Louisiana Nutrition and Metabolic Health CE Requirement: SB 14 (Act 463)

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Louisiana Nutrition and Metabolic Health CE Requirement (SB 14 / Act 463)

Louisiana requires physicians and physician assistants practicing in 18 named specialties, and advanced practice registered nurses practicing in five named areas, to complete a minimum of one hour of continuing education on nutrition and metabolic health every four years. Senate Bill 14 became Act 463 when it was signed on June 20, 2025, and the healthcare continuing education provisions took effect January 1, 2026.

The requirement is scope-based, not license-based. Whether Act 463 applies depends on your practice area, not on holding a Louisiana license alone. Louisiana Legislature, SB 14 and Act 463

Who is covered

Physicians and physician assistants. Act 463 applies to physicians and PAs practicing family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry, endocrinology, gastroenterology, cardiology, oncology, rheumatology, neurology, nephrology, dermatology, pulmonology, surgery, immunology, hematology, obstetrics, and gynecology. The requirement is enacted at R.S. 37:1270(A)(8) and administered by the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners. Louisiana R.S. 37:1270(A)(8)

Advanced practice registered nurses. Act 463 applies to APRNs practicing family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics, or gynecology. The requirement is enacted at R.S. 37:920(G) and administered by the Louisiana State Board of Nursing. Louisiana R.S. 37:920(G)

Psychiatric nurse practitioners. A psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner practicing psychiatry is not included in the APRN provision. Psychiatry appears in the physician and PA list, but not in the APRN list.

Registered nurses and licensed practical nurses. RNs and LPNs who are not APRNs are not included. Prescriptive authority does not change this result: it is not a condition for a covered APRN, and it does not bring a non-APRN nurse into the statute.

The distinction most summaries miss

The physician and PA list is substantially broader than the APRN list.

For physicians and PAs, the statute names 18 specialties and reaches much of clinical medicine, including surgery, dermatology, neurology, and psychiatry.

For APRNs, the statute names five practice areas, all within primary care or women's health. An APRN practicing in psychiatry, cardiology, oncology, dermatology, or acute care is not named in the APRN provision, even though a physician or PA in the corresponding specialty is named.

This asymmetry is the most consequential applicability detail for advanced practice nurses. Physicians, PAs, and APRNs have the same one-hour, four-year minimum when covered, but they do not have the same list of covered practice areas.

What the statute sets, and what it does not

Act 463 sets a floor of one hour every four years. It does not cap the number of hours a clinician may complete, and it directs each licensing board to determine the required content through rulemaking.

Credit also needs to meet the continuing education standards of the board administering the license:

How Louisiana Act 463 compares with Texas SB 25

Louisiana and Texas both enacted nutrition and metabolic health continuing education mandates in 2025, but the laws differ in professional scope, timing, cycle, and rulemaking status.

Legal and rulemaking status as of October 2, 2026, based on the Louisiana physician and PA statute, Louisiana APRN statute, Texas SB 25 enrolled text, Texas Medical Board adopted rules, and Texas dietitian proposed rules.
Criterion Louisiana SB 14 / Act 463 Texas SB 25
Professions covered Physicians and PAs in 18 named specialties; APRNs in five named practice areas. Physicians, PAs, nurses licensed under Chapter 301, and licensed dietitians. The CE provisions do not limit physicians, PAs, or nurses by specialty.
RNs and vocational or practical nurses RNs and LPNs who are not APRNs are not covered. RNs, LVNs, and APRNs are included under the Texas nursing provision.
Hour requirement Minimum of one hour. Physicians and PAs must complete one nutrition and metabolic health credit. The Texas Board of Nursing had not set the nursing hour count as of October 2, 2026. A three-hour dietitian requirement was proposed in September 2026 but was not yet final.
Cycle length Once every four years. Tied to license renewal applications filed on or after January 1, 2027. Standard physician, PA, nursing, and dietitian renewal cycles are generally two years.
Effective date The healthcare CE provisions took effect January 1, 2026. SB 25 took effect September 1, 2025, but the CE provisions apply to renewal applications filed on or after January 1, 2027.
Rulemaking status The statutory one-hour, four-year minimum is in force. The Louisiana boards determine content and acceptable credit under their governing rules. Physician and PA rules were adopted effective September 3, 2026. Nursing rules remained pending. Dietitian rules were proposed with public comments open through October 19, 2026.
Credit type Physicians and PAs need CME accepted by the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners. APRNs need nursing CE accepted by the Louisiana State Board of Nursing, including ANCC-accredited education. Physicians and PAs need Texas Medical Board-recognized CME. Nursing credit details will be governed by the final Board of Nursing rule. Dietitian credit will be governed by the final TDLR rule.

Can one course satisfy both Louisiana and Texas?

Yes, one completed course can potentially count for both states for a dual-licensed physician or PA. The course must provide at least one hour, award CME accepted for that profession in both states, cover Louisiana's nutrition and metabolic health requirement, address the Texas Nutrition Advisory Committee guidelines required by the Texas rule, and be completed within both reporting periods. The clinician must retain and report the certificate separately for each license.

For APRNs, a universal answer is not yet available because the Texas Board of Nursing had not set its final hour count and content details as of October 2, 2026. Louisiana also covers only APRNs practicing family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics, or gynecology, while Texas SB 25 reaches all Texas nursing license holders.

A Louisiana RN who is not an APRN has no Act 463 obligation, so only the Texas requirement applies. Licensed dietitians are covered by Texas SB 25 but not by Louisiana Act 463.

Texas SB 25 Nutrition and Metabolic Health CE Requirement: What Is and Isn't Decided

Meeting the Louisiana requirement

Renew Now CE's Nutrition and Metabolic Health for Medical Professionals is a one-hour, self-paced online activity available as a single purchase without a subscription.

  • Physicians: up to 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ through joint providership with AKH Inc.

  • Physician assistants: 1.0 AAPA Category 1 CME credit.

  • Nurses and APRNs: 1.0 ANCC nursing contact hour from Renew Now CE.

  • Nurse practitioners: 1.0 AANP contact hour through joint providership with AKH Inc., including 0.0 pharmacology hours.

  • Dietitians: 1.0 CDR CPEU.

The profession-specific credit mix makes the activity a practical single-course option for Louisiana's covered physicians, PAs, and APRNs. Dual-licensed Louisiana and Texas physicians or PAs should use a course version that meets the Texas Nutrition Advisory Committee-focused content rule and falls within both states' reporting windows. AKH accreditation and credit details

Frequently asked questions

How often do Louisiana physicians need nutrition and metabolic health CE?

Covered Louisiana physicians must complete at least one hour every four years. The requirement applies only to physicians practicing one of the 18 specialties named in R.S. 37:1270(A)(8), rather than to every physician solely because the physician holds a Louisiana license.

What specialties are covered by Louisiana SB 14?

For physicians and PAs, the covered specialties are family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry, endocrinology, gastroenterology, cardiology, oncology, rheumatology, neurology, nephrology, dermatology, pulmonology, surgery, immunology, hematology, obstetrics, and gynecology. Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners legislative update

Does Louisiana SB 14 apply to physician assistants?

Yes. Physician assistants practicing any of the same 18 specialties listed for physicians must complete the one-hour nutrition and metabolic health requirement every four years. The physician and PA requirements appear in the same statutory provision.

Do Louisiana nurse practitioners need nutrition and metabolic health CE?

Louisiana nurse practitioners need the training only when practicing family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics, or gynecology. A psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner practicing psychiatry is not named in the APRN provision, even though psychiatrists and PAs practicing psychiatry are covered.

Does Act 463 apply to Louisiana RNs who do not have prescriptive authority?

No. Act 463 does not include registered nurses or licensed practical nurses who are not APRNs. Prescriptive authority is not the dividing line: the statute applies to APRNs in five named practice areas and does not apply to non-APRN nurses.

Is Louisiana SB 14 the same as Texas SB 25, and do dual-state licensees need separate courses?

No, the laws are not the same, but a dual-licensed physician or PA can use one course for both when its duration, content, credit, and completion date satisfy both boards. Texas applies more broadly by profession and begins with renewal applications filed on or after January 1, 2027. Texas nursing rules were still pending as of October 2, 2026, so APRNs should not assume that a one-hour Louisiana course alone will satisfy the final Texas nursing requirement.

References

Last reviewed: October 2, 2026