Texas APRN CE Requirements
Texas APRNs satisfy continuing competency one of two ways, under Board Rule 216.3:
-
20 contact hours appropriate to the advanced practice role and population focus area recognized by the Board, or
-
Achieving, maintaining, or renewing the national nursing certification recognized by the Board for your role and population focus area, within the licensing period
Either path also requires meeting the applicable targeted continuing education requirements.
If you maintain current national certification, you have satisfied the 20-hour requirement.
The certification pathway is not a shortcut
Texas accepts certification in place of the 20 hours. But maintaining certification has its own continuing education cost, and it is larger than the Texas requirement it replaces.
ANCC nurse practitioner recertification requires 75 continuing education hours, of which 25 must be pharmacology for NPs with prescriptive authority.
ANCC now permits outcomes-based continuing education (OB-CE) credit to replace 50 of those general hours. It does not replace the 25 pharmacology hours. Those remain required regardless of how the general hours are satisfied.
So an NP whose employer provides OB-CE credit has covered the 50 general hours and still owes 25 pharmacology hours — and employer competency programs do not typically supply pharmacology.
The practical result for a Texas prescriber: the 25 pharmacology hours completed for ANCC recertification also cover the 5 pharmacotherapeutics hours Texas requires, several times over. One pharmacology package serves both obligations.
See also: ANCC OB-CE Level Credit and the 25-Hour Pharmacology Requirement
One set of hours covers both licenses
This is the most common Texas APRN misconception, and the Board addresses it directly.
The 20 contact hours required for APRNs are not in addition to the 20 contact hours required for RN license renewal. Completing the APRN requirement satisfies the renewal of both the RN license and the APRN license.
You do not owe 40 hours. You owe 20 — or certification in place of them.
Prescribers owe 5 more, and certification does not cover them
Any APRN who holds prescriptive authority must complete at least 5 additional contact hours of continuing education in pharmacotherapeutics.
The Board is explicit that these hours are above and beyond the 20 hours required for all nurses. They are not part of the 20, and they are not satisfied by holding national certification.
Prescribing-related targeted CE counts inside the 20
Some APRNs have additional requirements tied to prescribing — opioid prescribing and the Texas Prescription Monitoring Program among them.
Unlike the 5 pharmacotherapeutics hours, these do count toward the 20 hours required for all nurses. They fill the 20 rather than adding to it.
The distinction matters when you are planning a renewal: pharmacotherapeutics adds, targeted prescribing CE absorbs.
Category I CME counts — with one exception
Texas APRNs may use Category I Continuing Medical Education contact hours to meet BON continuing competency requirements.
The exception is the Nursing Jurisprudence and Nursing Ethics requirement, which must be nursing continuing education. CME does not satisfy it.
For dual-credentialed clinicians and APRNs who accumulate CME through practice, this is worth knowing before buying nursing-specific hours you may not need — and equally worth knowing that the jurisprudence requirement is the one place CME will not work.
Your licensing period is not your calendar
Texas defines the two-year window precisely: continuing competency must be earned within the two-year period immediately preceding renewal, beginning the first day of the month after your renewal month.
The Board's example: a nurse renewing in December 2019, their birth month, must earn continuing competency between January 1, 2018 and December 31, 2019.
Extra hours do not carry over. Hours earned beyond the requirement cannot be applied to the next renewal period.
Targeted continuing education still applies
Both pathways — hours or certification — require meeting applicable targeted CE. For Texas nurses this can include nursing jurisprudence and ethics, older adult and geriatric care, human trafficking prevention, and forensic evidence collection, depending on your practice and license history.
Certification satisfies the 20. It does not satisfy the targeted requirements.
See also: Texas BON Jurisprudence and Ethics CE Requirement | Texas Older Adult and Geriatric Care CE Requirement
Frequently asked questions
How many CE hours do Texas nurse practitioners need? 20 contact hours appropriate to your advanced practice role and population focus area, or current national certification in place of them, plus applicable targeted CE. Prescribers add 5 hours of pharmacotherapeutics.
Do I need separate hours for my RN and APRN licenses? No. The APRN hours are not in addition to the RN hours. One set satisfies both renewals.
Does ANCC or AANP certification satisfy Texas APRN CE? Achieving, maintaining, or renewing the national certification recognized by the Board for your role and population focus area satisfies the 20-hour requirement. It does not satisfy targeted CE or the pharmacotherapeutics hours for prescribers.
If I use certification for the Texas 20, do I end up doing less CE? No. ANCC nurse practitioner recertification requires 75 hours, including 25 pharmacology hours for prescribers. Outcomes-based CE credit can replace 50 general hours but not the 25 pharmacology hours. The certification pathway satisfies Texas but carries a larger CE obligation of its own.
Does OB-CE credit from my employer cover my pharmacology hours? No. OB-CE can replace 50 of the 75 general hours for ANCC recertification. The 25 pharmacology hours remain required and are not typically supplied by employer competency programs.
How many pharmacology hours do Texas APRNs need? At least 5 contact hours of pharmacotherapeutics for APRNs with prescriptive authority, above and beyond the 20.
Do opioid and PMP hours count toward my 20? Yes. Prescribing-related targeted CE counts toward the 20 hours, unlike the 5 pharmacotherapeutics hours.
Can I use CME instead of nursing CE? Category I CME counts for BON continuing competency requirements, except the Nursing Jurisprudence and Nursing Ethics requirement, which must be nursing CE.
When does my licensing period start? The first day of the month after your renewal month, running two years to the end of your renewal month.
Can I carry over extra hours? No. Hours beyond the requirement do not carry to the next renewal period.
Meeting your requirement
Renew Now CE offers ANCC-accredited continuing education for Texas APRNs, including pharmacotherapeutics hours for prescribers and the targeted CE requirements certification does not cover. One-time purchase, no subscription, certificates on completion.
If you are using national certification to satisfy the Texas 20, your larger obligation is ANCC's 25 pharmacology hours — which also cover the 5 pharmacotherapeutics hours Texas requires. Plan around the certification requirement, not the state one.
Texas NP & APRN Mandatory CE Package – 17 Contact Hours | Ethics, Geriatrics & Pharmacotherapy
Mandated Texas topics plus the pharmacotherapeutics hours, for APRNs who don't need a full general-hours package.
Texas APRN & NP Complete CE Renewal Package – 25 Contact Hours | Includes Required Pharmacotherapy
The full 20 general hours plus the 5 pharmacotherapeutics hours, for APRNs completing Texas CE rather than using certification.
Family Nurse Practitioner Pharmacotherapeutics ANCC Renewal Package
Pharmacotherapeutics hours for family nurse practitioners renewing ANCC certification.
Complete ANCC Pharmacology Renewal Package for APRNs (25 Mandatory Hours)
The 25 pharmacology hours ANCC requires for recertification, which also cover the Texas 5.