If you hold an Arkansas Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) license, the Arkansas State Board of Nursing requires 15 contact hours of continuing education every two-year renewal cycle (or documented national-certification maintenance). APRNs with prescriptive authority must complete 5 additional contact hours of pharmacotherapeutics related to their specialty, including 2 hours on professional boundaries and Arkansas prescribing rules. Below is the full breakdown of what you need, what counts, and when it is due.
15 hours / 2 years
Fifteen contact hours each biennial renewal cycle.
5 pharmacotherapeutics hours
Prescribers add 5 hours of pharmacotherapeutics in their specialty.
Boundaries & prescribing rules
2 of the 5 pharmacology hours cover boundaries and Arkansas prescribing rules.
National certification
Maintaining national certification helps satisfy the base CE requirement.
How many CE hours Arkansas nurse practitioners need
Arkansas requires 15 contact hours of continuing education every two years for APRNs, tied to biennial renewal. Maintaining current national certification supports the base requirement.
Pharmacotherapeutics requirement for prescribers
- Pharmacotherapeutics: APRNs with prescriptive authority complete 5 additional contact hours related to their specialty certification.
- Boundaries & rules: 2 of those 5 hours must cover professional boundaries and the prescribing rules for Arkansas APRNs.
Renewal cycle and deadlines
Arkansas APRN licenses renew every two years. Complete and document your 15 hours plus any required pharmacotherapeutics before your renewal deadline.
Know exactly what CME you need.
Tell us your license type, state, and renewal date. We map your required hours, the state-mandated topics, and your deadline — a clear, personalized plan for a flat $99.
View pricingArkansas Nurse Practitioners (NP/APRN) CME at a glance
- Pharmacotherapeutics (Prescribers)5 hrs
APRNs with prescriptive authority must complete 5 additional contact hours of pharmacotherapeutics related to their specialty certification each renewal.
- Professional Boundaries & Prescribing Rules2 hrs
2 of the 5 pharmacotherapeutics hours must cover professional boundaries and the prescribing rules for Arkansas APRNs.
Always confirm with your licensing board
Arkansas APRNs must complete 15 contact hours of continuing education every 2 years for renewal (or document equivalent national certification maintenance). APRNs with prescriptive authority must complete an additional 5 contact hours of pharmacotherapeutics related to their specialty certification, 2 of which must cover professional boundaries and Arkansas APRN prescribing rules.
CE requirements change. Confirm current rules with the Arkansas State Board of Nursing before relying on these figures.
Source: Arkansas State Board of Nursing. Board website · Researched as of 2026-06-01 · CME rules change; this is administrative guidance, not legal or CME-accreditation advice.
Licensed in more than one state?
APRN Compact: enacted but not yet active. Enacted by several states but NOT yet operational — no multistate APRN license is being issued. APRNs/NPs license state-by-state today (an APRN who is also an RN may hold an NLC multistate RN license).
Each state license carries its own CME requirement and renewal date — if you hold more than one, you need a plan for each.
Also licensing in Arkansas or beyond?
Our sister teams handle the licensing side with the same concierge service.
White Glove APRN
Advanced practice (NP, CRNA, CNS, CNM) state-by-state licensing, DEA, and CSR. The APRN Compact is not yet active, so we handle single-state licensing.
whitegloveaprn.comWhite Glove NLC
RN and LPN/LVN licensing — Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) multistate and single-state.
whiteglovenlc.comArkansas Nurse Practitioner CE Requirements — Frequently Asked Questions
How many CE hours do Arkansas nurse practitioners need?
+
15 contact hours every two years, plus 5 pharmacotherapeutics hours for prescribers.
How many pharmacology hours do Arkansas APRN prescribers need?
+
5 contact hours of pharmacotherapeutics related to their specialty, with 2 hours covering professional boundaries and Arkansas prescribing rules.
When does an Arkansas APRN license renew?
+
Every two years (biennial renewal).
Related
Need help meeting your Arkansas NP CE before renewal?
Tell us your license type and renewal month and we'll map the fastest compliant path — required hours, pharmacotherapeutics, and your deadline — for a flat $99.
- Flat $99 per plan
- Every license type
- All 50 states
Get my CME plan
Tell us your license type, state, and renewal — we'll map exactly what you need.