If you hold a Pennsylvania Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner (CRNP) credential, the State Board of Nursing requires 30 hours of continuing education for biennial renewal. Of those, 2 hours must be child abuse recognition and reporting. CRNPs with prescriptive authority must complete at least 16 hours of pharmacology in the 2 years before renewal, including 2 hours on pain management or opioids. Below is the full breakdown.
30 hours / 2 years
Thirty contact hours each biennial renewal cycle.
16 pharmacology hours
Prescribers complete at least 16 pharmacology hours per cycle.
2 opioid/pain hours
Pain management, addiction, or opioid prescribing.
2 child abuse hours
Board-approved child abuse recognition and reporting.
How many CE hours Pennsylvania nurse practitioners need
Pennsylvania requires 30 hours of continuing education every two years for CRNPs.
Pharmacology, opioid, and child abuse requirements
- Pharmacology: at least 16 hours for prescribers in the 2 years before renewal.
- Opioids/pain: 2 hours within the pharmacology requirement.
- Child abuse: 2 hours of Board-approved recognition and reporting CE.
Renewal cycle and deadlines
Pennsylvania CRNP certifications renew every two years. Complete and document your 30 hours, including child abuse and pharmacology, before your renewal deadline.
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View pricingPennsylvania Nurse Practitioners (NP/APRN) CME at a glance
- Pharmacology (Prescribers)16 hrs
CRNPs with prescriptive authority must complete at least 16 hours of Board-approved pharmacology in the 2 years before biennial renewal.
- Pain Management / Opioids2 hrs
2 hours in pain management, identification of addiction, or the prescribing/dispensing of opioids for CRNPs with prescriptive authority (a portion of the total).
- Child Abuse Recognition & Reporting2 hrs
2 of the 30 hours must be Board-approved CE in child abuse recognition and reporting.
Always confirm with your licensing board
Pennsylvania Certified Registered Nurse Practitioners (CRNPs) must complete 30 hours of continuing education for biennial renewal. Of those, 2 hours must be Board-approved child abuse recognition and reporting. CRNPs with prescriptive authority must complete at least 16 hours of Board-approved pharmacology in the 2 years before renewal, including 2 hours in pain management, addiction identification, or the prescribing/dispensing of opioids (counted within the total).
CE requirements change. Confirm current rules with the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing before relying on these figures.
Source: Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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.comPennsylvania Nurse Practitioner CE Requirements — Frequently Asked Questions
How many CE hours do Pennsylvania nurse practitioners need?
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30 contact hours every two years.
How many pharmacology hours do Pennsylvania CRNP prescribers need?
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At least 16 hours of pharmacology in the 2 years before renewal, including 2 hours on pain/opioids.
Is child abuse training required for Pennsylvania CRNPs?
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Yes — 2 of the 30 hours must be Board-approved child abuse recognition and reporting.
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