New Hampshire Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist license renewal and CE requirements
New Hampshire nurse anesthetists 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 separate nurse anesthetist credential. A nurse anesthetist is licensed as an advanced practice registered nurse 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, and RSA 326-B:22 sets renewals at every two years. Each renewal is valid for the biennium that begins the day after the previous license expired. Failure to receive the renewal application does not relieve the licensee of the obligation to renew, and failure to renew forfeits the ability to practice nursing in New Hampshire.
Summary
Requirements are changing. New Hampshire consolidated licensing under the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification, and RSA 310:8, II states that a license issued by the office is valid for two years from the date of issuance and that those terms supersede conflicting terms in a statute administered by a board under RSA 310:2. The board rules behind this record still describe a different renewal date, and OPLC's own renewal pages state no basis and send licensees to their individual board. Check the expiration date on your own license in the OPLC portal and contact the board if the two do not agree.
New Hampshire nurse anesthetists 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 separate nurse anesthetist credential. A nurse anesthetist is licensed as an advanced practice registered nurse 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, and RSA 326-B:22 sets renewals at every two years. Each renewal is valid for the biennium that begins the day after the previous license expired. Failure to receive the renewal application does not relieve the licensee of the obligation to renew, and failure to renew forfeits the ability to practice nursing in New Hampshire. New Hampshire also mandates specific subjects. Education in pharmacology appropriate to the specialty practice area: 5 contact hours every renewal cycle.
New Hampshire 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 | Tied to the licensee's birth date |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 60 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, which Nur 403.01(a) allows to fulfil the 30 hour registered nurse requirement and Nur 401.03(b) allows to be counted as 30 of the 60 contact hours; Academic credit, converted at 15 contact hours per credit (Nur 403.04(a)); Authorship of a published professional nursing article or book; Preparation and initial delivery of a professional nursing paper; Preparation and initial participation on a professional nursing panel; Participation in quality assessment or risk management studies; Nursing or nursing related grant writing or research; Completion of 2 or more credits in a school, college or university that enhances nursing knowledge, judgment and skills |
New Hampshire layers the two requirements and states the total in the rule. Nur 401.03(a)(1) requires an APRN applying for renewal or reinstatement to document at least 30 educational contact hours to satisfy the registered nurse continuing competence requirement plus an additional 30 hours, 5 of which shall be education in pharmacology, all within the 2 years immediately before the date of application, which is the 60 hour total recorded here. Nur 403.01(d) states the advanced practice half in more detail: at least 30 contact hours in addition to the registered nurse requirement, of which at least 20 shall be specific to the specialty practice area and 5 shall be pharmacology appropriate to the specialty practice area. For a nurse anesthetist the specialty practice area is nurse anesthesia. Nur 401.03(a)(2) also requires documentation of current national certification for anyone licensed after September 1984, which for a nurse anesthetist means NBCRNA certification, and Nur 401.03(b) allows that certification to be counted as 30 of the 60 hours. NBCRNA's own Continued Professional Certification credit totals run on a four year clock and New Hampshire does not adopt that figure, so no national total is recorded here.
Required CE topics for New Hampshire 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Education in pharmacology appropriate to the specialty practice areaThis is the shared advanced practice requirement and applies to every APRN role, so it reaches a nurse anesthetist on the same terms as a nurse practitioner. The 5 hours sit inside the 30 hour advanced practice half rather than on top of the 60 hour total, and they must be appropriate to the specialty practice area. | 5 contact hours | Every renewal | All licensees | Nur 401.03(a)(1); Nur 403.01(d) |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | No, attestation only |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | Not stated |
| Board audits compliance | Yes |
| Approved providers | Nur 403.01(b) lists the 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. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a New Hampshire CRNA need to renew?
- New Hampshire nurse anesthetists 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 layers the two requirements and states the total in the rule. Nur 401.03(a)(1) requires an APRN applying for renewal or reinstatement to document at least 30 educational contact hours to satisfy the registered nurse continuing competence requirement plus an additional 30 hours, 5 of which shall be education in pharmacology, all within the 2 years immediately before the date of application, which is the 60 hour total recorded here. Nur 403.01(d) states the advanced practice half in more detail: at least 30 contact hours in addition to the registered nurse requirement, of which at least 20 shall be specific to the specialty practice area and 5 shall be pharmacology appropriate to the specialty practice area. For a nurse anesthetist the specialty practice area is nurse anesthesia. Nur 401.03(a)(2) also requires documentation of current national certification for anyone licensed after September 1984, which for a nurse anesthetist means NBCRNA certification, and Nur 401.03(b) allows that certification to be counted as 30 of the 60 hours. NBCRNA's own Continued Professional Certification credit totals run on a four year clock and New Hampshire does not adopt that figure, so no national total is recorded here.
- How often does a New Hampshire CRNA license need to be renewed?
- Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist licenses in New Hampshire renew every two years. New Hampshire does not issue a separate nurse anesthetist credential. A nurse anesthetist is licensed as an advanced practice registered nurse 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, and RSA 326-B:22 sets renewals at every two years. Each renewal is valid for the biennium that begins the day after the previous license expired. Failure to receive the renewal application does not relieve the licensee of the obligation to renew, and failure to renew forfeits the ability to practice nursing in New Hampshire.
- What specific CE topics are required for New Hampshire nurse anesthetists?
- Education in pharmacology appropriate to the specialty practice area: 5 contact hours every renewal cycle. Citations: education in pharmacology appropriate to the specialty practice area (Nur 401.03(a)(1); Nur 403.01(d)).
- Do New Hampshire nurse anesthetists 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. Nur 403.01(b) lists the 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.
Sources
Last verified September 8, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- New Hampshire Code of Administrative Rules, Nur 100 to Nur 800 (Board of Nursing), including Nur 401.01, Nur 401.03 and Nur 403Statute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- RSA 326-B:22, License Renewal; All LicenseesStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- RSA 326-B:18, Advanced Practice Registered Nurse; LicensureStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- RSA 326-B:2, DefinitionsStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
New Hampshire does not issue a distinct certified registered nurse anesthetist credential. RSA 326-B:2, I defines an APRN simply as a registered nurse licensed under RSA 326-B:18, and RSA 326-B:18 requires current certification by a board recognized national certifying body in the specialty for which the applicant was educated, without naming roles. The board's rules, Nur 100 through Nur 800, contain no occurrence of the words anesthesia, anesthetist or CRNA at all, so there is no CRNA specific provision and no CRNA carve out to find. Nur 401.03 and Nur 403.01(d) are therefore the shared advanced practice rule and they govern a nurse anesthetist exactly as they govern a nurse practitioner, which is why this record carries the same 60 hour total as New Hampshire's nurse practitioner record. Nur 502, the board's opioid prescribing part, sets practice standards rather than continuing education hours, and it expressly does not apply to the supervised administration of opioids in a health care setting, so it does not create a topic mandate for a nurse anesthetist. The topic key pharmacology is not one of the canonical keys in the schema description; no canonical key fits an advanced pharmacology hour requirement. Audit practice is from Nur 403.05(d): at least 45 days before the renewal date every 100th license application is selected for a continuing education audit, and the licensee must submit a list of educational offerings, sponsor and hours. Nur 403.05(a) requires licensees to maintain accurate records and submit documentation on request but states no retention period, so retention_years is null. The board's own pages at oplc.nh.gov block automated clients, so nothing on that host is cited here; all values were read from the state's official rules and statutes site at gencourt.state.nh.us. No renewal page URL is recorded because the board publishes renewal instructions only through the OPLC site and its licensing portal. Cross-checked 2026-09-09 against the other New Hampshire records: this one records renewal basis birth_date, while nh-pt, nh-pta and the physician records record issue_date on the authority of RSA 310:8, II. RSA 310:8, II was read in full at gc.nh.gov and does say two years from issuance with a supersession clause, but it speaks to conflicting statutes and the basis here comes from the board's own rules, which still describe a different date. OPLC's apply and renew pages state no basis. The disagreement is recorded as an advisory rather than resolved, because nothing readable establishes which governs in practice.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the New Hampshire Board of Nursing, Office of Professional Licensure and Certification before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.