Pennsylvania Nurse Practitioner license renewal and CE requirements

Summary

Pennsylvania nurse practitioners must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing. Pennsylvania calls the nurse practitioner a certified registered nurse practitioner (CRNP). The CRNP certification is renewed biennially and, under 49 Pa. Code 21.331, it expires at the same time as the underlying registered nurse license, which the board assigns one of four expiration dates: April 30 or October 31, in even or odd numbered years (49 Pa. Code 21.29). Renew in the PALS portal before the expiration date printed on the license. Prescriptive authority approval, where held, is renewed on the same biennial schedule. Pennsylvania also mandates specific subjects. Child abuse recognition and reporting: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle. Pharmacology: 16 contact hours every renewal cycle (CRNPs who hold prescriptive authority). Pain management, the identification of addiction, or the practices of prescribing or dispensing opioids: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle (CRNPs with prescriptive authority who hold a DEA registration). Organ and tissue donation and recovery process: a one-time requirement of 2 contact hours.

Pennsylvania 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.

The CRNP obligation is stated in its own rule rather than borrowed from the registered nurse rule, and it happens to be the same headline number. 49 Pa. Code 21.331 requires a minimum of 30 hours of board approved continuing education in the two years before renewal, including at least 2 hours in child abuse recognition and reporting, together with renewal of the registered nurse license, current national certification for a CRNP certified after February 7, 2005, the biennial fee, and verification of professional liability coverage. A CRNP who holds prescriptive authority must additionally verify at least 16 hours of board approved continuing education in pharmacology in the same two year period, and a CRNP with prescriptive authority who holds a DEA registration must verify at least 2 hours in pain management, the identification of addiction, or the practices of prescribing or dispensing opioids. The rule lists those as separate verifications and does not say whether they count inside the 30, so a prescribing CRNP should plan on the 16 pharmacology hours being part of the 30 only if the board confirms it. Effective May 1, 2026 the rule also requires verification of 2 hours in the organ and tissue donation and recovery process within 5 years of certification renewal. The registered nurse license carries its own 30 hour requirement, so a nurse practitioner who is counting hours for both credentials should confirm with the board how far one set of hours can serve both.

Required CE topics for Pennsylvania nurse practitioners

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 Pennsylvania NP need to renew?

Pennsylvania nurse practitioners must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing. The CRNP obligation is stated in its own rule rather than borrowed from the registered nurse rule, and it happens to be the same headline number. 49 Pa. Code 21.331 requires a minimum of 30 hours of board approved continuing education in the two years before renewal, including at least 2 hours in child abuse recognition and reporting, together with renewal of the registered nurse license, current national certification for a CRNP certified after February 7, 2005, the biennial fee, and verification of professional liability coverage. A CRNP who holds prescriptive authority must additionally verify at least 16 hours of board approved continuing education in pharmacology in the same two year period, and a CRNP with prescriptive authority who holds a DEA registration must verify at least 2 hours in pain management, the identification of addiction, or the practices of prescribing or dispensing opioids. The rule lists those as separate verifications and does not say whether they count inside the 30, so a prescribing CRNP should plan on the 16 pharmacology hours being part of the 30 only if the board confirms it. Effective May 1, 2026 the rule also requires verification of 2 hours in the organ and tissue donation and recovery process within 5 years of certification renewal. The registered nurse license carries its own 30 hour requirement, so a nurse practitioner who is counting hours for both credentials should confirm with the board how far one set of hours can serve both.

How often does a Pennsylvania NP license need to be renewed?

Nurse Practitioner licenses in Pennsylvania renew every two years. Pennsylvania calls the nurse practitioner a certified registered nurse practitioner (CRNP). The CRNP certification is renewed biennially and, under 49 Pa. Code 21.331, it expires at the same time as the underlying registered nurse license, which the board assigns one of four expiration dates: April 30 or October 31, in even or odd numbered years (49 Pa. Code 21.29). Renew in the PALS portal before the expiration date printed on the license. Prescriptive authority approval, where held, is renewed on the same biennial schedule.

What specific CE topics are required for Pennsylvania nurse practitioners?

Child abuse recognition and reporting: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle. Pharmacology: 16 contact hours every renewal cycle (CRNPs who hold prescriptive authority). Pain management, the identification of addiction, or the practices of prescribing or dispensing opioids: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle (CRNPs with prescriptive authority who hold a DEA registration). Organ and tissue donation and recovery process: a one-time requirement of 2 contact hours. Citations: child abuse recognition and reporting (49 Pa. Code 21.331), pharmacology (49 Pa. Code 21.331; 49 Pa. Code 21.283), pain management, the identification of addiction, or the practices of prescribing or dispensing opioids (49 Pa. Code 21.331), and organ and tissue donation and recovery process (49 Pa. Code 21.331).

Do Pennsylvania nurse practitioners have to submit CE certificates at renewal?

Proof of completion must be submitted with the renewal. Continuing education must be board approved; 49 Pa. Code 21.334 through 21.336 set out acceptable sources, course requirements and the course approval process.

Sources

Last verified September 8, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.

• 49 Pa. Code 21.331, Biennial renewal of certification (certified registered nurse practitioners)Statute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
• 49 Pa. Code 21.332, Requirement of continuing education (certified registered nurse practitioners)Statute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
• 49 Pa. Code 21.283, Authority and qualifications for prescribing, dispensing and ordering drugsStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
• 49 Pa. Code Chapter 21 Subchapter C, Certified Registered Nurse Practitioners (section list)Statute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
• Renewal Information, Pennsylvania State Board of NursingState board page, accessed September 8, 2026

All figures were read in the official Pennsylvania Code on pacodeandbulletin.gov: the 30 hour biennial requirement, the 2 child abuse hours, the 16 pharmacology hours for prescriptive authority, the 2 pain management or opioid hours for DEA registrants, the national certification requirement for CRNPs certified after February 7, 2005, the liability coverage verification and the organ and tissue donation requirement effective May 1, 2026 all appear in 49 Pa. Code 21.331, and the prescriptive authority entry requirements in 49 Pa. Code 21.283. 49 Pa. Code 21.332 adds that the requirements are completed each biennial renewal cycle, that failure is grounds for formal disciplinary action, that the board may waive for illness or undue hardship, and that a CRNP who requests a waiver may not prescribe or dispense after the current prescriptive authority expires until the waiver is granted. The rule does not say whether the 16 pharmacology hours sit inside the 30 or on top of them, and it does not say how far registered nurse hours can serve the CRNP requirement; both gaps are stated in the notes rather than resolved. The topic key pharmacology is not canonical and is used per the brief; organ_tissue_donation is already used for Pennsylvania elsewhere in this dataset. Renewal basis is other because Pennsylvania assigns one of four biennial expiration dates rather than using a single statewide date.