14 hours must be completed during the earning period, so hours do not carry forward. Basic life support and CPR classes or certifications, ACLS and PALS certifications, on the job training and orientation, in-service education, equipment demonstrations, education completed before the license was issued, and activities designed to give information about the work setting are all excluded, though a nurse may count a CE certificate issued by an approved provider for an ACLS or PALS course. For the pharmacology hours only, an APRN may use continuing medical education credits if the provider is recognized by the APRN's national certifying organization. American Midwifery Certification Board certification is required to hold the license rather than being merely credited, and AMCB's own five year Certificate Maintenance Program totals are not recorded here; Kentucky's number is 14 contact hours a year with the Section 5 subjects on top.
Required CE topics for Kentucky 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pharmacology contact hoursThe rule states this for every advanced practice registered nurse and does not limit it to prescribers, so it reaches a nurse-midwife whether or not the nurse-midwife prescribes. To qualify as pharmacology the content must include drug specific information, safe prescribing practices, safe medication administration, prescribing methodologies, new administrative regulations or similar topics, the objectives must identify the pharmacology hours, and casual mention of medications or medical treatments does not count. | 5 contact hours | Every renewal | All licensees | 201 KAR 20:215 Section 5(1)(a), implementing KRS 314.073(9) |
| Pain management or addiction disorders, within the pharmacology hoursThis is not an extra three hours. At least three of the five required pharmacology contact hours must be in pain management or addiction disorders for an APRN with a DEA registration and a KASPER account. | 3 contact hours | Every renewal | A nurse-midwife who is registered with the DEA and has a Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (KASPER) account as defined by 201 KAR 20:057 Section 1(7) | 201 KAR 20:215 Section 5(1)(b) |
| Treating and managing patients with opioid or other substance use disordersMust include the appropriate clinical use of all drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treating a substance use disorder. An APRN is deemed to have satisfied it if they graduated from an advanced practice nursing school within the five years before June 27, 2023 from a comprehensive curriculum that included at least eight hours on the subject, or if they have already earned eight hours on it, including past DATA-Waiver trainings. Groups approved by the DEA or SAMHSA may provide this training in addition to board approved providers. | 8 contact hours | One time | A nurse-midwife who has a DEA registration. Due after June 27, 2023 and before the APRN's next scheduled DEA registration. | 201 KAR 20:215 Section 5(2) and 5(3) |
| Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementiaContent must cover the warning signs and symptoms, the importance of early detection and diagnosis and appropriate communication techniques for discussing memory concerns with the patient and caregiver, the tools used to assess cognition, and current treatments. The board offers a free course that satisfies it. Once completed it is not repeated. | 1 contact hour | One time | All nurses. A licensee holding an active nursing license on July 15, 2024 must complete it on or before October 31, 2027; a licensee first licensed after that date has three years from licensure. | 201 KAR 20:215 Section 5(5)(c) and 5(7), implementing KRS 314.073(7) |
| Suicide preventionOne contact hour on suicide prevention generally, and one that addresses chronic toxic stress and secondary traumatic stress increasing suicide among nurses, a confidential and standardized pathway to care for nurses covering screening, assessment, safety planning, referral and follow-up, systems of care and evidence informed approaches to reduce suicide rates, and the ethical and legal considerations of caring for patients and nurses who are suicidal. | 2 contact hours | One time | Nurses who completed a nursing program outside Kentucky, or a Kentucky program of nursing before August 2025. An APRN holding a privilege to practice as a registered nurse who obtained initial licensure after July 15, 2024 has three years from licensure. | 201 KAR 20:215 Section 5(5)(d) and 5(8) |
| Domestic violence and elder abuse, neglect and exploitationA one time requirement completed within three years of licensure. The board links a free course. Once completed it is not repeated. | 3 contact hours | One time | Nurses who completed a nursing program outside Kentucky, or a Kentucky program of nursing before May 1988 | 201 KAR 20:215 Section 5(5)(b), implementing KRS 194A.540(9)(d) |
| Pediatric abusive head traumaKentucky's child protection mandate is specifically about pediatric abusive head trauma rather than general mandated reporting. A one time requirement completed within three years of licensure. | 1.5 contact hours | One time | Nurses who completed a nursing program outside Kentucky, or a Kentucky program of nursing before December 2011 | 201 KAR 20:215 Section 5(5)(a), implementing KRS 314.073(6) |
| Medicinal cannabis continuing educationThree additional contact hours every year between November 1 and October 31, covering diagnosing qualifying medical conditions, treating them with medicinal cannabis, the pharmacological characteristics of medicinal cannabis and possible drug interactions, and indications of cannabis use disorder. Like all other hours these must come from a provider approved by the board, another state board of nursing, or one of the national nursing organizations in 201 KAR 20:220. | 3 contact hours | Every renewal | A nurse-midwife with authorization to provide written certifications for the use of medicinal cannabis | 201 KAR 20:067 Section 6, referenced by 201 KAR 20:215 Section 5(9) |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | No, attestation only |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | 5 years |
| Board audits compliance | Yes |
| Approved providers | Continuing education must come from a provider approved to offer nursing continuing education by the Kentucky Board of Nursing, by another state board of nursing, or by one of the national nursing organizations listed in 201 KAR 20:220 Section 2(5). That list includes the American College of Nurse-Midwives, which is the relevant organization for a nurse-midwife, alongside ANCC, AANP, AACN, AANA, AWHONN, NPWH, NAPNAP, NAPNES, NALPN and the NLN. Every completion certificate must show the nurse's name, the course title, the date of completion, the contact hours awarded, the provider information, and who approved that provider to offer nursing continuing education; a pharmacology certificate should state the pharmacology hours specifically. Uploading continuing education to the KBN Nurse Portal is optional and is not required to renew, but a nurse selected for the continuing education audit must upload all documents at that time. Records are kept at least five years following the current licensure period and must be furnished within 20 days of a written request. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Kentucky CNM need to renew?
- Kentucky nurse-midwives must complete 14 contact hours of continuing education every year to renew their license with the Kentucky Board of Nursing. The base figure is annual, not biennial: 14 contact hours per earning period, and the earning period runs November 1 through October 31. Advanced practice continuing education in Kentucky does not stack a second general hour total on the registered nurse requirement, and it does not run on a separate clock. It replaces the general total and adds subject specific hours on top. The board states plainly that an APRN's certification meets the 14 contact hour requirement for the RN license, and 201 KAR 20:215 Section 3(2) makes current national certification or recertification one of the four ways any licensee validates continued competency. What an APRN owes in addition are the subject hours in Section 5, chief among them five contact hours in pharmacology every earning period, which is why a Kentucky nurse-midwife maintaining AMCB certification still has annual state hours to earn. The 14 hours must be completed during the earning period, so hours do not carry forward. Basic life support and CPR classes or certifications, ACLS and PALS certifications, on the job training and orientation, in-service education, equipment demonstrations, education completed before the license was issued, and activities designed to give information about the work setting are all excluded, though a nurse may count a CE certificate issued by an approved provider for an ACLS or PALS course. For the pharmacology hours only, an APRN may use continuing medical education credits if the provider is recognized by the APRN's national certifying organization. American Midwifery Certification Board certification is required to hold the license rather than being merely credited, and AMCB's own five year Certificate Maintenance Program totals are not recorded here; Kentucky's number is 14 contact hours a year with the Section 5 subjects on top.
- How often does a Kentucky CNM license need to be renewed?
- Certified Nurse-Midwife licenses in Kentucky renew every year. Kentucky does not issue a separate nurse-midwife license. The Kentucky Board of Nursing licenses the nurse-midwife as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse in the Certified Nurse Midwife designation, and Kentucky nursing credentials renew every year on a fixed schedule. The licensure and continuing competency earning period runs November 1 through October 31. The renewal window for LPN, RN, APRN, dialysis technician and sexual assault nurse examiner credentials is September 15 through midnight Eastern time on October 31, and renewal is completed in the KBN Nurse Portal. The APRN and RN credentials are renewed together in a combined APRN/RN renewal application, which also presents the primary state of residence declaration. Separately from the renewal date, current national certification must never lapse: 201 KAR 20:056 Section 7(2)(b)(1) states that an APRN who does not provide evidence of current certification or recertification before its expiration date shall have the APRN license voided, so a nurse-midwife is on two clocks, the October 31 renewal and the American Midwifery Certification Board expiration date on file with the board.
- What specific CE topics are required for Kentucky nurse-midwives?
- Pharmacology contact hours: 5 contact hours every renewal cycle. Pain management or addiction disorders, within the pharmacology hours: 3 contact hours every renewal cycle (A nurse-midwife who is registered with the DEA and has a Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (KASPER) account as defined by 201 KAR 20:057 Section 1(7)). Treating and managing patients with opioid or other substance use disorders: a one-time requirement of 8 contact hours (A nurse-midwife who has a DEA registration. Due after June 27, 2023 and before the APRN's next scheduled DEA registration.). Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia: a one-time requirement of 1 contact hour (all nurses. A licensee holding an active nursing license on July 15, 2024 must complete it on or before October 31, 2027; a licensee first licensed after that date has three years from licensure.). Suicide prevention: a one-time requirement of 2 contact hours (nurses who completed a nursing program outside Kentucky, or a Kentucky program of nursing before August 2025. An APRN holding a privilege to practice as a registered nurse who obtained initial licensure after July 15, 2024 has three years from licensure.). Domestic violence and elder abuse, neglect and exploitation: a one-time requirement of 3 contact hours (nurses who completed a nursing program outside Kentucky, or a Kentucky program of nursing before May 1988). Pediatric abusive head trauma: a one-time requirement of 1.5 contact hours (nurses who completed a nursing program outside Kentucky, or a Kentucky program of nursing before December 2011). Medicinal cannabis continuing education: 3 contact hours every renewal cycle (A nurse-midwife with authorization to provide written certifications for the use of medicinal cannabis). Citations: pharmacology contact hours (201 KAR 20:215 Section 5(1)(a), implementing KRS 314.073(9)), pain management or addiction disorders, within the pharmacology hours (201 KAR 20:215 Section 5(1)(b)), treating and managing patients with opioid or other substance use disorders (201 KAR 20:215 Section 5(2) and 5(3)), Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia (201 KAR 20:215 Section 5(5)(c) and 5(7), implementing KRS 314.073(7)), suicide prevention (201 KAR 20:215 Section 5(5)(d) and 5(8)), domestic violence and elder abuse, neglect and exploitation (201 KAR 20:215 Section 5(5)(b), implementing KRS 194A.540(9)(d)), pediatric abusive head trauma (201 KAR 20:215 Section 5(5)(a), implementing KRS 314.073(6)), and medicinal cannabis continuing education (201 KAR 20:067 Section 6, referenced by 201 KAR 20:215 Section 5(9)).
- Do Kentucky 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 5 years. Continuing education must come from a provider approved to offer nursing continuing education by the Kentucky Board of Nursing, by another state board of nursing, or by one of the national nursing organizations listed in 201 KAR 20:220 Section 2(5). That list includes the American College of Nurse-Midwives, which is the relevant organization for a nurse-midwife, alongside ANCC, AANP, AACN, AANA, AWHONN, NPWH, NAPNAP, NAPNES, NALPN and the NLN. Every completion certificate must show the nurse's name, the course title, the date of completion, the contact hours awarded, the provider information, and who approved that provider to offer nursing continuing education; a pharmacology certificate should state the pharmacology hours specifically. Uploading continuing education to the KBN Nurse Portal is optional and is not required to renew, but a nurse selected for the continuing education audit must upload all documents at that time. Records are kept at least five years following the current licensure period and must be furnished within 20 days of a written request.
Sources
Last verified September 10, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- APRN Continuing Education, Kentucky Board of NursingState board page, accessed September 10, 2026
- APRN National Certification, Kentucky Board of Nursing (recognized designations and population foci)State board page, accessed September 10, 2026
- Continuing Education Requirements, Kentucky Board of NursingState board page, accessed September 10, 2026
- One Time Content Specific CE Requirements, Kentucky Board of NursingState board page, accessed September 10, 2026
- RN and LPN Continuing Education Requirements, Kentucky Board of NursingState board page, accessed September 10, 2026
- Renewal, Kentucky Board of NursingState board page, accessed September 10, 2026
- 201 KAR 20:215, Continuing competency requirementsStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 10, 2026
- Kentucky Board of Nursing home pageState board page, accessed September 10, 2026
Kentucky recognizes the nurse-midwife explicitly. The Kentucky Board of Nursing's APRN national certification page lists Certified Nurse Midwife as one of the four APRN designations it licenses, with American Midwifery Certification Board certification as the only accepted credential for that designation, alongside Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, Certified Nurse Practitioner and Clinical Nurse Specialist. There is no separate nurse-midwife license; the credential is an APRN license carrying that designation, renewed in a combined APRN and RN application. Kentucky is a state where the credential trap is live, because the same board also licenses a non-nurse midwife: the Licensed Certified Professional Midwife is its own credential on the board's site with its own scope of practice and its own education pages. Every figure in this record was read in nursing sources that scope themselves to nurses: 201 KAR 20:215 is the continuing competency regulation for licensees under the nurse practice act, its Section 5 speaks of the Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, and the board's APRN continuing education page is filed under the Advanced Practice Registered Nurse section of the site. No LCPM rule was read or used. AMCB certification is both a condition of holding the license and a substitute for the general hours. It is required continuously, not just at renewal: the board states that an APRN who does not provide evidence of current certification or recertification before its expiration date has the APRN license voided under 201 KAR 20:056 Section 7(2)(b)(1). It also substitutes, since 201 KAR 20:215 Section 3(2) lets current national certification or recertification stand in for the 14 contact hours, which the board's APRN page restates as the certification meeting the RN requirement. So the relationship between advanced practice and registered nurse continuing education here is replacement plus a topic overlay, not stacking and not a parallel clock. Eight mandated subjects are recorded, six of them conditionally scoped. Two use keys outside the canonical list. The pediatric abusive head trauma course is filed under child_abuse_reporting because it is Kentucky's child protection mandate and the canonical list has no closer key, and the medicinal cannabis hours use the key medicinal_cannabis because no canonical key covers them. Effective dates were checked: the dementia hour comes from a July 15, 2024 change with a deadline of October 31, 2027 for nurses already licensed then, the suicide prevention hours are scoped by whether a Kentucky nursing program before August 2025 already covered them, and the eight hour substance use disorder training is keyed to the federal June 27, 2023 date and the APRN's next DEA registration. Nothing in these sources contradicts the existing ky-rn, ky-np or ky-crna records: the annual cycle, the October 31 date, the 14 contact hours, the five pharmacology hours and the one time subject list all match. The one difference from ky-crna is that this record also carries the medicinal cannabis hours, which the crna record omits; the rule applies to any APRN holding that authorization, so it is a gap in that record rather than a disagreement. Two fields are null because no source stated them: there is no first renewal continuing education exemption on any page or in the regulation, and there is no cap on self study or online hours.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Kentucky Board of Nursing before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.