Rhode Island Certified Nurse-Midwife license renewal and CE requirements
Rhode Island nurse-midwives must complete 20 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Rhode Island Department of Health, Center for Professional Boards and Licensing (Advisory Council on Midwifery).
Rhode Island does not license nurse-midwives through the Board of Nurse Registration and Nursing Education. The Department of Health issues a midwife license under 216-RICR-40-05-23, and a certified nurse-midwife must separately hold a current Rhode Island registered nurse license or privilege to practice. The midwife license runs on a fixed two year cycle tied to odd-numbered years: the Department mails renewal notices on or before August 1 of every odd-numbered year, a renewed license takes effect September 1 and expires August 31 of the next odd-numbered year. The Department also states that renewal notices go out 60 days before the expiration date. A license allowed to lapse may be reinstated by submitting an application and the renewal fee.
Summary
Rhode Island nurse-midwives must complete 20 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Rhode Island Department of Health, Center for Professional Boards and Licensing (Advisory Council on Midwifery). Rhode Island does not license nurse-midwives through the Board of Nurse Registration and Nursing Education. The Department of Health issues a midwife license under 216-RICR-40-05-23, and a certified nurse-midwife must separately hold a current Rhode Island registered nurse license or privilege to practice. The midwife license runs on a fixed two year cycle tied to odd-numbered years: the Department mails renewal notices on or before August 1 of every odd-numbered year, a renewed license takes effect September 1 and expires August 31 of the next odd-numbered year. The Department also states that renewal notices go out 60 days before the expiration date. A license allowed to lapse may be reinstated by submitting an application and the renewal fee. Rhode Island also mandates specific subjects. Pharmacology: 4 contact hours every renewal cycle (all licensed midwives, which includes certified nurse-midwives, and not only those holding prescriptive authority). The first renewal is exempt.
Rhode Island 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, 08/31 each cycle |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 20 contact hours |
| Self-study or online cap | No cap stated |
| Carryover to next cycle | Not stated |
| First renewal exempt | Yes |
216-RICR-40-05-23.8.1(A) requires the renewal application to include an attestation of completion of 20 hours of continuing education in a two year period, including four hours in pharmacology. This is the midwife license requirement and it applies to every midwife the part licenses, including the certified nurse-midwife. It runs on a parallel clock to the registered nurse license the nurse-midwife must also hold, which the Board of Nurse Registration and Nursing Education renews on its own two year cycle with its own continuing education requirement under 216-RICR-40-05-3; the midwifery part does not stack onto, replace, or cross reference the nursing hours, and neither part states that one set of hours may be counted toward the other. Current national certification is a condition of holding the license rather than a substitute for hours: the renewal application must be accompanied by an attestation of continued national certification, and 23.12(B) provides that if national certification is withdrawn during licensure the license is placed in hold status and is not renewed until certification is reinstated. For a certified nurse-midwife that certification is from the American Midwifery Certification Board, so the AMCB Certificate Maintenance Program is a renewal condition here and its own credit totals are not the state requirement and are not recorded. A midwife initially licensed by examination after the August 31 renewal date is exempt from the continuing education requirement until the next renewal cycle, meaning September 1 of the next odd-numbered year. An extension of time to complete the hours may be granted at the discretion of the Advisory Council on Midwifery for hardship or other extenuating circumstances. The part states no carryover provision either way.
Required CE topics for Rhode Island 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PharmacologyFour of the 20 hours, counted inside the total rather than on top of it. The rule attaches the requirement to the renewal attestation for every midwife licensee and does not condition it on state controlled substance registration or DEA registration. The canonical topic key list has no pharmacology entry, so a short snake_case key is used here. | 4 contact hours | Every renewal | All licensed midwives, which includes certified nurse-midwives, and not only those holding prescriptive authority | 216-RICR-40-05-23.8.1(A) |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | No, attestation only |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | 2 years |
| Board audits compliance | Yes |
| Approved providers | The part does not name an approving body for midwifery continuing education. It places the burden on the midwife to obtain documentation, for example course descriptions and proof of attendance, from the sponsoring organization, agency or institution. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Rhode Island CNM need to renew?
- Rhode Island nurse-midwives must complete 20 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Rhode Island Department of Health, Center for Professional Boards and Licensing (Advisory Council on Midwifery). 216-RICR-40-05-23.8.1(A) requires the renewal application to include an attestation of completion of 20 hours of continuing education in a two year period, including four hours in pharmacology. This is the midwife license requirement and it applies to every midwife the part licenses, including the certified nurse-midwife. It runs on a parallel clock to the registered nurse license the nurse-midwife must also hold, which the Board of Nurse Registration and Nursing Education renews on its own two year cycle with its own continuing education requirement under 216-RICR-40-05-3; the midwifery part does not stack onto, replace, or cross reference the nursing hours, and neither part states that one set of hours may be counted toward the other. Current national certification is a condition of holding the license rather than a substitute for hours: the renewal application must be accompanied by an attestation of continued national certification, and 23.12(B) provides that if national certification is withdrawn during licensure the license is placed in hold status and is not renewed until certification is reinstated. For a certified nurse-midwife that certification is from the American Midwifery Certification Board, so the AMCB Certificate Maintenance Program is a renewal condition here and its own credit totals are not the state requirement and are not recorded. A midwife initially licensed by examination after the August 31 renewal date is exempt from the continuing education requirement until the next renewal cycle, meaning September 1 of the next odd-numbered year. An extension of time to complete the hours may be granted at the discretion of the Advisory Council on Midwifery for hardship or other extenuating circumstances. The part states no carryover provision either way.
- How often does a Rhode Island CNM license need to be renewed?
- Certified Nurse-Midwife licenses in Rhode Island renew every two years. Rhode Island does not license nurse-midwives through the Board of Nurse Registration and Nursing Education. The Department of Health issues a midwife license under 216-RICR-40-05-23, and a certified nurse-midwife must separately hold a current Rhode Island registered nurse license or privilege to practice. The midwife license runs on a fixed two year cycle tied to odd-numbered years: the Department mails renewal notices on or before August 1 of every odd-numbered year, a renewed license takes effect September 1 and expires August 31 of the next odd-numbered year. The Department also states that renewal notices go out 60 days before the expiration date. A license allowed to lapse may be reinstated by submitting an application and the renewal fee.
- What specific CE topics are required for Rhode Island nurse-midwives?
- Pharmacology: 4 contact hours every renewal cycle (all licensed midwives, which includes certified nurse-midwives, and not only those holding prescriptive authority). Citations: pharmacology (216-RICR-40-05-23.8.1(A)).
- Do Rhode Island 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 2 years. The part does not name an approving body for midwifery continuing education. It places the burden on the midwife to obtain documentation, for example course descriptions and proof of attendance, from the sponsoring organization, agency or institution.
- Is the first Rhode Island CNM renewal exempt from CE?
- Yes. Rhode Island 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.
- Midwives, 216-RICR-40-05-23, Rhode Island Department of HealthStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 10, 2026
- Midwifery, Licensing, Rhode Island Department of HealthState board page, accessed September 10, 2026
- Licensing of Nurses and Standards for the Approval of Basic Nursing Education Programs, 216-RICR-40-05-3Statute or administrative rule, accessed September 10, 2026
Surprising regulator, and an unusually clean example of the credential trap. Rhode Island's nursing regulation, 216-RICR-40-05-3, defines the advanced practice registered nurse roles as certified nurse practitioner, certified registered nurse anesthetist and certified clinical nurse specialist, and does not license nurse-midwives; it mentions a certified nurse midwife only in passing inside the definition of nursing practice. Midwifery is licensed instead by the Department of Health under 216-RICR-40-05-23, promulgated under R.I. Gen. Laws 23-13-9, with an Advisory Council on Midwifery advising the Director. That part licenses three credentials under one license: the certified nurse-midwife certified by the American Midwifery Certification Board, the certified midwife also certified by AMCB but not a nurse, and the certified professional midwife certified by the North American Registry of Midwives. Because the part covers all three, the scoping was checked directly. Section 23.8.1(A) applies the 20 hour and four hour pharmacology requirement to every application for renewal without distinguishing credential, and 23.3(A)(4) defines the certified nurse-midwife as a person licensed to practice midwifery in Rhode Island under this part, so the requirement reaches nurse-midwives. The one requirement that is nurse-midwife specific is 23.6(A)(3): a certified nurse-midwife must hold a current Rhode Island registered nurse license or privilege to practice and must not hold an encumbered registered nurse license or privilege in any state or territory. The one requirement that is expressly not shared is prescriptive authority, which 23.10 gives to licensed nurse-midwives and licensed certified midwives but withholds from certified professional midwives. The 20 hours, the four pharmacology hours, the September 1 to August 31 odd-year cycle, the first renewal exemption, the hardship extension, the two year retention and the random audit were all read in the part on the Rhode Island Secretary of State rules site, which publishes the official Rhode Island Code of Regulations. The part sets no opioid, substance abuse, dementia or other subject mandate for midwives, so the only mandated subject recorded is the four pharmacology hours. That is a real difference from the published Rhode Island nurse practitioner and nurse anesthetist records, which carry two hours of substance abuse, one hour of dementia and eight hours of opioid education for DEA registrants: those come from the nursing part, 216-RICR-40-05-3, and a Rhode Island nurse-midwife would owe them through the separate registered nurse license, not through the midwife license. No conflict is recorded because the two parts govern two different licenses.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Rhode Island Department of Health, Center for Professional Boards and Licensing (Advisory Council on Midwifery) before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.