Virginia Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist license renewal and CE requirements
Virginia nurse anesthetists must complete continuing education to renew every two years, but the Virginia Board of Nursing and Virginia Board of Medicine (jointly, Department of Health Professions) does not publish a fixed hour count.
Licensure as an advanced practice registered nurse is renewed biennially at the same time the Virginia registered nurse license is renewed. A nurse anesthetist practicing on a multistate registered nurse licensure privilege instead renews by the last day of the birth month, in even numbered years if born in an even numbered year and in odd numbered years if born in an odd numbered year. At renewal the licensee attests to compliance with the continued competency requirements of current professional certification or continuing education as prescribed in 18VAC90-30-105 and pays the renewal fee. The license lapses automatically if it is not renewed by the expiration date.
Summary
Virginia nurse anesthetists must complete continuing education to renew every two years, but the Virginia Board of Nursing and Virginia Board of Medicine (jointly, Department of Health Professions) does not publish a fixed hour count. Licensure as an advanced practice registered nurse is renewed biennially at the same time the Virginia registered nurse license is renewed. A nurse anesthetist practicing on a multistate registered nurse licensure privilege instead renews by the last day of the birth month, in even numbered years if born in an even numbered year and in odd numbered years if born in an odd numbered year. At renewal the licensee attests to compliance with the continued competency requirements of current professional certification or continuing education as prescribed in 18VAC90-30-105 and pays the renewal fee. The license lapses automatically if it is not renewed by the expiration date. Virginia also mandates specific subjects. Pharmacology or pharmacotherapeutics: 8 contact hours every renewal cycle (advanced practice registered nurses with prescriptive authority; whether this reaches a nurse anesthetist is unsettled, see notes).
Virginia 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 month |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | Not stated |
| Self-study or online cap | No cap stated |
| Carryover to next cycle | Not stated |
| First renewal exempt | Not stated |
| Other accepted activities | Current professional certification in the area of specialty practice from a certifying agency the boards recognize, which is how the base continued competency requirement is met and is mandatory for anyone initially licensed after May 8, 2002; For a nurse anesthetist licensed before May 8, 2002, or whose certification has been retired: at least 40 hours of continuing education in the area of specialty practice, approved by a recognized certifying agency or as ACCME Category I continuing medical education |
Virginia's layering runs the opposite way from most states, and the brief's question about whether that carries over from the nurse practitioner to the nurse anesthetist is answered yes, by the way Virginia structures its licensure rather than by any sentence about anesthetists. 18VAC90-19-160(C)(2) states that registered nurses who also hold an active license as a nurse practitioner shall only meet the requirements of 18VAC90-30-105 and, for those with prescriptive authority, 18VAC90-40-55. Virginia licenses nurse anesthetists under that same nurse practitioner chapter: 18VAC90-30-70 lists the categories of licensed advanced practice registered nurses and certified registered nurse anesthetist, coded 08, is one of them, while 18VAC90-30-121 governs the practice of an advanced practice registered nurse licensed in the category of certified registered nurse anesthetist. So the advanced practice requirement replaces the registered nurse continued competency options rather than sitting on top of them. The base obligation in 18VAC90-30-105 is not an hour count for nearly everyone: a nurse licensed on or after May 8, 2002 must hold current professional certification in the area of specialty practice, and only a nurse licensed before that date, or one whose certification has been retired, may instead complete at least 40 hours of continuing education in the specialty. That is why no hours per cycle figure is recorded: a currently certified Virginia nurse anesthetist owes no state contact hours at all. The rule contains no nurse anesthetist specific provision and no carve out. The one open question is the eight hour pharmacology requirement, which is described in the mandatory topics entry.
Required CE topics for Virginia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pharmacology or pharmacotherapeutics18VAC90-40-55 requires an advanced practice registered nurse with prescriptive authority to obtain a total of eight hours of continuing education in pharmacology or pharmacotherapeutics for each biennium, on top of the base continued competency requirement. For a nurse practitioner that is straightforward, because prescriptive authority is a separate approval granted under 18VAC90-40. A nurse anesthetist reaches prescribing by a different route: Virginia Code 54.1-2957.01(H) states that a certified registered nurse anesthetist licensed by the Boards of Medicine and Nursing as such shall have the authority to prescribe Schedule II through Schedule VI controlled substances and devices in accordance with the requirements for practice in subsection C of 54.1-2957, to a patient requiring anesthesia, as part of the periprocedural care of that patient. That authority comes with the license rather than through a separate approval, and 18VAC90-40 nowhere mentions nurse anesthetists. Nothing that was read states whether a nurse anesthetist prescribing under 54.1-2957.01(H) is an advanced practice registered nurse with prescriptive authority for the purpose of 18VAC90-40-55. A nurse anesthetist who prescribes should confirm the point with the Board of Nursing rather than assume either answer. | 8 contact hours | Every renewal | Advanced practice registered nurses with prescriptive authority; whether this reaches a nurse anesthetist is unsettled, see notes | 18VAC90-40-55 |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | No, attestation only |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | 4 years |
| Board audits compliance | Yes |
| Approved providers | Continuing education used on the 40 hour route must be in the area of specialty practice and approved by an agency listed in 18VAC90-30-90 as a recognized certifying agency, or offered as ACCME Category I continuing medical education. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Virginia CRNA need to renew?
- Virginia nurse anesthetists must complete continuing education to renew every two years, but the Virginia Board of Nursing and Virginia Board of Medicine (jointly, Department of Health Professions) does not publish a fixed hour count. Virginia's layering runs the opposite way from most states, and the brief's question about whether that carries over from the nurse practitioner to the nurse anesthetist is answered yes, by the way Virginia structures its licensure rather than by any sentence about anesthetists. 18VAC90-19-160(C)(2) states that registered nurses who also hold an active license as a nurse practitioner shall only meet the requirements of 18VAC90-30-105 and, for those with prescriptive authority, 18VAC90-40-55. Virginia licenses nurse anesthetists under that same nurse practitioner chapter: 18VAC90-30-70 lists the categories of licensed advanced practice registered nurses and certified registered nurse anesthetist, coded 08, is one of them, while 18VAC90-30-121 governs the practice of an advanced practice registered nurse licensed in the category of certified registered nurse anesthetist. So the advanced practice requirement replaces the registered nurse continued competency options rather than sitting on top of them. The base obligation in 18VAC90-30-105 is not an hour count for nearly everyone: a nurse licensed on or after May 8, 2002 must hold current professional certification in the area of specialty practice, and only a nurse licensed before that date, or one whose certification has been retired, may instead complete at least 40 hours of continuing education in the specialty. That is why no hours per cycle figure is recorded: a currently certified Virginia nurse anesthetist owes no state contact hours at all. The rule contains no nurse anesthetist specific provision and no carve out. The one open question is the eight hour pharmacology requirement, which is described in the mandatory topics entry.
- How often does a Virginia CRNA license need to be renewed?
- Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist licenses in Virginia renew every two years. Licensure as an advanced practice registered nurse is renewed biennially at the same time the Virginia registered nurse license is renewed. A nurse anesthetist practicing on a multistate registered nurse licensure privilege instead renews by the last day of the birth month, in even numbered years if born in an even numbered year and in odd numbered years if born in an odd numbered year. At renewal the licensee attests to compliance with the continued competency requirements of current professional certification or continuing education as prescribed in 18VAC90-30-105 and pays the renewal fee. The license lapses automatically if it is not renewed by the expiration date.
- What specific CE topics are required for Virginia nurse anesthetists?
- Pharmacology or pharmacotherapeutics: 8 contact hours every renewal cycle (advanced practice registered nurses with prescriptive authority; whether this reaches a nurse anesthetist is unsettled, see notes). Citations: pharmacology or pharmacotherapeutics (18VAC90-40-55).
- Do Virginia nurse anesthetists 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. Continuing education used on the 40 hour route must be in the area of specialty practice and approved by an agency listed in 18VAC90-30-90 as a recognized certifying agency, or offered as ACCME Category I continuing medical education.
Sources
Last verified September 8, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- 18VAC90-30-105, Continuing competency requirements, Virginia Administrative CodeStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- 18VAC90-30-100, Renewal of licensure, Virginia Administrative CodeStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- 18VAC90-30-70, Categories of licensed advanced practice registered nurses, Virginia Administrative CodeStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- 18VAC90-30-121, Practice of advanced practice registered nurses licensed as certified registered nurse anesthetists, Virginia Administrative CodeStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- 18VAC90-19-160, Requirements for continued competency, Virginia Administrative CodeStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- 18VAC90-40-55, Continuing competency requirements for prescriptive authority, Virginia Administrative CodeStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- Va. Code 54.1-2957.01, Prescriptive authority for advanced practice registered nursesStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- Virginia Board of Nursing, Department of Health ProfessionsState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
Virginia licenses nurse anesthetists jointly through the Board of Nursing and the Board of Medicine, which is why the board name field names both; the board's own homepage describes its scope as including advanced practice registered nurses including nurse anesthetists and nurse midwives. Both core values were read in the Virginia Administrative Code on law.lis.virginia.gov, the Commonwealth's official code site. The important finding is that Virginia does not give the nurse anesthetist a chapter of its own: 18VAC90-30 is the chapter for licensed advanced practice registered nurses and the nurse anesthetist is category 08 within it, so 18VAC90-30-100 and 18VAC90-30-105 govern renewal and continued competency for a nurse anesthetist exactly as they do for a nurse practitioner. The replacement rule in 18VAC90-19-160(C)(2) therefore reaches nurse anesthetists too, even though the sentence is written in terms of a nurse practitioner license, because Virginia uses nurse practitioner and advanced practice registered nurse for the same license. hours_per_cycle is left null rather than set to 40, because 40 hours is the fallback route open only to a nurse licensed before May 8, 2002 or whose certification has been retired; the current requirement for everyone else is holding certification, with no hours attached. The topic key pharmacology is not on the canonical list and is used for the pharmacotherapeutics hours as the brief directs. The unresolved question is scope, not a conflict between sources: no source says whether 18VAC90-40-55 reaches a nurse anesthetist whose prescriptive authority comes from Va. Code 54.1-2957.01(H) rather than from approval under 18VAC90-40, and 18VAC90-40-30 says no licensed advanced practice registered nurse shall have authority to prescribe except in accordance with that chapter, which sits awkwardly beside the statute. Because that is a gap rather than two sources contradicting each other on a value, conflicts is left null and the uncertainty is carried in the topic entry. The four year retention and the random audit with a 30 day response window were read in 18VAC90-30-105, which also lets the boards grant an extension or exemption for circumstances beyond the licensee's control such as temporary disability, mandatory military service or officially declared disasters. 18VAC90-30-121 was read and imposes no continuing education of its own; it states that an advanced practice registered nurse licensed in the category of certified registered nurse anesthetist shall be authorized to render care under the supervision of a licensed doctor of medicine, osteopathy, podiatry or dentistry.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Virginia Board of Nursing and Virginia Board of Medicine (jointly, Department of Health Professions) before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.