Louisiana Nurse Practitioner license renewal and CE requirements
Louisiana nurse practitioners must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Louisiana State Board of Nursing.
Louisiana nursing licenses run on a two year cycle. The renewal season opens October 1 and runs through December 31; a renewal completed after midnight Central time on December 31 carries a $50 late fee, and any Louisiana nursing license not successfully renewed online expires at midnight Central time on January 31. Renewal is online only, through the board's Nurse Portal.
Summary
Louisiana nurse practitioners must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Louisiana State Board of Nursing. Louisiana nursing licenses run on a two year cycle. The renewal season opens October 1 and runs through December 31; a renewal completed after midnight Central time on December 31 carries a $50 late fee, and any Louisiana nursing license not successfully renewed online expires at midnight Central time on January 31. Renewal is online only, through the board's Nurse Portal. Louisiana also mandates specific subjects. Pharmacotherapeutics in the APRN's advanced nursing role and population foci: 12 contact hours every renewal cycle (APRNs with prescriptive authority). Controlled substance prescribing practices: a one-time requirement of 3 contact hours (APRNs with prescriptive authority who hold a controlled dangerous substance license. An APRN who certifies to not having prescribed, administered or dispensed any controlled substance during the license period may be exempted).
Louisiana Nurse Practitioner 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, 01/31 each cycle |
| 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 | Not stated |
| Other accepted activities | Current national certification in an advanced practice specialty recognized by the board, which satisfies the registered nurse relicensure requirement for an APRN; A minimum of 900 nursing practice hours during the two year licensure period, verified by the employer on a board form, in place of the 30 contact hours; National certification in a nursing specialty recognized by the board and held for the full two year licensure period; Academic courses in a post-secondary nursing degree program, documented by official transcript |
Louisiana layers the requirement in an unusual way. The base is the registered nurse relicensure requirement, which the board states as at least 30 board approved contact hours during the two year licensure period or at least 900 employer verified practice hours during that period. For a nurse practitioner, the board says that an APRN who is nationally board certified meets the provisions for renewal of the Louisiana RN license by holding that approved certification, so national certification is the usual route through the base requirement. Added on top, and specific to advanced practice, an APRN with prescriptive authority must obtain 6 contact hours of continuing education in pharmacotherapeutics each year in the APRN's advanced nursing role and population foci, which comes to 12 contact hours across the two year renewal. So a Louisiana nurse practitioner with prescriptive authority owes the base requirement (30 contact hours, or 900 practice hours, or current national certification) plus 12 pharmacotherapeutics hours over the cycle. An APRN initially licensed under the grandfathering provisions of R.S. 37:912(B)(3) and (4) who is not advanced practice certified submits the documentation required by Section 4507.E instead.
Required CE topics for Louisiana nurse practitioners
State-specific subject mandates. Where a mandate applies only to some licensees, the scope is listed.
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Applies to | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pharmacotherapeutics in the APRN's advanced nursing role and population fociThe rule states 6 contact hours each year; because renewal is every two years, an APRN selected for the audit must produce 12 contact hours of pharmacotherapeutics for the cycle. Content must be relevant to advanced practice nursing and the use of pharmacological agents in preventing illness and restoring and maintaining health, and must come from a board approved national certifying organization or a provider approved by the board. Hours earned for the mandated controlled substance prescribing education are applied to this requirement for the year in which they were completed. Non-canonical topic key. | 12 contact hours | Every renewal | APRNs with prescriptive authority | LAC 46:XLVII.4513 |
| Controlled substance prescribing practicesThree board approved hours covering drug diversion training, best practices for controlled substance prescribing, and addiction treatment. It may be taken as one three hour program, three one hour programs, or any combination totaling three hours, from a board approved national certifying body, a board approved accrediting organization, a provider approved by the board, or the board itself. A one time requirement for APRNs licensed before the rule was promulgated and a condition of application afterward. These hours also count toward the pharmacotherapeutics requirement for the year completed. Failure to comply makes the license inactive and restricts prescriptive authority until reinstatement. | 3 contact hours | One time | APRNs with prescriptive authority who hold a controlled dangerous substance license. An APRN who certifies to not having prescribed, administered or dispensed any controlled substance during the license period may be exempted | LAC 46:XLVII.4516 |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | No, attestation only |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | Not stated |
| Board audits compliance | Yes |
| Approved providers | Continuing education must be board approved; pharmacotherapeutics hours must come from a board approved national certifying organization or a provider approved by the board. Renewal is by attestation: evidence is submitted only when the board requests it. Board rules require that no less than 3 percent of the total RNs and APRNs who renew each year be chosen at random for an audit of continuing education compliance, and the licensure audit runs on or around March following renewal. An APRN selected for the pharmacology audit mails in the board's CE Audit Verification Form for APRNs with Prescriptive Authority together with photocopies of the certificates of completion. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Louisiana NP need to renew?
- Louisiana nurse practitioners must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Louisiana State Board of Nursing. Louisiana layers the requirement in an unusual way. The base is the registered nurse relicensure requirement, which the board states as at least 30 board approved contact hours during the two year licensure period or at least 900 employer verified practice hours during that period. For a nurse practitioner, the board says that an APRN who is nationally board certified meets the provisions for renewal of the Louisiana RN license by holding that approved certification, so national certification is the usual route through the base requirement. Added on top, and specific to advanced practice, an APRN with prescriptive authority must obtain 6 contact hours of continuing education in pharmacotherapeutics each year in the APRN's advanced nursing role and population foci, which comes to 12 contact hours across the two year renewal. So a Louisiana nurse practitioner with prescriptive authority owes the base requirement (30 contact hours, or 900 practice hours, or current national certification) plus 12 pharmacotherapeutics hours over the cycle. An APRN initially licensed under the grandfathering provisions of R.S. 37:912(B)(3) and (4) who is not advanced practice certified submits the documentation required by Section 4507.E instead.
- How often does a Louisiana NP license need to be renewed?
- Nurse Practitioner licenses in Louisiana renew every two years. Louisiana nursing licenses run on a two year cycle. The renewal season opens October 1 and runs through December 31; a renewal completed after midnight Central time on December 31 carries a $50 late fee, and any Louisiana nursing license not successfully renewed online expires at midnight Central time on January 31. Renewal is online only, through the board's Nurse Portal.
- What specific CE topics are required for Louisiana nurse practitioners?
- Pharmacotherapeutics in the APRN's advanced nursing role and population foci: 12 contact hours every renewal cycle (APRNs with prescriptive authority). Controlled substance prescribing practices: a one-time requirement of 3 contact hours (APRNs with prescriptive authority who hold a controlled dangerous substance license. An APRN who certifies to not having prescribed, administered or dispensed any controlled substance during the license period may be exempted). Citations: pharmacotherapeutics in the APRN's advanced nursing role and population foci (LAC 46:XLVII.4513) and controlled substance prescribing practices (LAC 46:XLVII.4516).
- Do Louisiana nurse practitioners have to submit CE certificates at renewal?
- Licensees attest to completion at renewal rather than submitting certificates and the board audits a sample of renewals and asks for documentation. Continuing education must be board approved; pharmacotherapeutics hours must come from a board approved national certifying organization or a provider approved by the board. Renewal is by attestation: evidence is submitted only when the board requests it. Board rules require that no less than 3 percent of the total RNs and APRNs who renew each year be chosen at random for an audit of continuing education compliance, and the licensure audit runs on or around March following renewal. An APRN selected for the pharmacology audit mails in the board's CE Audit Verification Form for APRNs with Prescriptive Authority together with photocopies of the certificates of completion.
Sources
Last verified September 8, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- Continuing Education FAQs, Louisiana State Board of NursingState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
- Renewal FAQs, Louisiana State Board of NursingState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
- LAC 46:XLVII.4513 Continued competency for prescriptive authority (Cornell LII mirror)Third-party summary, accessed September 8, 2026
- LAC 46:XLVII.4516 Controlled substance prescribing education for APRNs (Cornell LII mirror)Third-party summary, accessed September 8, 2026
- Louisiana State Board of NursingState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
Louisiana splits the two professions across two boards: nurse practitioners are licensed as APRNs by the Louisiana State Board of Nursing, while physician assistants are licensed by the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners. The APRN rules in LAC 46:XLVII Chapter 45 cover all four advanced practice roles, so the requirements here are the shared APRN rule rather than nurse practitioner specific ones. The base 30 contact hours or 900 practice hours, the national certification route for APRNs, the 6 pharmacotherapeutics hours per year and the 12 hours produced at audit, the two year cycle, the October 1 to December 31 renewal season and the January 31 expiration, and the 3 percent random audit were read on the board's own continuing education and renewal FAQ pages. The rule text for the pharmacotherapeutics and controlled substance requirements was read on the Cornell LII mirror, because Louisiana publishes LAC Title 46 Part XLVII as a Word document on the Division of Administration site, which was not downloaded. One topic key is outside the canonical list: pharmacology. hours_per_cycle records the 30 hour base rather than the 12 pharmacotherapeutics hours, and the notes field explains the full stack, because the board presents 30 as the relicensure figure. Licensee record retention is not stated by the board for nurses.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Louisiana State Board of Nursing before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.