If you hold an Ohio APRN license, the Board of Nursing requires 24 contact hours of continuing education every two-year renewal cycle for each APRN license held. For Certified Nurse Practitioners (CNPs), 12 of the 24 hours must be advanced pharmacology, and at least 1 hour must be Category A (CE directly related to the Ohio Nurse Practice Act and Board rules). 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 cycle, per APRN license held.
12 pharmacology hours
Half the total must be advanced pharmacology for CNPs.
Category A hour
At least 1 hour on the Ohio Nurse Practice Act and Board rules.
OBN-approved Category A
Category A must come from an OBN approver or OBN-approved Ohio provider.
How many CE hours Ohio nurse practitioners need
Ohio requires 24 contact hours every two years for each APRN license held, with 12 of those hours in advanced pharmacology for CNPs.
Pharmacology and Category A requirements
- Advanced pharmacology: 12 of the 24 hours for CNPs/CNSs/CNMs.
- Category A: at least 1 hour on the Ohio Nurse Practice Act and Board administrative rules.
- Prescribers: content on controlled-substance prescribing; out-of-state applicants take a 2-hour Ohio drug-law course.
Renewal cycle and deadlines
Ohio APRN licenses renew every two years. Complete and document your 24 hours, including pharmacology and Category A, before your renewal deadline.
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View pricingOhio Nurse Practitioners (NP/APRN) CME at a glance
- Advanced Pharmacology12 hrs
CNPs, CNSs, and CNMs must complete 12 of the 24 contact hours in advanced pharmacology.
- Category A (Ohio Nurse Practice Act)1 hr
At least 1 contact hour must be Category A CE related to the Ohio Nurse Practice Act and Board administrative rules, from an OBN approver or OBN-approved Ohio provider.
Always confirm with your licensing board
Ohio APRNs must complete 24 contact hours of continuing education for each APRN license held every two years. For Certified Nurse Practitioners (CNPs), CNSs, and CNMs, 12 of the 24 contact hours must be in advanced pharmacology. At least 1 of the 24 hours must be Category A (CE directly related to the Ohio Nurse Practice Act and Board administrative rules, from an OBN approver or OBN-approved Ohio provider). APRNs with prescriptive authority must also satisfy content on controlled-substance prescribing.
CE requirements change. Confirm current rules with the Ohio Board of Nursing before relying on these figures.
Source: Ohio 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 Ohio 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.comOhio Nurse Practitioner CE Requirements — Frequently Asked Questions
How many CE hours do Ohio nurse practitioners need?
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24 contact hours every two years for each APRN license held.
How many pharmacology hours do Ohio CNPs need?
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12 of the 24 contact hours must be in advanced pharmacology.
What is Category A CE in Ohio?
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At least 1 hour of CE directly related to the Ohio Nurse Practice Act and Board administrative rules, from an OBN approver or OBN-approved Ohio provider.
Related
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