If you hold a Louisiana Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) license, the State Board of Nursing requires 30 contact hours of continuing education every two-year renewal cycle. APRNs with prescriptive authority must obtain 6 contact hours of pharmacotherapeutics per year (12 over the cycle), and those with controlled-substance authority add 3 hours on controlled-substance prescribing. Maintaining national board certification satisfies the underlying RN renewal. Below is the full breakdown.
30 hours / 2 years
Thirty contact hours each biennial renewal cycle.
6 pharmacotherapeutics / year
Prescribers need 6 hours yearly (12 over the cycle).
3 controlled-substance hours
For APRNs with controlled-substance authority.
National certification
Satisfies the underlying RN license renewal.
How many CE hours Louisiana nurse practitioners need
Louisiana requires 30 contact hours of continuing education every two years for APRNs. National board certification satisfies the renewal of the underlying RN license.
Pharmacotherapeutics and controlled-substance requirements
- Pharmacotherapeutics: 6 contact hours per year (12 over the cycle) for prescribers, in their role and population focus.
- Controlled substances: 3 hours on controlled-substance prescribing, drug diversion, best practices, and addiction treatment.
Renewal cycle and deadlines
Louisiana APRN licenses renew every two years. Complete and document your 30 hours, plus pharmacotherapeutics and any controlled-substance CE, before your renewal deadline.
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View pricingLouisiana Nurse Practitioners (NP/APRN) CME at a glance
- Pharmacotherapeutics (Prescribers)12 hrs
APRNs with prescriptive authority must obtain 6 contact hours of pharmacotherapeutics per year (12 over the biennial cycle) in their advanced nursing role and population focus.
- Controlled Substance Prescribing3 hrs
APRNs with controlled-substance prescriptive authority must complete 3 hours of board-approved CE on controlled-substance prescribing practices, including drug diversion training, best practices, and addiction treatment.
Always confirm with your licensing board
Louisiana APRNs must complete 30 contact hours of general continuing education every two years; APRNs who maintain national board certification satisfy the renewal of their underlying RN license. APRNs with prescriptive authority must obtain 6 contact hours of pharmacotherapeutics per year in their advanced role and population focus (12 hours over the two-year cycle). APRNs with controlled-substance prescriptive authority must also complete 3 hours on controlled-substance prescribing practices (drug diversion, best practices, and addiction treatment).
CE requirements change. Confirm current rules with the Louisiana State Board of Nursing before relying on these figures.
Source: Louisiana 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 Louisiana 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.comLouisiana Nurse Practitioner CE Requirements — Frequently Asked Questions
How many CE hours do Louisiana nurse practitioners need?
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30 contact hours every two years.
How much pharmacology do Louisiana APRN prescribers need?
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6 contact hours of pharmacotherapeutics per year (12 over the two-year cycle).
Do Louisiana APRNs need controlled-substance CE?
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Yes — APRNs with controlled-substance authority must complete 3 hours on controlled-substance prescribing practices.
Related
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