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North Dakota CME and nursing CE requirements
Continuing education and license renewal rules for physicians, advanced practice clinicians and nurses licensed in North Dakota, as recorded by ClinLicense for planning.
Planning aid only. ClinLicense is not legal or compliance advice. Boards change rules between cycles, so confirm every requirement with the board before you rely on it.
- Licensing board
- North Dakota Board of Medicine
MD CME requirements
Reviewed 2026-10-31 This entry was last reviewed on 2026-10-31. That date records our own review and is not a board approval. Some details below are marked for confirmation, so treat those as unverified until the board confirms them. Always confirm with the board before you rely on it.
- Total hours
- 60 hours every 3 years, with at least 40 in Category 1 or the equivalent
Required topics
No mandated topics are recorded for this profession in this state. That is not the same as the board having none, so confirm with the board.
Notes. 60 hours per 3 years; Category 1 minimum uncertain.
DO CME requirements
Not yet verified Not yet verified, confirm with the board. This entry has not been checked against the board’s own published rules.
- Total hours
- 60 hours every 3 years, with at least 40 in Category 1 or the equivalent
Required topics
No mandated topics are recorded for this profession in this state. That is not the same as the board having none, so confirm with the board.
Notes. Copied from the MD block as a planning default; the osteopathic rules were not separately confirmed. Confirm with the board.
NP CME requirements
Reviewed 2026-11-01 This entry was last reviewed on 2026-11-01. That date records our own review and is not a board approval. Always confirm with the board before you rely on it.
- Total hours
- 12 hours every 2 years
Required topics
| Topic | Hours | How often | Applies to | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pharmacology | 15 | Every cycle | Some licensees, see the note | 15 contact hours of pharmacotherapy related to scope of practice, required of APRNs with prescriptive authority; may also count toward the RN 12 hours; certificates must itemize pharmacology and UpToDate certificates do not qualify |
Notes. RN renewal needs 12 contact hours in the preceding two years; APRN hours can fulfil it. Initial prescriptive authority needs 30 pharmacology hours within 3 years. No separate opioid CE requirement stated on the pages read.
PA CME requirements
Reviewed 2026-11-01 This entry was last reviewed on 2026-11-01. That date records our own review and is not a board approval. Some details below are marked for confirmation, so treat those as unverified until the board confirms them. Always confirm with the board before you rely on it.
- Total hours
- Not recorded every 2 years
Required topics
No mandated topics are recorded for this profession in this state. That is not the same as the board having none, so confirm with the board.
Notes. ND Board of Medicine PA licenses expire every other year on December 31 (renewal $100 plus $5 processing). No PA CE or NCCPA requirement is stated on the board pages; Confirm with the board. (A board FAQ page elsewhere describes an annual $105 renewal, which conflicts.)
CRNA CME requirements
Reviewed 2026-11-01 This entry was last reviewed on 2026-11-01. That date records our own review and is not a board approval. Some details below are marked for confirmation, so treat those as unverified until the board confirms them. Always confirm with the board before you rely on it.
- Total hours
- 12 hours every 2 years
Required topics
No mandated topics are recorded for this profession in this state. That is not the same as the board having none, so confirm with the board.
Notes. ND recognizes nurse anesthetist as an APRN role (NDAC 54-05-03.1-02). The CE pages do not mention CRNAs separately: RN renewal needs 12 contact hours per two years; the 15 pharmacology hours apply only to APRNs with prescriptive authority. Confirm with the board.
North Dakota nursing CE requirements
Nursing boards usually count continuing education in contact hours rather than CME credits, and the nursing license renews on its own schedule, which may differ from the medical board dates above. Nurse practitioners and nurse anesthetists have their own sections above.
Nurse Licensure Compact North Dakota has implemented the Nurse Licensure Compact. A registered or practical nurse whose primary state of residence is North Dakota can hold a multistate license issued by North Dakota, which carries the privilege to practice in the other compact states, and a nurse with a multistate license from another compact state can practice in North Dakota under that privilege. Renewal and CE for a multistate license follow the rules of the home state that issued it. The compact covers RN and LPN/LVN licenses only, and advanced practice authority is still granted state by state. This compact list was last reviewed on November 3, 2026. Read the compact guide for RNs and LPNs.
Registered nurses (RN)
Reviewed 2026-11-03 This entry was last reviewed on 2026-11-03 against the source linked below. That date records our own review and is not a board approval.
- Continuing education
- 12 contact hours every 2 years
- Other ways to meet it
- Renewal also needs at least 400 hours of nursing practice in the preceding four years unless the nurse completed a refresher or graduated within four years.
- Nursing license renewal
- Every 2 years, based on a fixed calendar date (12-31)
- Board
- North Dakota Board of Nursing
- Source
- The board page this entry was checked against
No mandated topics are recorded for this license. That is not the same as the board having none, so confirm with the board.
Notes. Twelve contact hours in the preceding two years (54-02-05-08 NDAC). Renewal also needs at least 400 hours of nursing practice in the preceding four years unless the nurse completed a refresher or graduated within four years. Hours do not carry over, nurses first licensed by examination owe no CE at the first renewal, and a nursing license is valid for two calendar years and expires December 31 (54-02-05-02 NDAC).
Licensed practical and vocational nurses (LPN/LVN)
Reviewed 2026-11-03 This entry was last reviewed on 2026-11-03 against the source linked below. That date records our own review and is not a board approval.
- Continuing education
- 12 contact hours every 2 years
- Other ways to meet it
- Renewal also needs at least 400 hours of nursing practice in the preceding four years unless the nurse completed a refresher or graduated within four years.
- Nursing license renewal
- Every 2 years, based on a fixed calendar date (12-31)
- Board
- North Dakota Board of Nursing
- Source
- The board page this entry was checked against
No mandated topics are recorded for this license. That is not the same as the board having none, so confirm with the board.
Notes. Twelve contact hours in the preceding two years (54-02-05-08 NDAC). Renewal also needs at least 400 hours of nursing practice in the preceding four years unless the nurse completed a refresher or graduated within four years. Hours do not carry over, nurses first licensed by examination owe no CE at the first renewal, and a nursing license is valid for two calendar years and expires December 31 (54-02-05-02 NDAC).
Certified nurse-midwives (CNM)
Reviewed 2026-11-03 This entry was last reviewed on 2026-11-03 against the source linked below. That date records our own review and is not a board approval.
- Continuing education
- 12 contact hours every 2 years
- Nursing license renewal
- Every 2 years, based on a fixed calendar date (12-31)
- Board
- North Dakota Board of Nursing
- Source
- The board page this entry was checked against
Required topics
| Topic | Contact hours | How often | Applies to | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pharmacology | 15 | Every cycle | Some licensees, see the note | Pharmacotherapy related to scope of practice, itemized on the certificate, for APRNs with prescriptive authority; counts toward the RN 12 hours |
Notes. APRN rule: 54-05-03.1-06 NDAC requires the RN license renewal plus current national certification in the role; the APRN's contact hours satisfy the RN 12-hour requirement. The 15 pharmacotherapy hours apply only with prescriptive authority.
Clinical nurse specialists (CNS)
Reviewed 2026-11-03 This entry was last reviewed on 2026-11-03 against the source linked below. That date records our own review and is not a board approval.
- Continuing education
- 12 contact hours every 2 years
- Nursing license renewal
- Every 2 years, based on a fixed calendar date (12-31)
- Board
- North Dakota Board of Nursing
- Source
- The board page this entry was checked against
Required topics
| Topic | Contact hours | How often | Applies to | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pharmacology | 15 | Every cycle | Some licensees, see the note | Pharmacotherapy related to scope of practice, itemized on the certificate, for APRNs with prescriptive authority; counts toward the RN 12 hours |
Notes. APRN rule: 54-05-03.1-06 NDAC requires the RN license renewal plus current national certification in the role; the APRN's contact hours satisfy the RN 12-hour requirement. The 15 pharmacotherapy hours apply only with prescriptive authority.
See nursing CE requirements by state to compare North Dakota with other states.
Plan this renewal
Use the free opioid CME planner to see the controlled-substance rules for North Dakota next to other states, or the license cost calculator to estimate fees. Read how multi-state CME works if you hold more than one license.
Nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurse anesthetists and anesthesiologist assistants usually also maintain national certification, which has its own cycle. The recertification basics guide explains how that fits alongside state rules. Nurses who hold licenses in more than one state can read the Nurse Licensure Compact for RNs and LPNs.
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