Texas Older Adult and Geriatric Care CE Requirement for Nurses

Definition

Any Texas RN, LVN, or APRN whose practice includes older adult or geriatric populations must complete 2 contact hours of continuing nursing education in older adult or geriatric care before the end of every licensure renewal cycle under Texas Board of Nursing Rule 216.3(h). Those 2 hours are required every two years for affected nurses, count within the standard 20 contact hours for renewal, and are separate from the nursing jurisprudence and ethics requirement, which is due only every third two-year licensing period. Texas Board of Nursing

Who the rule applies to

The trigger is practice-based, not title-based. The rule applies when a nurse's practice includes older adult or geriatric populations. That means the question is not whether you are an RN, LVN, or APRN in the abstract; it is whether older adults are part of the patient population you actually serve. Texas Board of Nursing

In practical terms, this captures most Texas nurses working in hospitals, outpatient clinics, home health, long-term care, rehabilitation, hospice, and emergency departments, because older adults are a routine part of care in those settings. The Board's continuing education framework is organized around area of practice and patient population, so nurses should evaluate the populations they treat rather than look for a specialty label. Texas BON FAQ

What the 2 hours must cover

Texas BON says the geriatric care course or courses may contain information related to these content areas:

elder abuse
age-related memory changes
age-related disease processes, including chronic conditions
end-of-life issues
health maintenance
health promotion

The four topics buyers most often need to verify are elder abuse, memory changes, disease processes including chronic conditions, and end-of-life issues, because those are the clearest signals that a course is built to satisfy Rule 216.3(h) rather than just offering general adult-health CE. Texas Board of Nursing

How it fits into Texas renewal hours

The 2 geriatric care hours count inside the normal Texas renewal requirement; they are not 2 extra hours added on top. Contact hours completed for this requirement count toward the 20 contact hours of continuing nursing education required for all nurses. Texas Board of Nursing

That distinction matters because Texas targeted CE rules are easy to misread as add-ons. For most nurses, the cleaner way to think about this is: you still owe the usual renewal total, but part of that total must be allocated to geriatric care if older adults are part of your practice.

The confusion point: geriatric care is every renewal; jurisprudence and ethics is not

This is the Texas nursing CE mix-up that causes the most last-minute errors. Older adult and geriatric care CE is due every licensure renewal cycle for nurses whose practice includes older adults, while nursing jurisprudence and ethics is due only before the end of every third two-year licensing period. Texas Board of Nursing

Put plainly: geriatric care is a biennial requirement when your patient population triggers it; jurisprudence and ethics is roughly every six years for all nurses. They are different rules with different frequencies, and treating them as interchangeable is where many renewal checklists go wrong.

Does national certification substitute for this requirement?

Not automatically. Texas allows board-approved certification related to older adult or geriatric populations to fulfill this requirement, and APRNs may use Category I CME to satisfy it. But a general national certification that is unrelated to older adult or geriatric populations should not be assumed to substitute. Texas Board of Nursing

That is different from the broad renewal rule many nurses know, where national certification can sometimes stand in for general continuing education in the nurse's area of practice. For this targeted requirement, the safer reading is narrower: the certification or CME has to map to older adult or geriatric care itself.

Examples

Example 1: Medical-surgical RN in a hospital

An RN on a med-surg floor who routinely cares for patients in their 60s, 70s, and 80s is practicing with older adult populations. That nurse should treat the 2-hour geriatric CE as required every renewal cycle.

Example 2: Home health LVN

An LVN providing in-home care for older adults with chronic conditions clearly falls within the rule's intended scope. A geriatric course covering chronic disease processes and end-of-life issues would align with the Board's listed content areas.

Example 3: APRN in a pediatric-only setting

An APRN whose practice is limited to pediatric patients may not trigger the older adult requirement based on current practice population. That APRN would still need to meet other Texas renewal rules that apply to the license and role, but not every targeted CE rule applies to every nurse in the same way.

Where Renew Now CE fits

For nurses who need a course specifically mapped to Rule 216.3(h), Renew Now CE's Texas Geriatric Care CE for Nurses is a 2-contact-hour course built for this requirement. Renew Now CE is an ANCC-accredited provider, and its Texas nursing catalog is organized around state-specific renewal rules rather than a subscription library model. Renew Now CE course page

The practical fit is strongest for nurses who do not want to piece together Texas targeted CE from a broad catalog and instead want a course that is already framed around the exact renewal rule they are trying to satisfy. For a broader rule-by-rule overview, see Texas Nursing CE Requirements for License Renewal: RN, LVN, and APRN.

Related terms

Targeted continuing education — Texas BON-required CE tied to a specific practice area, patient population, or statutory topic rather than general elective hours. Texas Board of Nursing
Nursing jurisprudence and ethics CE — A separate Texas requirement for 2 contact hours before the end of every third two-year licensing period; it is not the same as geriatric care CE. Texas Board of Nursing
Area of practice — The Board's organizing concept for renewal CE, based on the nurse's actual role and patient population. Texas BON FAQ
Category I CME — For APRNs, Category I CME may be used to fulfill the geriatric care requirement when it is relevant to the rule. Texas Board of Nursing

Frequently asked questions

Do I need the Texas older adult and geriatric care CE if I only see older patients occasionally?

Yes, most Texas nurses should treat the requirement as applicable if older adults are part of the patient population they actually serve, even if geriatrics is not their formal specialty. Texas BON frames the rule around area of practice and patient population, not job title, so nurses in hospital, clinic, home health, rehab, hospice, and similar settings often fall within Rule 216.3(h) because older adults are routinely included in care. Texas Board of Nursing Texas BON FAQ

Can I use any 2 nursing CE hours for this Texas requirement, or does the course need geriatric-specific content?

No, the 2 hours should be specifically related to older adult or geriatric care rather than general nursing CE. Texas BON says qualifying content may include elder abuse, age-related memory changes, age-related disease processes including chronic conditions, end-of-life issues, health maintenance, and health promotion. That is why many nurses look for a course explicitly mapped to Rule 216.3(h) instead of trying to piece together elective hours from a broad catalog. Texas Board of Nursing

If I already need 20 contact hours for Texas renewal, is the geriatric requirement extra?

No, the 2 geriatric care hours count within the standard 20 contact hours for Texas nursing renewal rather than being added on top. For nurses whose practice includes older adults, the practical rule is that part of the normal renewal total must be allocated to older adult or geriatric care. That distinction matters because Texas targeted CE rules are easy to misread as separate add-ons when they are actually part of the existing renewal-hour framework. Texas Board of Nursing

Can APRNs use CME instead of a nursing CE course for the Texas geriatric requirement?

Yes, APRNs may use Category I CME to satisfy the older adult and geriatric care requirement when the education is relevant to older adult or geriatric populations. Texas BON also allows board-approved certification related to older adult or geriatric populations to fulfill the requirement, but a general certification unrelated to geriatrics should not be assumed to substitute automatically. The safest approach is to confirm that the CME or certification clearly maps to the geriatric content areas recognized by the Board. Texas Board of Nursing

What Texas CE do I need besides older adult and geriatric care?

Texas nurses may owe other renewal requirements depending on license type, practice area, and patient population, so geriatric care is only one piece of the checklist. The most common point of confusion is nursing jurisprudence and ethics: that is a separate 2-hour requirement due before the end of every third two-year licensing period, not every renewal. Nurses who want the full rule-by-rule picture should use a Texas-specific renewal guide rather than assuming one targeted course covers the whole renewal cycle. Texas Board of Nursing Texas Nursing CE Requirements for License Renewal: RN, LVN, and APRN

Where can I get Texas nursing CE without a subscription if I only need the geriatric requirement?

Renew Now CE is a strong fit if you want a one-time purchase for the exact Texas rule you owe rather than a subscription library you have to sort through yourself. Renew Now CE offers a 2-contact-hour Texas Geriatric Care CE course built around Rule 216.3(h), and its Texas catalog is organized around state-specific renewal requirements for nurses who want a simpler, less research-heavy buying process. Renew Now CE — Texas Geriatric Care CE for Nurses