Washington Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist license renewal and CE requirements
Washington nurse anesthetists must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Washington State Board of Nursing (Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission).
The advanced registered nurse practitioner license, which is the license a Washington nurse anesthetist holds under the CRNA designation, renews every other year on the licensee's birthday. The underlying registered nurse license renews every year on the same birthday, so a nurse anesthetist files a registered nurse renewal in the off years and both renewals in the on years. Renewal is completed in the HELMS portal with an attestation that the renewal requirements were met. Prescriptive authority, for a nurse anesthetist who holds it, is renewed at the same time as the ARNP license.
Summary
Washington nurse anesthetists must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Washington State Board of Nursing (Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission). The advanced registered nurse practitioner license, which is the license a Washington nurse anesthetist holds under the CRNA designation, renews every other year on the licensee's birthday. The underlying registered nurse license renews every year on the same birthday, so a nurse anesthetist files a registered nurse renewal in the off years and both renewals in the on years. Renewal is completed in the HELMS portal with an attestation that the renewal requirements were met. Prescriptive authority, for a nurse anesthetist who holds it, is renewed at the same time as the ARNP license. Washington also mandates specific subjects. Pharmacotherapeutics: 15 contact hours every renewal cycle (nurse anesthetists who hold ARNP prescriptive authority). Best practices in the prescribing of opioids: a one-time requirement of 4 contact hours (nurse anesthetists licensed to prescribe opioids). Health equity continuing education, including implicit bias training: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle (all nurses, at each annual registered nurse license renewal).
Washington 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 date |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 30 contact hours |
| Self-study or online cap | No cap stated |
| Carryover to next cycle | Not stated |
| First renewal exempt | Not stated |
Washington recognizes the nurse anesthetist as one of four ARNP designations. WAC 246-840-302 lists nurse practitioner, certified nurse-midwife, certified registered nurse anesthetist and clinical nurse specialist, and names the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists as the examination body for the CRNA designation. Renewal of the ARNP license under WAC 246-840-360 takes 30 contact hours of continuing education obtained during the renewal period in each ARNP designation, plus an active unrestricted Washington registered nurse license and current certification from a commission approved certifying body; a licensee certified in more than one area may count the same hours toward more than one certification when they apply to each area of practice. WAC 246-840-361 adds that those 30 hours must be acceptable to the certifying body identified in WAC 246-840-302(3), must come from courses in which a contact hour is at least fifty minutes, may not include the fifteen hours required for prescriptive authority, and may not include the same course taken more than once during the renewal cycle. 30 is recorded as the hours per cycle because it is what every Washington nurse anesthetist owes; a nurse anesthetist who also holds prescriptive authority owes 15 more under WAC 246-840-450(1)(b), which the rule states in terms are in addition to the 30, for a total of 45. Separately, and on its own annual clock, the underlying registered nurse license carries WAC 246-840-220: a minimum of 96 hours of active nursing practice and a minimum of 8 hours of continuing nursing education in the 12 months before each renewal, of which at least 2 hours must be health equity training. Across a two year nurse anesthetist cycle that is another 16 hours on the registered nurse side. The rules do not say whether hours may count toward both totals, so they are recorded separately and 30 is the ARNP side only. Washington is the clearest CRNA carve out in this dataset: WAC 246-840-220(3) requires a registered nurse, except for registered nurses holding an active certified registered nurse anesthetist license, and licensed practical nurses, to complete a one time six hour training in suicide assessment, treatment and management. Nurse anesthetists are excepted from a requirement that binds every other Washington nurse, which is why suicide prevention does not appear in the mandatory topics below.
Required CE topics for Washington 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PharmacotherapeuticsFifteen contact hours of continuing education during the renewal period in pharmacotherapeutics related to the licensee's scope of practice, declared in writing on commission forms. The rule states these are in addition to the thirty contact hours required for renewal of the ARNP license, and WAC 246-840-361(3) says the thirty may not include them. Courses must run at least fifty minutes per contact hour, and the same course counted more than once in a reporting cycle counts only once. Prescriptive authority is renewed at the same time as the ARNP license. | 15 contact hours | Every renewal | Nurse anesthetists who hold ARNP prescriptive authority | WAC 246-840-450(1)(b); WAC 246-840-451 |
| Best practices in the prescribing of opioidsA one time requirement of at least four hours for an advanced registered nurse practitioner licensed to prescribe opioids, due by the end of the first full continuing education reporting period after January 1, 2019 or after initial licensure, whichever is later. The four hour course may count toward other commission required continuing education. The rule contains no exception for nurse anesthetists, unlike the suicide prevention rule. | 4 contact hours | One time | Nurse anesthetists licensed to prescribe opioids | WAC 246-840-4655 |
| Health equity continuing education, including implicit bias trainingA minimum of two hours of health equity continuing education every year upon license renewal. The training must include implicit bias education plus at least one additional topic, trainers must have demonstrated health equity knowledge, and the coursework must assess the nurse's ability to apply the concepts to practice. It must be completed by the second full continuing education reporting period after licensure or the 2026 renewal, whichever is later, and after that first period within the 12 months before renewal with no rollover. The hours count toward the eight hour annual registered nurse continuing nursing education requirement rather than adding to it. Recorded as every_cycle because it recurs, but the cycle here is the annual registered nurse renewal, not the two year nurse anesthetist renewal. WAC 246-840-222 contains no exception for nurse anesthetists. | 2 contact hours | Every renewal | All nurses, at each annual registered nurse license renewal | WAC 246-840-222 |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | No, attestation only |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | Not stated |
| Board audits compliance | Not stated |
| Approved providers | The thirty ARNP hours must be acceptable to the certifying body identified in WAC 246-840-302(3), which for the CRNA designation is the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists, and must come from courses in which a contact hour is at least fifty minutes. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Washington CRNA need to renew?
- Washington nurse anesthetists must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Washington State Board of Nursing (Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission). Washington recognizes the nurse anesthetist as one of four ARNP designations. WAC 246-840-302 lists nurse practitioner, certified nurse-midwife, certified registered nurse anesthetist and clinical nurse specialist, and names the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists as the examination body for the CRNA designation. Renewal of the ARNP license under WAC 246-840-360 takes 30 contact hours of continuing education obtained during the renewal period in each ARNP designation, plus an active unrestricted Washington registered nurse license and current certification from a commission approved certifying body; a licensee certified in more than one area may count the same hours toward more than one certification when they apply to each area of practice. WAC 246-840-361 adds that those 30 hours must be acceptable to the certifying body identified in WAC 246-840-302(3), must come from courses in which a contact hour is at least fifty minutes, may not include the fifteen hours required for prescriptive authority, and may not include the same course taken more than once during the renewal cycle. 30 is recorded as the hours per cycle because it is what every Washington nurse anesthetist owes; a nurse anesthetist who also holds prescriptive authority owes 15 more under WAC 246-840-450(1)(b), which the rule states in terms are in addition to the 30, for a total of 45. Separately, and on its own annual clock, the underlying registered nurse license carries WAC 246-840-220: a minimum of 96 hours of active nursing practice and a minimum of 8 hours of continuing nursing education in the 12 months before each renewal, of which at least 2 hours must be health equity training. Across a two year nurse anesthetist cycle that is another 16 hours on the registered nurse side. The rules do not say whether hours may count toward both totals, so they are recorded separately and 30 is the ARNP side only. Washington is the clearest CRNA carve out in this dataset: WAC 246-840-220(3) requires a registered nurse, except for registered nurses holding an active certified registered nurse anesthetist license, and licensed practical nurses, to complete a one time six hour training in suicide assessment, treatment and management. Nurse anesthetists are excepted from a requirement that binds every other Washington nurse, which is why suicide prevention does not appear in the mandatory topics below.
- How often does a Washington CRNA license need to be renewed?
- Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist licenses in Washington renew every two years. The advanced registered nurse practitioner license, which is the license a Washington nurse anesthetist holds under the CRNA designation, renews every other year on the licensee's birthday. The underlying registered nurse license renews every year on the same birthday, so a nurse anesthetist files a registered nurse renewal in the off years and both renewals in the on years. Renewal is completed in the HELMS portal with an attestation that the renewal requirements were met. Prescriptive authority, for a nurse anesthetist who holds it, is renewed at the same time as the ARNP license.
- What specific CE topics are required for Washington nurse anesthetists?
- Pharmacotherapeutics: 15 contact hours every renewal cycle (nurse anesthetists who hold ARNP prescriptive authority). Best practices in the prescribing of opioids: a one-time requirement of 4 contact hours (nurse anesthetists licensed to prescribe opioids). Health equity continuing education, including implicit bias training: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle (all nurses, at each annual registered nurse license renewal). Citations: pharmacotherapeutics (WAC 246-840-450(1)(b); WAC 246-840-451), best practices in the prescribing of opioids (WAC 246-840-4655), and health equity continuing education, including implicit bias training (WAC 246-840-222).
- Do Washington nurse anesthetists have to submit CE certificates at renewal?
- Licensees attest to completion at renewal rather than submitting certificates. The thirty ARNP hours must be acceptable to the certifying body identified in WAC 246-840-302(3), which for the CRNA designation is the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists, and must come from courses in which a contact hour is at least fifty minutes.
Sources
Last verified September 8, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- WAC 246-840-302, ARNP designations and certificationStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- WAC 246-840-360, Renewal of ARNP licensureStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- WAC 246-840-361, Continuing education for ARNP license renewalStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- WAC 246-840-450, Renewal of ARNP prescriptive authorityStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- WAC 246-840-220, Continuing competency requirements, Active statusStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- WAC 246-840-222, Continuing competency requirements, Health equity continuing educationStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- WAC 246-840-4655, Continuing education requirements for opioid prescribingStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- License renewal, Washington State Board of NursingState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
Washington calls the credential an advanced registered nurse practitioner, ARNP, in rule, and the nurse anesthetist holds that license under the CRNA designation rather than a separate credential. The regulator is the body the rules call the commission, the Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission, which presents itself publicly as the Washington State Board of Nursing at nursing.wa.gov; both names are in the board name field. WAC 246-840-360, 246-840-361 and 246-840-450 are the shared ARNP rules and reach all four designations, so this is a shared advanced practice rule rather than a nurse anesthetist specific one, and the hour figures are identical to wa-np on the ARNP side. The one place Washington does single out nurse anesthetists is the exception in WAC 246-840-220(3), which excuses registered nurses holding an active certified registered nurse anesthetist license from the one time six hour suicide prevention training required under RCW 43.70.442 of every other registered nurse. That exception is why suicide prevention is deliberately absent from the mandatory topics array here while it appears in wa-rn and wa-np, and every other mandated topic was checked for a similar carve out: WAC 246-840-222 on health equity and WAC 246-840-4655 on opioid prescribing contain none. hours_per_cycle is recorded as 30 rather than 45 because prescriptive authority is optional for a nurse anesthetist and the 15 pharmacotherapeutics hours are stated in rule to be in addition to the 30; the 15 are carried in mandatory topics with their scope. The rules read do not state a record retention period or an audit process for ARNP continuing education, so both fields are null. The board's renewal page confirms on an official host that ARNPs renew every other year by their birthday, that 30 contact hours are due during the renewal period, and that an additional 15 hours in pharmacology is required with prescriptive authority; it carries no nurse anesthetist specific note.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Washington State Board of Nursing (Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission) before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.