Wisconsin Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist license renewal and CE requirements
Wisconsin nurse anesthetists must complete 16 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Wisconsin Board of Nursing (Department of Safety and Professional Services).
The advanced practice registered nurse credential renews every two years and expires February 28, or February 29 in a leap year, of each even numbered year, the same date as the Wisconsin registered nurse license. The Department states that advanced practice registered nurse credential renewal opens in mid January 2028 and ends February 29, 2028. Under Wis. Stat. 441.09(1)(c) the licensee submits, on or before the renewal date, a statement with name and residence, the nursing workforce survey and fee required under 441.01(7), and evidence of having satisfied the continuing education requirements under 441.09(4), along with malpractice insurance evidence and proof of continuing to meet the licensure requirements. Renewal also requires holding a current Wisconsin registered nurse license or a multistate registered nurse license and current national certification from a board approved certifying body.
Summary
Requirements are changing. Wisconsin replaced the advanced practice nurse prescriber credential with an advanced practice registered nurse license under 2025 Wisconsin Act 17, and certified registered nurse anesthetist is now one of the four recognized roles. The statute at Wis. Stat. 441.09(4) puts 16 contact hours per biennium in clinical pharmacology or therapeutics on every advanced practice registered nurse, while the board rule that carries the two hour controlled substance subset, Wis. Admin. Code N 8.05, is still written in the old advanced practice nurse prescriber terms. Confirm with the Board of Nursing how the rule applies to a nurse anesthetist who does not prescribe before relying on either reading.
Wisconsin nurse anesthetists must complete 16 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Wisconsin Board of Nursing (Department of Safety and Professional Services). The advanced practice registered nurse credential renews every two years and expires February 28, or February 29 in a leap year, of each even numbered year, the same date as the Wisconsin registered nurse license. The Department states that advanced practice registered nurse credential renewal opens in mid January 2028 and ends February 29, 2028. Under Wis. Stat. 441.09(1)(c) the licensee submits, on or before the renewal date, a statement with name and residence, the nursing workforce survey and fee required under 441.01(7), and evidence of having satisfied the continuing education requirements under 441.09(4), along with malpractice insurance evidence and proof of continuing to meet the licensure requirements. Renewal also requires holding a current Wisconsin registered nurse license or a multistate registered nurse license and current national certification from a board approved certifying body. Wisconsin also mandates specific subjects. Responsible prescribing of controlled substances: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle (advanced practice nurse prescribers in the rule's own words; whether it reaches a nurse anesthetist who does not prescribe is unsettled after 2025 Act 17, see notes).
Wisconsin 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 | Same date for every licensee, 02/28 each cycle |
| Continuing education required | Yes |
| Hours per cycle | 16 contact hours |
| Self-study or online cap | No cap stated |
| Carryover to next cycle | Not stated |
| First renewal exempt | Not stated |
Wisconsin puts the whole continuing education burden on the advanced practice credential and none on the registered nurse license, which requires no continuing education at all. Wis. Stat. 441.09(4) states that every advanced practice registered nurse shall submit to the board evidence of having completed at least 16 contact hours per biennium in clinical pharmacology or therapeutics relevant to the advanced practice registered nurse's area of practice. The statute draws no distinction by recognized role and none by whether the nurse prescribes, so on its face the 16 hours reach a nurse anesthetist. Certified registered nurse anesthetist is one of the four recognized roles for the license: Wis. Stat. 441.001 defines advanced practice registered nursing to include the practice of a certified registered nurse anesthetist, 441.09 lists C.R.N.A. among the specialty designations, and the Department's own page lists Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist as one of four specialties in which an applicant must hold current national certification approved by the board. The two hour controlled substance subset comes from the administrative rule rather than the statute: Wis. Admin. Code N 8.05(1) states that every advanced practice nurse prescriber shall complete 16 contact hours per biennium in clinical pharmacology or therapeutics relevant to the advanced practice nurse prescriber's area of practice, including at least 2 contact hours in responsible prescribing of controlled substances. Chapter N 8 is still titled Certification of Advanced Practice Nurse Prescribers and has not been rewritten in the new advanced practice registered nurse terms, which is what the advisory on this record is about. The Department's continuing education page states the biennium runs from October 1 of an even year to September 30 of an even year.
Required CE topics for Wisconsin 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Responsible prescribing of controlled substancesAt least 2 of the 16 contact hours must be in responsible prescribing of controlled substances. This is a subset of the 16, not an addition to them. The rule is written for the advanced practice nurse prescriber credential that 2025 Act 17 renamed to advanced practice registered nurse, and the Department states that all active advanced practice nurse prescribers keep the same credential number with only the profession name changing. The statutory 16 hour requirement in 441.09(4) does not repeat the controlled substance subset, so a nurse anesthetist who does not prescribe should ask the board whether the 2 hours still apply. | 2 contact hours | Every renewal | Advanced practice nurse prescribers in the rule's own words; whether it reaches a nurse anesthetist who does not prescribe is unsettled after 2025 Act 17, see notes | Wis. Admin. Code N 8.05(1) |
Documentation and audit
| Proof submitted at renewal | No, attestation only |
|---|---|
| Keep records for | 4 years |
| Board audits compliance | Not stated |
Common questions
- How many CE hours does a Wisconsin CRNA need to renew?
- Wisconsin nurse anesthetists must complete 16 contact hours of continuing education every two years to renew their license with the Wisconsin Board of Nursing (Department of Safety and Professional Services). Wisconsin puts the whole continuing education burden on the advanced practice credential and none on the registered nurse license, which requires no continuing education at all. Wis. Stat. 441.09(4) states that every advanced practice registered nurse shall submit to the board evidence of having completed at least 16 contact hours per biennium in clinical pharmacology or therapeutics relevant to the advanced practice registered nurse's area of practice. The statute draws no distinction by recognized role and none by whether the nurse prescribes, so on its face the 16 hours reach a nurse anesthetist. Certified registered nurse anesthetist is one of the four recognized roles for the license: Wis. Stat. 441.001 defines advanced practice registered nursing to include the practice of a certified registered nurse anesthetist, 441.09 lists C.R.N.A. among the specialty designations, and the Department's own page lists Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist as one of four specialties in which an applicant must hold current national certification approved by the board. The two hour controlled substance subset comes from the administrative rule rather than the statute: Wis. Admin. Code N 8.05(1) states that every advanced practice nurse prescriber shall complete 16 contact hours per biennium in clinical pharmacology or therapeutics relevant to the advanced practice nurse prescriber's area of practice, including at least 2 contact hours in responsible prescribing of controlled substances. Chapter N 8 is still titled Certification of Advanced Practice Nurse Prescribers and has not been rewritten in the new advanced practice registered nurse terms, which is what the advisory on this record is about. The Department's continuing education page states the biennium runs from October 1 of an even year to September 30 of an even year.
- How often does a Wisconsin CRNA license need to be renewed?
- Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist licenses in Wisconsin renew every two years. The advanced practice registered nurse credential renews every two years and expires February 28, or February 29 in a leap year, of each even numbered year, the same date as the Wisconsin registered nurse license. The Department states that advanced practice registered nurse credential renewal opens in mid January 2028 and ends February 29, 2028. Under Wis. Stat. 441.09(1)(c) the licensee submits, on or before the renewal date, a statement with name and residence, the nursing workforce survey and fee required under 441.01(7), and evidence of having satisfied the continuing education requirements under 441.09(4), along with malpractice insurance evidence and proof of continuing to meet the licensure requirements. Renewal also requires holding a current Wisconsin registered nurse license or a multistate registered nurse license and current national certification from a board approved certifying body.
- What specific CE topics are required for Wisconsin nurse anesthetists?
- Responsible prescribing of controlled substances: 2 contact hours every renewal cycle (advanced practice nurse prescribers in the rule's own words; whether it reaches a nurse anesthetist who does not prescribe is unsettled after 2025 Act 17, see notes). Citations: responsible prescribing of controlled substances (Wis. Admin. Code N 8.05(1)).
- Do Wisconsin nurse anesthetists have to submit CE certificates at renewal?
- Licensees attest to completion at renewal rather than submitting certificates and records must be kept for 4 years.
Sources
Last verified September 8, 2026. Every value above was read from one of these.
- Wis. Stat. 441.09, Advanced practice registered nurse licenseStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- Wis. Stat. 441.09(4), Continuing education for advanced practice registered nursesStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- Wis. Stat. 441.09(1), Advanced practice registered nurse license and renewalStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- Wis. Admin. Code N 8.05, Continuing educationStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- Wis. Admin. Code chapter N 8, Certification of Advanced Practice Nurse PrescribersStatute or administrative rule, accessed September 8, 2026
- Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional ServicesState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
- Advanced Practice Nurse Prescriber Continuing Education, Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional ServicesState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
- Board of Nursing, Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional ServicesState board page, accessed September 8, 2026
The 16 contact hours and the biennial February renewal were both read on official hosts, the Wisconsin Legislature's statute and code site and the Department of Safety and Professional Services, so the record clears the confidence bar. Wisconsin is the state in this assignment where the credential itself changed shape recently, which is why it carries an advisory rather than only a note. Before 2025 Wisconsin Act 17 the state certified advanced practice nurse prescribers, and a nurse anesthetist who did not prescribe held nothing beyond a registered nurse license. Act 17 created an advanced practice registered nurse license with four recognized roles, certified registered nurse anesthetist among them, effective September 1, 2026, and the Department states that all active advanced practice nurse prescribers keep the same credential number while the profession name changes. The statute now carries the hour count directly at 441.09(4) and applies it to every advanced practice registered nurse with no role or prescriber distinction, which is the basis for recording 16 here. The administrative rule chapter N 8 has not caught up: it is still titled Certification of Advanced Practice Nurse Prescribers, its definitions still speak of the advanced practice nurse prescriber, and it is the only source for the two hour controlled substance subset, which is why that topic carries its scope caveat instead of being asserted flatly. A correction effective October 1, 2025 under clearinghouse rule CR 25-012 touched N 8.03(1m), N 8.03(3) and N 8.045. Retention of four years comes from N 8.05(3), which requires the licensee to keep certificates of attendance issued by the program sponsor and make them available to the board or its agent on request; no audit process and no approved provider list were stated in the sources read. The February 28 or 29 even year date is stated by the Department; the statutory hook is the applicable renewal date under Wis. Stat. 440.08(2)(a), which was not read separately.
Provided for general reference. Requirements change through legislative sessions and rulemaking, so confirm with the Wisconsin Board of Nursing (Department of Safety and Professional Services) before relying on them for a renewal. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.