Texas Nurse Practitioner license renewal and CE requirements
Texas nurse practitioners must complete 20 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Texas Board of Nursing.
A Texas nurse practitioner license expires on the last day of the nurse's birth month, in odd numbered years if the nurse was born in an odd numbered year and in even numbered years if born in an even numbered year. Renewal is filed in the Texas Nurse Portal, and the renewal application opens on the first day of the month before the expiration month.
Summary
Texas nurse practitioners must complete 20 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Texas Board of Nursing. A Texas nurse practitioner license expires on the last day of the nurse's birth month, in odd numbered years if the nurse was born in an odd numbered year and in even numbered years if born in an even numbered year. Renewal is filed in the Texas Nurse Portal, and the renewal application opens on the first day of the month before the expiration month. Texas also mandates specific subjects. Pharmacotherapeutics: 5 contact hours every renewal cycle (nurse practitioners who hold prescriptive authority). Safe and effective pain management related to the prescription of opioids and other controlled substances: 4 contact hours every renewal cycle (nurse practitioners with opioid prescriptive authority). Approved procedures of prescribing and monitoring controlled substances: a one-time requirement of 2 contact hours (nurse practitioners authorized to access the Prescription Monitoring Program). Nursing jurisprudence and nursing ethics: 2 contact hours on a periodic schedule set by the board (all nurses, including nurse practitioners). Older adult or geriatric care: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle (any nurse, including a nurse practitioner, whose practice includes older adult or geriatric populations). Human trafficking prevention: required every renewal cycle (any nurse, including a nurse practitioner, who provides direct patient care). Forensic evidence collection: a one-time requirement of 2 contact hours (any nurse, including a nurse practitioner, employed in an emergency room setting; separately, any nurse who performs a forensic examination on a sexual assault survivor). Hours do not carry over between cycles and the first renewal is exempt.
Texas 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.
| Renewal cycle | Two-year (24 months) |
|---|---|
| Renewal deadline | Tied to the licensee's birth monthFirst renewal is prorated. |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 20 contact hours |
| Self-study or online cap | No cap stated |
| Carryover to next cycle | No |
| First renewal exempt | Yes |
| Other accepted activities | Achieving, maintaining, or renewing the Board recognized national nursing certification for the nurse practitioner's role and population focus area, in place of the 20 contact hours; Academic courses in nursing or directly relevant to the nurse's area of practice; Developing or presenting a program approved by a Board recognized credentialing agency; Authorship of a published nursing or health care manuscript |
Texas sets one unconditional figure and then adds targeted requirements. Board Rule 216.3(c) requires an APRN to complete 20 contact hours of continuing education appropriate to the advanced practice role and population focus area, or to achieve, maintain or renew the board recognized national certification for that role and population focus, within the licensing period. Rule 216.3(c)(1) states those 20 hours are not in addition to the general nurse requirement, so the advanced practice hours replace rather than stack. A nurse practitioner who holds prescriptive authority owes 5 more contact hours in pharmacotherapeutics under 216.3(c)(3), which the board states are in addition to the 20, bringing that licensee to 25; those 5 are recorded as a scoped mandatory topic rather than folded into the total, because they do not apply to a nurse practitioner without prescriptive authority. Historic note: this record previously reported 25 as the headline figure. Board Rule 216.3(c) requires a nurse practitioner to complete twenty contact hours of continuing education appropriate to the advanced practice role and population focus area recognized by the Board, or to achieve, maintain or renew the national nursing certification the Board recognizes for that role and population focus. That replaces the general twenty hour requirement rather than adding to it, so a nurse practitioner does not owe a separate registered nurse total. On top of it, 216.3(c)(3) requires a nurse practitioner with prescriptive authority to complete at least five additional contact hours of continuing education in pharmacotherapeutics within the licensing period, with content meeting the requirements set by the Texas State Board of Pharmacy. A nurse practitioner who does not hold prescriptive authority therefore owes twenty rather than twenty five. Two further prescriber requirements sit outside that arithmetic and are recorded as mandatory topics: two hours a year on safe and effective pain management for nurse practitioners with opioid prescriptive authority, which works out to four contact hou
Required CE topics for Texas nurse practitioners
State-specific subject mandates. Where a mandate applies only to some licensees, the scope is listed.
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Applies to | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PharmacotherapeuticsAt least five contact hours in addition to the twenty hour advanced practice requirement, within the licensing period. The content must meet the requirements set out by the Texas State Board of Pharmacy. These five hours are additional, not a carve out of the twenty. | 5 contact hours | Every renewal | Nurse practitioners who hold prescriptive authority | Board Rule 216.3(c)(3) |
| Safe and effective pain management related to the prescription of opioids and other controlled substancesThe rule states not less than two hours of continuing education annually, so a two year licensing period carries four hours. Recorded as four per cycle for comparability; the underlying obligation is annual. | 4 contact hours | Every renewal | Nurse practitioners with opioid prescriptive authority | Board Rule 216.3(c)(4) |
| Approved procedures of prescribing and monitoring controlled substancesThe rule describes this as a one time education requirement with specified deadlines, separate from the annual opioid pain management hours. | 2 contact hours | One time | Nurse practitioners authorized to access the Prescription Monitoring Program | Board Rule 216.3(c)(6) |
| Nursing jurisprudence and nursing ethicsAt least two contact hours before the end of every third two year licensing period, so roughly once every six years. Content covers the Texas Nursing Practice Act, the board's rules, principles of nursing ethics and professional boundaries. The hours count toward the twenty contact hours, and national certification may not be substituted for them. | 2 contact hours | Periodic | All nurses, including nurse practitioners | Board Rule 216.3(g) |
| Older adult or geriatric careAt least two contact hours before the end of every licensing period, for licensing periods beginning on or after January 1, 2014. Content may cover elder abuse, age related memory changes and disease processes, end of life issues, health maintenance and health promotion. Counts toward the twenty contact hours. | 2 contact hours | Every renewal | Any nurse, including a nurse practitioner, whose practice includes older adult or geriatric populations | Board Rule 216.3(h) |
| Human trafficking preventionThe course must be approved by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. The rule sets no hour count. Applies to renewals on or after September 1, 2020. | Not stated | Every renewal | Any nurse, including a nurse practitioner, who provides direct patient care | Board Rule 216.3(i) |
| Forensic evidence collectionA minimum of two contact hours within two years of the initial date of emergency room employment, and basic forensic evidence collection training before performing a forensic examination. This is the one targeted requirement the board does not waive at first renewal. The hours count toward the twenty contact hours. | 2 contact hours | One time | Any nurse, including a nurse practitioner, employed in an emergency room setting; separately, any nurse who performs a forensic examination on a sexual assault survivor | Board Rule 216.3(d) |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | Yes |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | 6 years |
| Board audits compliance | Yes |
| Approved providers | Continuing nursing education must be approved by a credentialing agency or provider the board recognizes, and the pharmacotherapeutics content must meet requirements set by the Texas State Board of Pharmacy. The human trafficking prevention course must be approved by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Texas NP need to renew?
- Texas nurse practitioners must complete 20 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Texas Board of Nursing. Texas sets one unconditional figure and then adds targeted requirements. Board Rule 216.3(c) requires an APRN to complete 20 contact hours of continuing education appropriate to the advanced practice role and population focus area, or to achieve, maintain or renew the board recognized national certification for that role and population focus, within the licensing period. Rule 216.3(c)(1) states those 20 hours are not in addition to the general nurse requirement, so the advanced practice hours replace rather than stack. A nurse practitioner who holds prescriptive authority owes 5 more contact hours in pharmacotherapeutics under 216.3(c)(3), which the board states are in addition to the 20, bringing that licensee to 25; those 5 are recorded as a scoped mandatory topic rather than folded into the total, because they do not apply to a nurse practitioner without prescriptive authority. Historic note: this record previously reported 25 as the headline figure. Board Rule 216.3(c) requires a nurse practitioner to complete twenty contact hours of continuing education appropriate to the advanced practice role and population focus area recognized by the Board, or to achieve, maintain or renew the national nursing certification the Board recognizes for that role and population focus. That replaces the general twenty hour requirement rather than adding to it, so a nurse practitioner does not owe a separate registered nurse total. On top of it, 216.3(c)(3) requires a nurse practitioner with prescriptive authority to complete at least five additional contact hours of continuing education in pharmacotherapeutics within the licensing period, with content meeting the requirements set by the Texas State Board of Pharmacy. A nurse practitioner who does not hold prescriptive authority therefore owes twenty rather than twenty five. Two further prescriber requirements sit outside that arithmetic and are recorded as mandatory topics: two hours a year on safe and effective pain management for nurse practitioners with opioid prescriptive authority, which works out to four contact hou
- How often does a Texas NP license need to be renewed?
- Nurse Practitioner licenses in Texas renew every two years. A Texas nurse practitioner license expires on the last day of the nurse's birth month, in odd numbered years if the nurse was born in an odd numbered year and in even numbered years if born in an even numbered year. Renewal is filed in the Texas Nurse Portal, and the renewal application opens on the first day of the month before the expiration month.
- What specific CE topics are required for Texas nurse practitioners?
- Pharmacotherapeutics: 5 contact hours every renewal cycle (nurse practitioners who hold prescriptive authority). Safe and effective pain management related to the prescription of opioids and other controlled substances: 4 contact hours every renewal cycle (nurse practitioners with opioid prescriptive authority). Approved procedures of prescribing and monitoring controlled substances: a one-time requirement of 2 contact hours (nurse practitioners authorized to access the Prescription Monitoring Program). Nursing jurisprudence and nursing ethics: 2 contact hours on a periodic schedule set by the board (all nurses, including nurse practitioners). Older adult or geriatric care: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle (any nurse, including a nurse practitioner, whose practice includes older adult or geriatric populations). Human trafficking prevention: required every renewal cycle (any nurse, including a nurse practitioner, who provides direct patient care). Forensic evidence collection: a one-time requirement of 2 contact hours (any nurse, including a nurse practitioner, employed in an emergency room setting; separately, any nurse who performs a forensic examination on a sexual assault survivor). Citations: pharmacotherapeutics (Board Rule 216.3(c)(3)), safe and effective pain management related to the prescription of opioids and other controlled substances (Board Rule 216.3(c)(4)), approved procedures of prescribing and monitoring controlled substances (Board Rule 216.3(c)(6)), nursing jurisprudence and nursing ethics (Board Rule 216.3(g)), older adult or geriatric care (Board Rule 216.3(h)), human trafficking prevention (Board Rule 216.3(i)), and forensic evidence collection (Board Rule 216.3(d)).
- Do Texas nurse practitioners have to submit CE certificates at renewal?
- Proof of completion must be submitted with the renewal, the board audits a sample of renewals and asks for documentation, and records must be kept for 6 years. Continuing nursing education must be approved by a credentialing agency or provider the board recognizes, and the pharmacotherapeutics content must meet requirements set by the Texas State Board of Pharmacy. The human trafficking prevention course must be approved by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.
- Is the first Texas NP renewal exempt from CE?
- Yes. Texas does not require continuing education for a NP's first renewal.
Sources
Last verified September 8, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- 22 Tex. Admin. Code 216.3, Continuing Competency Requirements (Cornell LII mirror of Texas Board of Nursing Rule 216.3)Third-party summary, accessed September 8, 2026
- Licensure Renewal, Texas Board of NursingState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
- Continuing Education and Competency FAQ, Texas Board of NursingState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
Two topic keys are not on the canonical list and are flagged here: pharmacology, used for the pharmacotherapeutics hours as the brief directs, and controlled_substances, used for the one time Prescription Monitoring Program education because it is not opioid specific. forensic_evidence_collection is also non canonical and matches the key already used in the Texas registered nurse record. The rule text was read on the Cornell mirror of Board Rule 216.3 because the board's own continuing education page at bon.texas.gov could not be fetched: it returned a TLS error, unable to verify the first certificate, on every attempt. The renewal mechanics and the twenty hour base match the Texas registered nurse record already in this dataset, which is expected since 216.3 governs both, but the nurse practitioner figures were read in the advanced practice subsections rather than inherited. The layering is worth restating plainly: the advanced practice twenty hours replace the general twenty hours rather than stacking on them, the five pharmacotherapeutics hours do stack, and the targeted subject hours count inside the total. Because the twenty hour base can be satisfied by maintaining the national certification the Board recognizes for the role and population focus, and Texas expects a nurse practitioner to hold that certification anyway, many nurse practitioners will meet the base through certification and count only the prescriber specific hours. The record covers the nurse practitioner role only; 216.3(c) uses the phrase advanced practice registered nurse and reaches the other advanced practice roles that this dataset carries separately. Hours corrected 2026-09-10 from 25 to 20. The board's continuing competency page states that every nurse owes 20 contact hours and that the prescriber's 5 pharmacotherapeutics hours under 216.3(c)(3) are in addition to those 20. 25 is therefore the total for a nurse practitioner who holds prescriptive authority, not the unconditional requirement, and the 5 hours were already carried as a scoped mandatory topic, so recording 25 also presented them twice. tx-rn, tx-crna and tx-cnm all record 20.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Texas Board of Nursing before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.