If you hold a Washington Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP) license, the Board of Nursing requires you to attest to 30 contact hours of continuing education in your specialty every two years and maintain active national certification. Prescribers must complete an additional 15 hours of pharmacology, and a one-time 6-hour suicide prevention training is required on initial licensure. Below is the full breakdown.
30 specialty hours / 2 years
Thirty contact hours in the area of specialty each biennial cycle.
15 pharmacology hours
Additional pharmacology for prescribers.
Suicide prevention (one-time)
6-hour training on initial licensure.
National certification
ARNPs maintain active national certification.
How many CE hours Washington nurse practitioners need
Washington requires 30 specialty contact hours every two years for ARNPs, plus active national certification.
Pharmacology and suicide prevention requirements
- Pharmacology: additional 15 hours for prescribers within the prior two years.
- Suicide prevention: one-time 6-hour training on initial licensure.
Renewal cycle and deadlines
Washington ARNP licenses renew every two years. Complete and document your 30 specialty hours, plus pharmacology for prescribers, before your renewal deadline.
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View pricingWashington Nurse Practitioners (NP/APRN) CME at a glance
- Pharmacology (Prescribers)15 hrs
ARNPs with prescriptive authority must complete an additional 15 hours of pharmacology within the prior two years.
- Suicide Prevention6 hrs · one time
A 6-hour suicide prevention training is required one time on initial licensure.
Always confirm with your licensing board
Washington ARNPs must attest to 30 contact hours of continuing education in their area of specialty every two years, and maintain active national certification in their area of practice. ARNPs with prescriptive authority must complete an additional 15 hours of pharmacology within the prior two years. A 6-hour suicide prevention training is required one time on initial licensure.
CE requirements change. Confirm current rules with the Washington State Board of Nursing before relying on these figures.
Source: Washington 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 Washington 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.comWashington Nurse Practitioner CE Requirements — Frequently Asked Questions
How many CE hours do Washington nurse practitioners need?
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30 specialty contact hours every two years.
How many pharmacology hours do Washington ARNP prescribers need?
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An additional 15 hours of pharmacology within the prior two years.
Is suicide prevention training required in Washington?
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Yes — a 6-hour training, one time on initial licensure.
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