West Virginia Registered Nurse license renewal and CE requirements
West Virginia registered nurses must complete 12 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the West Virginia Board of Registered Nurses.
Registered nurse licenses renew every two years in even numbered years. Each license expires June 30 of an even numbered year, and the renewal window in the Nurse Portal runs May 1 through June 30. A license not renewed by June 30 lapses immediately and the nurse may not practice until it is reinstated.
Summary
West Virginia registered nurses must complete 12 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the West Virginia Board of Registered Nurses. Registered nurse licenses renew every two years in even numbered years. Each license expires June 30 of an even numbered year, and the renewal window in the Nurse Portal runs May 1 through June 30. A license not renewed by June 30 lapses immediately and the nurse may not practice until it is reinstated. West Virginia also mandates specific subjects. Drug diversion, best practice prescribing of controlled substances, and opioid antagonist training: a one-time requirement of 3 contact hours (newly licensed RNs who prescribe, administer, or dispense controlled substances; due within one year of receiving the initial license). Hours do not carry over between cycles and the first renewal is exempt.
West Virginia Registered 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 | Two-year (24 months) |
|---|---|
| Renewal deadline | Same date for every licensee, 06/30 each cycle |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 12 contact hours |
| Self-study or online cap | No cap stated |
| Carryover to next cycle | No |
| First renewal exempt | Yes |
19 CSR 11, subdivision 3.1.1 requires an RN with an active West Virginia license to complete 12 contact hours of continuing education every renewal period, and the licensee attests to completion when filing the renewal application. A contact hour is at least 50 minutes of an approved organized learning experience; one completed academic semester hour counts as 15 contact hours and one academic quarter hour as 10. The board grants no credit for identical activities in a single reporting period, and contact hours may not be carried in from a previous period or accumulated for a future one. A licensee who obtains a West Virginia license for the first time during a reporting period is exempt for that entire period, as is a government nurse working outside the United States or a nurse on active military duty for more than three months of the period. The board may grant a waiver for disability, illness, or hardship for no more than one reporting period. Compliance is verified electronically through CE Broker.
Required CE topics for West Virginia registered nurses
State-specific subject mandates. Where a mandate applies only to some licensees, the scope is listed.
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Applies to | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drug diversion, best practice prescribing of controlled substances, and opioid antagonist trainingThe board's continuing education page sets the requirement at 3 contact hours for newly licensed RNs and says the standard 12 hour requirement begins in subsequent renewal cycles. A nurse licensed within the last year who did not prescribe, administer, or dispense controlled substances may upload a signed waiver request to CE Broker using the wording the board publishes. W. Va. Code 30-1-7a(b) sets the statutory duty and the one year deadline but does not state an hour count; the 3 hour figure comes from the board page. | 3 contact hours | One time | Newly licensed RNs who prescribe, administer, or dispense controlled substances; due within one year of receiving the initial license | W. Va. Code 30-1-7a(b) |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | No, attestation only |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | 2 years |
| Board audits compliance | Yes |
| Approved providers | Continuing education must come from a board approved provider. 19 CSR 11, subdivision 4.1.3 recognizes the West Virginia Nurses Association and any provider accredited by the American Nurses Credentialing Center; the board's continuing education page also lists national certification bodies such as NPCB, AMCB, ANCC, NCC, and PNCB, national and state nursing associations such as ANA, WVNA, and AANA, and any state board of nursing in the United States. Each activity must run at least one contact hour and the provider must furnish a written statement of completion naming the program, the contact hours, the date, and the participant. |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a West Virginia RN need to renew?
- West Virginia registered nurses must complete 12 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the West Virginia Board of Registered Nurses. 19 CSR 11, subdivision 3.1.1 requires an RN with an active West Virginia license to complete 12 contact hours of continuing education every renewal period, and the licensee attests to completion when filing the renewal application. A contact hour is at least 50 minutes of an approved organized learning experience; one completed academic semester hour counts as 15 contact hours and one academic quarter hour as 10. The board grants no credit for identical activities in a single reporting period, and contact hours may not be carried in from a previous period or accumulated for a future one. A licensee who obtains a West Virginia license for the first time during a reporting period is exempt for that entire period, as is a government nurse working outside the United States or a nurse on active military duty for more than three months of the period. The board may grant a waiver for disability, illness, or hardship for no more than one reporting period. Compliance is verified electronically through CE Broker.
- How often does a West Virginia RN license need to be renewed?
- Registered Nurse licenses in West Virginia renew every two years. Registered nurse licenses renew every two years in even numbered years. Each license expires June 30 of an even numbered year, and the renewal window in the Nurse Portal runs May 1 through June 30. A license not renewed by June 30 lapses immediately and the nurse may not practice until it is reinstated.
- What specific CE topics are required for West Virginia registered nurses?
- Drug diversion, best practice prescribing of controlled substances, and opioid antagonist training: a one-time requirement of 3 contact hours (newly licensed RNs who prescribe, administer, or dispense controlled substances; due within one year of receiving the initial license). Citations: drug diversion, best practice prescribing of controlled substances, and opioid antagonist training (W. Va. Code 30-1-7a(b)).
- Do West Virginia registered nurses 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. Continuing education must come from a board approved provider. 19 CSR 11, subdivision 4.1.3 recognizes the West Virginia Nurses Association and any provider accredited by the American Nurses Credentialing Center; the board's continuing education page also lists national certification bodies such as NPCB, AMCB, ANCC, NCC, and PNCB, national and state nursing associations such as ANA, WVNA, and AANA, and any state board of nursing in the United States. Each activity must run at least one contact hour and the provider must furnish a written statement of completion naming the program, the contact hours, the date, and the participant.
- Is the first West Virginia RN renewal exempt from CE?
- Yes. West Virginia does not require continuing education for a RN's first renewal.
Sources
Last verified September 7, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- Continuing Education and CE Broker, West Virginia Board of Registered NursesState board page, accessed September 7, 2026
- License and Registration Renewals, West Virginia Board of Registered NursesState board page, accessed September 7, 2026
- 19 CSR 11, West Virginia Board of Registered Nurses, Continuing Education and Competence, effective April 24, 2023Statute or administrative rule, accessed September 7, 2026
- 19 CSR 3, Requirements for Registration and Licensure and Conduct Constituting Professional Misconduct, effective May 2, 2024 (section 8, Renewal 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
- Laws, Rules and Scope of Practice, West Virginia Board of Registered NursesState board page, accessed September 7, 2026
West Virginia licenses registered nurses and practical nurses through two separate boards. This record cites only the West Virginia Board of Registered Nurses and its rules in Title 19; the practical nurse record cites the West Virginia State Board of Examiners for Licensed Practical Nurses and Title 10. The 12 contact hour figure appears both on the board's continuing education page (12 contact hours per renewal cycle) and in 19 CSR 11, subdivision 3.1.1 (12 contact hours every renewal period). 19 CSR 3, subdivision 8.1 sets the biennial June 30 even year expiration and says renewal is by attestation of continuing competence, which is why proof_at_renewal is false. 19 CSR 11, paragraph 3.5.3 sets a two year retention period following submission of continuing education activities, and subsection 3.5 gives the board audit authority with a 30 day response window. The rule sets no cap on self study or online hours and no live hour minimum, so those fields are null. The rule text was retrieved from the West Virginia Secretary of State Code of State Rules; the posted PDF of 19 CSR 11 is a scanned image, so the Word version of the same filing was read instead. The board's continuing education page describes the 24 hour pharmacotherapeutics and clinical management requirement and the recurring 3 hour controlled substances requirement as APRN obligations, so neither is recorded here.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the West Virginia Board of Registered Nurses before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.