If you hold a District of Columbia Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) license, the DC Board of Nursing requires 24 contact hours of continuing education every two-year renewal cycle. The District has unusually large topic mandates for NPs: 15 of the 24 hours must be in pharmacology, 2 hours must address LGBTQ or cultural competency, and 3 hours must cover HIV/AIDS or current public-health topics. Below is the full breakdown of what you need, what counts, and when it is due.
24 hours / 2 years
Twenty-four contact hours each biennial renewal cycle.
15 pharmacology hours
More than half the total must be pharmacology.
2 LGBTQ / cultural hours
LGBTQ or cultural competency/awareness training.
3 HIV/public-health hours
HIV/AIDS or current Director's public-health topics.
How many CE hours DC nurse practitioners need
The District of Columbia requires 24 contact hours of continuing education every two years for APRNs, with large embedded topic requirements.
Pharmacology and mandated topics
- Pharmacology: 15 of the 24 hours must be in pharmacology.
- LGBTQ / cultural competency: 2 hours.
- HIV/AIDS or public-health (Director's) topics: 3 hours.
Renewal cycle and deadlines
DC APRN licenses renew every two years. Complete and document your 24 hours, including the pharmacology and mandated topics, before your renewal deadline.
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View pricingDistrict of Columbia Nurse Practitioners (NP/APRN) CME at a glance
- Pharmacology15 hrs
15 of the 24 contact hours must be in pharmacology, reflecting the prescriptive role of APRNs.
- LGBTQ / Cultural Competency2 hrs
2 contact hours must address LGBTQ or cultural competency/awareness.
- HIV/AIDS or Public Health (Director's) Topics3 hrs
3 contact hours must cover HIV/AIDS or current public-health (Director's) topics.
Always confirm with your licensing board
District of Columbia APRNs must complete 24 contact hours of continuing education every two years. Of those, 15 hours must be in pharmacology, 2 hours must address LGBTQ or cultural competency/awareness, and 3 hours must cover HIV/AIDS or current public-health (Director's) topics.
CE requirements change. Confirm current rules with the District of Columbia Board of Nursing before relying on these figures.
Source: District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia 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.comDistrict of Columbia Nurse Practitioner CE Requirements — Frequently Asked Questions
How many CE hours do DC nurse practitioners need?
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24 contact hours every two years, with 15 hours in pharmacology.
Does DC require LGBTQ training for APRNs?
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Yes — 2 of the 24 hours must address LGBTQ or cultural competency/awareness.
How many pharmacology hours do DC APRNs need?
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15 of the 24 contact hours must be in pharmacology.
Related
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