West Virginia Licensed Practical Nurse license renewal and CE requirements
West Virginia licensed practical nurses must complete 24 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the West Virginia State Board of Examiners for Licensed Practical Nurses.
Practical nurse licenses expire June 30 every year and are renewed in the nurse portal between March 1 and June 30. The license is renewed annually, but continuing education and practical nursing employment are reported only every other year, with the renewal in each even numbered year.
Summary
West Virginia licensed practical nurses must complete 24 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the West Virginia State Board of Examiners for Licensed Practical Nurses. Practical nurse licenses expire June 30 every year and are renewed in the nurse portal between March 1 and June 30. The license is renewed annually, but continuing education and practical nursing employment are reported only every other year, with the renewal in each even numbered year. West Virginia also mandates specific subjects. Substance abuse or drug diversion: 3 contact hours every renewal cycle. Mental health conditions common to veterans and family members of veterans: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle. End of life care including pain management: a one-time requirement of 2 contact hours (nurses newly licensed in West Virginia and licensees reinstating a license; reported with the first renewal in which continuing education is due). No more than 5 contact hours may be self-study or online and hours do not carry over between cycles.
West Virginia Licensed Practical Nurse 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 | Annual (12 months) |
|---|---|
| Renewal deadline | Same date for every licensee, 06/30 each cycle |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 24 contact hoursCounted over a two-year window, separate from the renewal cycle. |
| Self-study or online cap | At most 5 contact hours |
| Carryover to next cycle | No |
| First renewal exempt | Not stated |
10 CSR 6 requires 24 contact hours of continuing education and 400 clock hours of practical nursing practice in each two year reporting period, which ends June 30 of each even numbered year. The 400 practice hours are an additional requirement, not an alternative to the hours. Both are reported with the even year renewal application. A contact hour is 50 minutes of instruction, or 50 minutes of clinical or laboratory practice in an informal offering; 1 CEU equals 10 contact hours, one academic semester hour equals 15 contact hours, and one academic quarter hour equals 10 contact hours. No more than 5 contact hours in a two year period may be self study. The board grants no credit for identical activities in a period and does not allow credits to be carried in from a previous period or accumulated for a future one. A nurse licensed in West Virginia for the first time during the first 12 months of a reporting period needs 12 contact hours and 200 clock hours of practice before the end of that period; a nurse first licensed during the second 12 months is exempt from both requirements for that period. Waivers are available for full time nursing students, for personal or family illness or disability, and for military service.
Required CE topics for West Virginia licensed practical nurses
State-specific subject mandates. Where a mandate applies only to some licensees, the scope is listed.
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Applies to | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Substance abuse or drug diversionThe board's continuing education brochure says the Legislature added this subject in 2012 and that, effective with the reporting period ending in 2014, each licensee must complete at least 3 contact hours in the topic of substance abuse or drug diversion during each reporting period. The board's licensure and audit pages repeat the 3 hour figure. The hours count toward the 24 contact hour total. | 3 contact hours | Every renewal | All licensees | Not stated |
| Mental health conditions common to veterans and family members of veteransThe board's continuing education brochure says the Legislature added this subject and that, effective with the reporting period ending in 2018, each licensee must complete at least 2 contact hours in it during each reporting period. The board's licensure and audit pages repeat the 2 hour figure. The hours count toward the 24 contact hour total. | 2 contact hours | Every renewal | All licensees | Not stated |
| End of life care including pain managementThe board's continuing education brochure describes this as a one time requirement effective July 1, 2003, so a licensee who reported it once does not repeat it. The board's licensure page calls it a one time 2 hour course for nurses new to West Virginia. The hours count toward the 24 contact hour total. | 2 contact hours | One time | Nurses newly licensed in West Virginia and licensees reinstating a license; reported with the first renewal in which continuing education is due | Not stated |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | Yes |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | 4 years |
| Board audits compliance | Yes |
| Approved providers | 10 CSR 6, section 4 lists the providers the board recognizes, including boards of nursing in the United States and territories, the American Red Cross state affiliates, the Licensed Practical Nurses Association of West Virginia, NAPNES, the National Federation of Licensed Practical Nurses, National League for Nursing state affiliates, the West Virginia Nurses Association, the West Virginia Hospital Association, the West Virginia Health Care Association, state agencies, Medicare and Medicaid certified long term care facilities, accredited schools, colleges and universities, and other national, regional, or state nursing, medical, or allied health organizations. Each activity must run at least one contact hour and the provider must furnish a written statement of completion. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a West Virginia LPN/LVN need to renew?
- West Virginia licensed practical nurses must complete 24 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the West Virginia State Board of Examiners for Licensed Practical Nurses. 10 CSR 6 requires 24 contact hours of continuing education and 400 clock hours of practical nursing practice in each two year reporting period, which ends June 30 of each even numbered year. The 400 practice hours are an additional requirement, not an alternative to the hours. Both are reported with the even year renewal application. A contact hour is 50 minutes of instruction, or 50 minutes of clinical or laboratory practice in an informal offering; 1 CEU equals 10 contact hours, one academic semester hour equals 15 contact hours, and one academic quarter hour equals 10 contact hours. No more than 5 contact hours in a two year period may be self study. The board grants no credit for identical activities in a period and does not allow credits to be carried in from a previous period or accumulated for a future one. A nurse licensed in West Virginia for the first time during the first 12 months of a reporting period needs 12 contact hours and 200 clock hours of practice before the end of that period; a nurse first licensed during the second 12 months is exempt from both requirements for that period. Waivers are available for full time nursing students, for personal or family illness or disability, and for military service.
- How often does a West Virginia LPN/LVN license need to be renewed?
- Licensed Practical Nurse licenses in West Virginia renew every year. Practical nurse licenses expire June 30 every year and are renewed in the nurse portal between March 1 and June 30. The license is renewed annually, but continuing education and practical nursing employment are reported only every other year, with the renewal in each even numbered year.
- What specific CE topics are required for West Virginia licensed practical nurses?
- Substance abuse or drug diversion: 3 contact hours every renewal cycle. Mental health conditions common to veterans and family members of veterans: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle. End of life care including pain management: a one-time requirement of 2 contact hours (nurses newly licensed in West Virginia and licensees reinstating a license; reported with the first renewal in which continuing education is due).
- Do West Virginia licensed practical nurses 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 4 years. 10 CSR 6, section 4 lists the providers the board recognizes, including boards of nursing in the United States and territories, the American Red Cross state affiliates, the Licensed Practical Nurses Association of West Virginia, NAPNES, the National Federation of Licensed Practical Nurses, National League for Nursing state affiliates, the West Virginia Nurses Association, the West Virginia Hospital Association, the West Virginia Health Care Association, state agencies, Medicare and Medicaid certified long term care facilities, accredited schools, colleges and universities, and other national, regional, or state nursing, medical, or allied health organizations. Each activity must run at least one contact hour and the provider must furnish a written statement of completion.
Sources
Last verified September 7, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- 10 CSR 6, West Virginia State Board of Examiners for Licensed Practical Nurses, Continuing Competence, effective May 15, 2014Statute or administrative rule, accessed September 7, 2026
- Mandatory Continuing Competence, informational brochure, West Virginia State Board of Examiners for Licensed Practical Nurses, revised February 2024State board page, accessed September 7, 2026
- Licensure, West Virginia State Board of Examiners for Licensed Practical NursesState board page, accessed September 7, 2026
- Audits, West Virginia State Board of Examiners for Licensed Practical NursesState board page, accessed September 7, 2026
- Applicable Laws, West Virginia Code chapter 30 articles 1 and 7A, posted by the West Virginia State Board of Examiners for Licensed Practical Nurses (30-7A-7, Renewal or reinstatement of license)Statute or administrative rule, accessed September 7, 2026
- W. Va. Code 30-1-7a, Continuing educationStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 7, 2026
- West Virginia State Board of Examiners for Licensed Practical NursesState board page, accessed September 7, 2026
West Virginia licenses practical nurses through a board separate from the registered nurse board, so this record cites only the LPN board and its Title 10 rules. The 24 contact hours, the 400 practice hours, the two year reporting period ending June 30 of each even numbered year, the 5 hour self study cap, the no carryover rule, and the first licensure phase in are read directly from 10 CSR 6. The annual June 30 expiration comes from W. Va. Code 30-7A-7 in the board's Applicable Laws posting, and the March 1 through June 30 renewal window comes from the board's licensure page. Several of the board's PDFs are scanned images with no extractable text, so 10 CSR 6, the Applicable Laws posting, and the continuing education brochure were read with page rendering rather than text extraction. The board's audit page and licensure page state that licensees must keep four years of continuing education records for audit purposes, while 10 CSR 6, subdivision 3.2.c sets a two year minimum following submission; retention_years records the four year figure the board currently instructs licensees to follow. The topic keys substance_abuse and veterans_mental_health are not in the canonical list and were coined for this record. No statutory citation is recorded for the three subject mandates because the board's brochure attributes them to legislative action without naming a section, and the current text of W. Va. Code 30-1-7a no longer contains the end of life care provision that the 2001 version reproduced in the board's Applicable Laws posting did; the board nonetheless still lists that requirement for new licensees. W. Va. Code 30-1-7a(b) separately requires an LPN who prescribes, administers, or dispenses controlled substances to complete drug diversion, best practice prescribing, and opioid antagonist training within one year of initial licensure, but no hour count for LPNs was found on a board page, so it is not recorded as a separate topic.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the West Virginia State Board of Examiners for Licensed Practical Nurses before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.