If you hold a North Dakota Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) license, the Board of Nursing requires you to maintain national certification and a current RN license, and to complete 15 contact hours of pharmacology related to your scope of practice every two years (these can also fulfill the RN renewal CE). Initial APRNs with prescriptive authority must show 30 pharmacology hours in the past 3 years. Below is the full breakdown.
15 pharmacology hours / 2 years
Pharmacology related to scope of practice each biennial cycle.
National certification
APRNs maintain national certification and a current RN license.
Counts toward RN CE
Pharmacology hours can fulfill the RN renewal requirement.
30 hours at initial
Initial prescriptive authority needs 30 pharmacology hours over 3 years.
How many CE hours North Dakota nurse practitioners need
North Dakota requires APRNs to complete 15 contact hours of pharmacology every two years and maintain national certification and a current RN license.
Pharmacology requirements
- Renewal: 15 pharmacology hours per cycle (may fulfill RN CE).
- Initial prescriptive authority: 30 pharmacology hours in the past 3 years; only itemized pharmacology certificates accepted.
Renewal cycle and deadlines
North Dakota APRN licenses renew every two years. Complete and document your 15 pharmacology hours, and keep national certification current, before your renewal deadline.
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View pricingNorth Dakota Nurse Practitioners (NP/APRN) CME at a glance
- Pharmacology15 hrs
APRNs must complete 15 contact hours of pharmacology related to their scope of practice within the two-year cycle. These may fulfill the RN renewal CE requirement.
- Pharmacology (Initial Prescriptive Authority)30 hrs · every 3 years at initial
Initial APRNs with prescriptive authority must show 30 hours of pharmacology-specific CE in the past 3 years; only certificates itemizing pharmacology CE are accepted.
Always confirm with your licensing board
North Dakota APRNs must maintain national certification and a current RN license. Within each two-year renewal cycle, APRNs must complete 15 contact hours of pharmacology related to their scope of practice; these hours may also fulfill the RN renewal CE requirement. Initial APRNs with prescriptive authority must show 30 hours of pharmacology-specific CE in the past 3 years, and only certificates that itemize pharmacology CE are accepted.
CE requirements change. Confirm current rules with the North Dakota Board of Nursing before relying on these figures.
Source: North Dakota 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 North Dakota 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.comNorth Dakota Nurse Practitioner CE Requirements — Frequently Asked Questions
How many pharmacology hours do North Dakota nurse practitioners need?
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15 contact hours of pharmacology every two years, related to scope of practice.
Does North Dakota require national certification for APRNs?
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Yes — APRNs must maintain national certification and a current RN license.
What pharmacology is required for initial North Dakota prescriptive authority?
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30 hours of pharmacology-specific CE in the past 3 years, with itemized certificates.
Related
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