New Hampshire Certified Nurse-Midwife license renewal and CE requirements

Summary

New Hampshire nurse-midwives must complete 60 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the New Hampshire Board of Nursing, Office of Professional Licensure and Certification. New Hampshire does not issue a nurse midwife credential of any kind. A nurse midwife practices on a generic advanced practice registered nurse license held on top of a registered nurse license, and renews on the APRN schedule. Under Nur 401.01(a)(1) the renewal application must be submitted by midnight on the applicant's date of birth in the renewal year, using the Application for License Renewal: Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, and RSA 326-B:22, I sets renewals at every two years in accordance with RSA 310:8. Renewal also requires reporting any pending criminal charges, convictions or plea arrangements, having committed no acts that are grounds for discipline or having made sufficient restitution, and meeting the continuing competence requirements in the board's rules. Failure to receive the renewal application does not relieve the licensee of the obligation to renew before midnight on the birthday of the renewal year, and failure to renew forfeits the ability to practice nursing in New Hampshire. Practising after a license has lapsed carries a fine of up to $50 for every calendar month or part of a month. Under RSA 310:8, III an expired license lapses one year after expiration, after which the holder must reinstate rather than renew. See the advisory on this record about the renewal basis. New Hampshire also mandates specific subjects. Pharmacology appropriate to the specialty practice area: 5 contact hours every renewal cycle (every advanced practice registered nurse renewing or reinstating a license, which includes a nurse midwife; it is not scoped to prescribers). Opioid prescribing, pain management or substance abuse disorder: 3 contact hours every renewal cycle (only a nurse midwife who is required to register with the controlled drug prescription health and safety program under RSA 126-A:89 to 96 and who possesses a United States Drug Enforcement Administration license number. The board words the same condition as an active DEA number for prescribing in New Hampshire).

New Hampshire 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.

New Hampshire stacks the advanced practice requirement on top of the registered nurse requirement, and says so in the rule. Nur 403.01(a) requires 30 contact hours for a registered nurse renewal, and Nur 403.01(d) requires each APRN applicant for renewal or reinstatement to complete at least 30 contact hours of continuing education in addition to the registered nurse requirement within the 2 years immediately preceding the date of application, of which at least 20 must be specific to the specialty practice area and 5 must be pharmacology appropriate to the specialty practice area. The total is therefore 60 contact hours per two year cycle, which is the same figure the state records for its nurse practitioner and nurse anesthetist. For a nurse midwife the specialty practice area is nurse midwifery, so the 20 specialty hours and the 5 pharmacology hours must be midwifery relevant. National certification, which for a nurse midwife means American Midwifery Certification Board certification, does real work here but only on the registered nurse half: Nur 403.01(a) says current national certification may be used to fulfil the registered nurse continuing education requirement, and the board's own page states plainly that specialty certification equals 30 of the 60 required contact hours, with an additional 30 hours that should include 5 hours of pharmacology. So AMCB certification substitutes for 30 hours and cannot substitute for the other 30. It is also a condition of holding the license: RSA 326-B:18, I(c) requires current certification by a board recognised national certifying body in the specialty for which the applicant was educated, and Nur 302.04(a)(5) requires current certification from a national certifying body recognised by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing that specialises in the APRN area of practice. The AMCB Certificate Maintenance Program totals are not adopted as state hours. The board adds one nesting detail that is easy to misread: for a licensee with an active DEA number for prescribing in New Hampshire, 3 of the 5 pharmacology hours must address opioid prescribing, pain management or substance abuse disorder, so those 3 hours sit inside the 5 rather than on top of them. The board tracks continuing education through CE Broker and states that proof of completion should be sent to the board office.

Required CE topics for New Hampshire certified nurse-midwifes

State-specific subject mandates. Where a mandate applies only to some licensees, the scope is listed.

Documentation and audit

Common questions

How many CE hours does a New Hampshire CNM need to renew?

New Hampshire nurse-midwives must complete 60 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the New Hampshire Board of Nursing, Office of Professional Licensure and Certification. New Hampshire stacks the advanced practice requirement on top of the registered nurse requirement, and says so in the rule. Nur 403.01(a) requires 30 contact hours for a registered nurse renewal, and Nur 403.01(d) requires each APRN applicant for renewal or reinstatement to complete at least 30 contact hours of continuing education in addition to the registered nurse requirement within the 2 years immediately preceding the date of application, of which at least 20 must be specific to the specialty practice area and 5 must be pharmacology appropriate to the specialty practice area. The total is therefore 60 contact hours per two year cycle, which is the same figure the state records for its nurse practitioner and nurse anesthetist. For a nurse midwife the specialty practice area is nurse midwifery, so the 20 specialty hours and the 5 pharmacology hours must be midwifery relevant. National certification, which for a nurse midwife means American Midwifery Certification Board certification, does real work here but only on the registered nurse half: Nur 403.01(a) says current national certification may be used to fulfil the registered nurse continuing education requirement, and the board's own page states plainly that specialty certification equals 30 of the 60 required contact hours, with an additional 30 hours that should include 5 hours of pharmacology. So AMCB certification substitutes for 30 hours and cannot substitute for the other 30. It is also a condition of holding the license: RSA 326-B:18, I(c) requires current certification by a board recognised national certifying body in the specialty for which the applicant was educated, and Nur 302.04(a)(5) requires current certification from a national certifying body recognised by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing that specialises in the APRN area of practice. The AMCB Certificate Maintenance Program totals are not adopted as state hours. The board adds one nesting detail that is easy to misread: for a licensee with an active DEA number for prescribing in New Hampshire, 3 of the 5 pharmacology hours must address opioid prescribing, pain management or substance abuse disorder, so those 3 hours sit inside the 5 rather than on top of them. The board tracks continuing education through CE Broker and states that proof of completion should be sent to the board office.

How often does a New Hampshire CNM license need to be renewed?

Certified Nurse-Midwife licenses in New Hampshire renew every two years. New Hampshire does not issue a nurse midwife credential of any kind. A nurse midwife practices on a generic advanced practice registered nurse license held on top of a registered nurse license, and renews on the APRN schedule. Under Nur 401.01(a)(1) the renewal application must be submitted by midnight on the applicant's date of birth in the renewal year, using the Application for License Renewal: Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, and RSA 326-B:22, I sets renewals at every two years in accordance with RSA 310:8. Renewal also requires reporting any pending criminal charges, convictions or plea arrangements, having committed no acts that are grounds for discipline or having made sufficient restitution, and meeting the continuing competence requirements in the board's rules. Failure to receive the renewal application does not relieve the licensee of the obligation to renew before midnight on the birthday of the renewal year, and failure to renew forfeits the ability to practice nursing in New Hampshire. Practising after a license has lapsed carries a fine of up to $50 for every calendar month or part of a month. Under RSA 310:8, III an expired license lapses one year after expiration, after which the holder must reinstate rather than renew. See the advisory on this record about the renewal basis.

What specific CE topics are required for New Hampshire nurse-midwives?

Pharmacology appropriate to the specialty practice area: 5 contact hours every renewal cycle (every advanced practice registered nurse renewing or reinstating a license, which includes a nurse midwife; it is not scoped to prescribers). Opioid prescribing, pain management or substance abuse disorder: 3 contact hours every renewal cycle (only a nurse midwife who is required to register with the controlled drug prescription health and safety program under RSA 126-A:89 to 96 and who possesses a United States Drug Enforcement Administration license number. The board words the same condition as an active DEA number for prescribing in New Hampshire). Citations: pharmacology appropriate to the specialty practice area (Nur 403.01(d)) and opioid prescribing, pain management or substance abuse disorder (RSA 318-B:41, VI).

Do New Hampshire nurse-midwives have to submit CE certificates at renewal?

Proof of completion must be submitted with the renewal and the board audits a sample of renewals and asks for documentation. Nur 403.01(b) lists acceptable content areas rather than naming approved providers: nursing art and science, nursing education, practice or research, research in health care, biological, physical or behavioral sciences, management, administration or supervision of health care delivery, teaching or learning principles, ethical or legal aspects of health care, content offered in basic nursing educational programs appropriate to the licensure category, and health care trends, issues or policies. Nur 403.05(a) makes the licensee responsible for maintaining accurate records and producing documentation of compliance on request, and sets no retention period. At least 45 days before the renewal date every hundredth license application is selected for a continuing education audit, and the selected licensee submits a list of educational offerings, sponsors and hours on the board's Continuing Education Contact Hour Audit form. A renewal is not issued if the licensee fails to submit documentation before midnight of the renewal date or if the documents submitted do not meet the requirements. For advanced practice registered nurses the board goes further than an audit: its own page states that proof of completion should be sent to the board office, and RSA 318-B:41, VI requires verification of the 3 hour opioid and pain management education or examination to be submitted with the renewal application, so proof at renewal is recorded as true for this credential. The board uses CE Broker as its continuing education tracking system. A licensee may request inactive status instead of meeting the continuing education requirements.

Sources

Last verified September 10, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.

• New Hampshire Code of Administrative Rules, Board of Nursing, Nur 100 to Nur 800 (Nur 302.04 initial APRN licensure, Nur 401.01 renewal by midnight on the date of birth, Nur 403.01 continuing education for LPN, RN and APRN, Nur 403.04 conversion of academic credit, Nur 403.05 validation and audit, Nur 502 opioid prescribing)Statute or administrative rule, accessed September 10, 2026
• RSA 326-B:2, Nurse Practice Act definitions, including advanced practice registered nurse and continuing competenceStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 10, 2026
• RSA 326-B:18, Advanced Practice Registered Nurse licensure, including current national certification in the specialty for which the applicant was educatedStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 10, 2026
• RSA 326-B:22, License Renewal, All Licensees, amended effective July 1, 2024 to run renewals in accordance with RSA 310:8Statute or administrative rule, accessed September 10, 2026
• RSA 310:8, License Renewals and Reinstatements, Expiration and Lapse, Office of Professional Licensure and CertificationStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 10, 2026
• RSA 318-B:41, Rulemaking for Prescribing Controlled Drugs, including paragraph VI, the 3 contact hour pain management and addiction disorder requirement for DEA registered prescribersStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 10, 2026
• RSA 326-D:1, Midwifery, purposeStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 10, 2026
• RSA 326-D:2, Midwifery definitions, which exclude nurses registered under RSA 326-B from the midwifery the Midwifery Council certifiesStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 10, 2026
• Board of Nurses Education and Training, New Hampshire Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (APRN active practice and continuing education requirements, specialty certification counting for 30 of 60 hours, the 3 of 5 pharmacology hours for DEA holders, CE Broker)State board page, accessed September 10, 2026

New Hampshire is the one state in this batch with no distinct certified nurse-midwife credential. The Board of Nursing, which sits inside the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification, issues a single generic advanced practice registered nurse license. The word midwife appears nowhere in the Nur 100 to Nur 800 rules, nowhere in the board's own continuing education page, and nowhere in RSA 326-B:18. What the statute and rules require instead is current certification by a nationally recognised certifying body in the specialty for which the applicant was educated, which for a nurse midwife is the American Midwifery Certification Board, and the rules then attach requirements to that specialty practice area generically. This record therefore describes what New Hampshire actually licenses: an APRN whose specialty practice area is nurse midwifery. That the record does not accidentally describe another kind of midwife is settled by New Hampshire's own statute rather than by inference. RSA 326-D creates a Midwifery Council that certifies midwives, and RSA 326-D:2, V defines the midwifery it governs as practice by persons other than physicians or surgeons licensed under RSA 329, nurses registered under RSA 326-B, or physician associates licensed under RSA 328-D. Nurses are expressly carved out of that chapter, so the certified midwife credential under RSA 326-D and the APRN license under RSA 326-B are mutually exclusive, and nothing from RSA 326-D was used here. AMCB certification is both a licensure condition and a partial substitute for hours, counting for 30 of the 60, which is unusually generous and is stated by the board in those words. Continuing education is stacked, not replaced or parallel: Nur 403.01(d) says the 30 advanced practice hours are in addition to the registered nurse requirement. Two subject mandates apply and their relationship matters. The 5 pharmacology hours reach every renewing APRN. The 3 hour opioid, pain management and substance abuse disorder requirement in RSA 318-B:41, VI reaches only a prescriber who must register with the controlled drug prescription health and safety program and holds a DEA number, and the board states that those 3 hours come out of the 5 pharmacology hours rather than adding to the total. The renewal basis is the same unresolved question flagged on the state's other nursing records, and it is carried here as an advisory rather than forced: Nur 401.01(a)(1) sets the deadline at midnight on the licensee's date of birth in the renewal year, while RSA 310:8, II says an OPLC license is valid for two years from the date of issuance and supersedes conflicting terms in a board's statute, and RSA 326-B:22, I was amended effective July 1, 2024 to point at RSA 310:8. The field is recorded as birth_date because that is what the board's own rule says, and the advisory tells the reader to check the portal. Retention is left null because Nur 403.05 imposes a production duty without a period. Two fields differ from the state's nurse anesthetist record and both are deliberate: proof_at_renewal is true here rather than false, because the board's page tells APRNs to send proof of completion to the board office and RSA 318-B:41, VI requires verification to accompany the renewal application, and the pain management topic is included because a nurse midwife in New Hampshire commonly prescribes. No other subject mandate was found: Nur 502 sets opioid prescribing practice standards but no continuing education, and there is no implicit bias, human trafficking, suicide prevention or jurisprudence requirement in the nursing rules. www.oplc.nh.gov returns HTTP 403 to automated fetch clients, so the board page was read as rendered HTML in a browser; nothing was downloaded. The board's APRN renewal application is a form rather than an HTML page and was not read.