North Dakota Certified Nurse-Midwife license renewal and CE requirements
North Dakota nurse-midwives must complete 12 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the North Dakota Board of Nursing.
North Dakota licenses the nurse-midwife as an advanced practice registered nurse through the Board of Nursing, on top of a registered nurse license or a compact privilege to practice. Licenses run in two year cycles and expire at the end of the calendar year: the board states that late renewal occurs the January following the license expiration, and that continuing education completed after December 31 in the year of renewal is assessed a penalty fee of fifty dollars per contact hour. Renewal is filed through the Nurse Portal; paper applications are no longer accepted. Renewal also requires at least 400 hours of nursing practice in the preceding four years, unless the nurse completed a refresher course in the preceding year or graduated from a nursing program in the last four years.
Summary
North Dakota nurse-midwives must complete 12 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the North Dakota Board of Nursing. North Dakota licenses the nurse-midwife as an advanced practice registered nurse through the Board of Nursing, on top of a registered nurse license or a compact privilege to practice. Licenses run in two year cycles and expire at the end of the calendar year: the board states that late renewal occurs the January following the license expiration, and that continuing education completed after December 31 in the year of renewal is assessed a penalty fee of fifty dollars per contact hour. Renewal is filed through the Nurse Portal; paper applications are no longer accepted. Renewal also requires at least 400 hours of nursing practice in the preceding four years, unless the nurse completed a refresher course in the preceding year or graduated from a nursing program in the last four years. North Dakota also mandates specific subjects. Pharmacotherapy related to scope of practice: 15 contact hours every renewal cycle (advanced practice registered nurses who hold North Dakota prescriptive authority). Hours do not carry over between cycles and the first renewal is exempt.
North Dakota 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 | Two-year (24 months) |
|---|---|
| Renewal deadline | Same date for every licensee, 12/31 each cycle |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 12 contact hours |
| Self-study or online cap | No cap stated |
| Carryover to next cycle | No |
| First renewal exempt | Yes |
| Other accepted activities | Successful completion of a course taken through an accredited college or university, at 15 contact hours per academic semester hour or 10 per quarter hour; Publication during the renewal period of one article on nursing practice in a refereed journal, one book chapter, or a published research project, which may cover the full 12 contact hours; Serving as presenter or lecturer on content related to nursing practice, capped at six contact hours, with a given presentation counted once per cycle and only if outside the normal duties of the position; Refresher course contact hours, for the first renewal cycle after reactivation of a license |
North Dakota does not stack an advanced practice hour total on top of the registered nurse total. Every licensee renewing a nursing license, including an advanced practice registered nurse with the nurse-midwife role, must show 12 contact hours completed within the preceding two years. The board states plainly that advanced practice contact hours may fulfill the registered nurse renewal continuing education requirement, citing NDAC 54-05-03.1-11, so the two layers share hours rather than adding. The only role specific addition is the 15 contact hours of pharmacotherapy required of an advanced practice registered nurse who holds North Dakota prescriptive authority, and those hours also count toward the registered nurse renewal requirement. The board requires the certificate to itemize the pharmacology hours and does not accept UpToDate activity certificates for the pharmacology requirement. Excess hours do not carry over. Basic Life Support and CPR classes, shortened recertification courses for advanced life support skills, agency orientation, unapproved self directed study, community service, professional membership and conventions outside the approved portions are all excluded. Nurse-midwives must hold and maintain current certification from the American Midwifery Certification Board, which the board lists as the recognized certifying body for the certified nurse-midwife role, but that certification is a licensure condition here and the board publishes no substitution of AMCB credit for the state hours, so no AMCB total appears in this record. Contact hours obtained for renewal of a license or certification in another regulated profession cannot be used for nursing licensure.
Required CE topics for North Dakota 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pharmacotherapy related to scope of practiceFifteen contact hours of pharmacotherapy education related to the scope of practice, completed during the previous two years. The board states these hours fulfill the registered nurse renewal continuing education requirement, so for a nurse-midwife with prescriptive authority they absorb the 12 hour general requirement rather than adding to it. The certificate of completion must itemize the pharmacology hours. The board states that UpToDate activity certificates do not meet the pharmacology specific requirement. The canonical topic key list has no pharmacology entry, so a short snake_case key is used here. | 15 contact hours | Every renewal | Advanced practice registered nurses who hold North Dakota prescriptive authority | NDAC 54-05-03.1-11, as stated on the board's renewal and continuing education pages |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | No, attestation only |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | 4 years |
| Board audits compliance | Yes |
| Approved providers | Board recognized providers are the North Dakota Board of Nursing, an accredited college or university, a health care regulatory board, and a professional organization that is nationally accredited to approve continuing education. The board accepts at face value the hours awarded by an activity approved by the North Dakota Board of Nursing or by a health care regulatory board or professional organization of any state that is nationally or internationally accredited to approve continuing education. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a North Dakota CNM need to renew?
- North Dakota nurse-midwives must complete 12 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the North Dakota Board of Nursing. North Dakota does not stack an advanced practice hour total on top of the registered nurse total. Every licensee renewing a nursing license, including an advanced practice registered nurse with the nurse-midwife role, must show 12 contact hours completed within the preceding two years. The board states plainly that advanced practice contact hours may fulfill the registered nurse renewal continuing education requirement, citing NDAC 54-05-03.1-11, so the two layers share hours rather than adding. The only role specific addition is the 15 contact hours of pharmacotherapy required of an advanced practice registered nurse who holds North Dakota prescriptive authority, and those hours also count toward the registered nurse renewal requirement. The board requires the certificate to itemize the pharmacology hours and does not accept UpToDate activity certificates for the pharmacology requirement. Excess hours do not carry over. Basic Life Support and CPR classes, shortened recertification courses for advanced life support skills, agency orientation, unapproved self directed study, community service, professional membership and conventions outside the approved portions are all excluded. Nurse-midwives must hold and maintain current certification from the American Midwifery Certification Board, which the board lists as the recognized certifying body for the certified nurse-midwife role, but that certification is a licensure condition here and the board publishes no substitution of AMCB credit for the state hours, so no AMCB total appears in this record. Contact hours obtained for renewal of a license or certification in another regulated profession cannot be used for nursing licensure.
- How often does a North Dakota CNM license need to be renewed?
- Certified Nurse-Midwife licenses in North Dakota renew every two years. North Dakota licenses the nurse-midwife as an advanced practice registered nurse through the Board of Nursing, on top of a registered nurse license or a compact privilege to practice. Licenses run in two year cycles and expire at the end of the calendar year: the board states that late renewal occurs the January following the license expiration, and that continuing education completed after December 31 in the year of renewal is assessed a penalty fee of fifty dollars per contact hour. Renewal is filed through the Nurse Portal; paper applications are no longer accepted. Renewal also requires at least 400 hours of nursing practice in the preceding four years, unless the nurse completed a refresher course in the preceding year or graduated from a nursing program in the last four years.
- What specific CE topics are required for North Dakota nurse-midwives?
- Pharmacotherapy related to scope of practice: 15 contact hours every renewal cycle (advanced practice registered nurses who hold North Dakota prescriptive authority). Citations: pharmacotherapy related to scope of practice (NDAC 54-05-03.1-11, as stated on the board's renewal and continuing education pages).
- Do North Dakota 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 4 years. Board recognized providers are the North Dakota Board of Nursing, an accredited college or university, a health care regulatory board, and a professional organization that is nationally accredited to approve continuing education. The board accepts at face value the hours awarded by an activity approved by the North Dakota Board of Nursing or by a health care regulatory board or professional organization of any state that is nationally or internationally accredited to approve continuing education.
- Is the first North Dakota CNM renewal exempt from CE?
- Yes. North Dakota does not require continuing education for a CNM's first renewal.
Sources
Last verified September 10, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- Continuing Education for Renewal, North Dakota Board of NursingState board page, accessed September 10, 2026
- Nursing Renewal, North Dakota Board of NursingState board page, accessed September 10, 2026
- Nursing Renewal FAQs, North Dakota Board of NursingState board page, accessed September 10, 2026
- Recognized APRN Certification Examinations, North Dakota Board of NursingState board page, accessed September 10, 2026
- North Dakota Board of NursingState board page, accessed September 10, 2026
North Dakota follows the common pattern: the Board of Nursing licenses the nurse-midwife as one of the four advanced practice registered nurse roles. The board's Recognized APRN Certification Examinations page lists four role headings, Nurse Practitioner, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist and Certified Nurse Midwife, and under Certified Nurse Midwife names a single certifying body, the American Midwifery Certification Board, and a single credential, Certified Nurse Midwife-Women's Health/Gender Specific. That page is how this record establishes both that a distinct nurse-midwife credential exists in North Dakota and that the rule read governs nurse-midwives rather than certified professional or direct entry midwives; nothing here comes from a midwifery chapter that mixes credentials. The 12 contact hours, the 15 pharmacotherapy hours for prescribers, the statement that advanced practice hours fulfill the registered nurse requirement, the no carryover rule, the four year retention and audit window, the attestation at renewal, the exemption from continuing education at the first renewal after licensure by examination, and the excluded and accepted activity types were all read on the board's own renewal, continuing education and renewal FAQ pages. The December 31 expiration is recorded from two statements on the board's renewal page: that late renewal occurs the January following the license expiration, and that continuing education completed after December 31 in the year of renewal draws a per hour penalty. The board does not publish, in the HTML pages read, which two year cohort a given license falls in, and the underlying administrative code chapters 54-02-05 and 54-05-03.1 are published by the legislature only as PDFs, which the no download rule excludes, so anything stated only there is not captured. That is also why exempt_first_renewal is recorded from the board's FAQ wording, which addresses a first license obtained by examination, rather than from rule text. Nothing here disagrees with the published North Dakota registered nurse, nurse practitioner or nurse anesthetist records: all four rest on the same 12 hour general requirement plus the 15 hour pharmacotherapy requirement for prescribers.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the North Dakota Board of Nursing before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.