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Ohio CME and nursing CE requirements
Continuing education and license renewal rules for physicians, advanced practice clinicians and nurses licensed in Ohio, 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
- State Medical Board of Ohio
- License lookup
- Public license verification
- License renewal
- Every 2 years
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
- 100 hours every 2 years, with at least 40 in Category 1 or the equivalent
- License renewal
- Every 2 years
Required topics
| Topic | Hours | How often | Applies to | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opioid & controlled-substance prescribing | 1 | Every cycle | DEA registrants | Prescribing/drug abuse and OARRS-related Category 1 hour; confirm |
Notes. 100 hours per 2 years, at least 40 Category 1.
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
- 100 hours every 2 years, with at least 40 in Category 1 or the equivalent
- License renewal
- Every 2 years
Required topics
| Topic | Hours | How often | Applies to | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opioid & controlled-substance prescribing | 1 | Every cycle | DEA registrants | Prescribing/drug abuse and OARRS-related Category 1 hour; confirm |
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. 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
- 24 hours every 2 years
- License renewal
- Every 2 years
Required topics
| Topic | Hours | How often | Applies to | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pharmacology | 12 | Every cycle | Some licensees, see the note | Advanced pharmacology hours within the 24, for CNPs, CNSs and CNMs |
Notes. Ohio Administrative Code 4723-8-10 (effective January 1, 2018, as shown on the Ohio code site): 24 contact hours of continuing nursing education every two years; up to 8 hours may come from volunteer health care services. No other required topics in this rule. The Board's news page indicated 2026 changes to Chapter 4723-14; Confirm with the board that no newer APRN amendment applies.
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
- License renewal
- 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. Ohio Revised Code 4730.14(B): to renew, a PA certifies current NCCPA certification (including periodic recertification exams) and compliance with the CME needed to hold that certification; the board may audit a random sample. The statute sets no separate state hour count, so the figure follows NCCPA maintenance (reported as 100 CME hours per two-year cycle, not confirmed on a primary source). Biennial renewal fee $200.
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. Always confirm with the board before you rely on it.
- Total hours
- 24 hours every 2 years
- License renewal
- 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. Same rule 4723-8-10: 24 contact hours every two years for APRNs; the 12-hour advanced pharmacology requirement is stated only for CNS, CNM and CNP.
CAA 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
- Not recorded every 2 years
- License renewal
- 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. Ohio Revised Code 4760.06(B): to renew, an anesthesiologist assistant certifies maintained certification by the National Commission for the Certification of Anesthesiologist Assistants; no separate state CE hour count is stated. Biennial renewal fee $100. Ohio licenses AAs (chapter 4760).
Ohio 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 Ohio has implemented the Nurse Licensure Compact. A registered or practical nurse whose primary state of residence is Ohio can hold a multistate license issued by Ohio, 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 Ohio 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
- 24 contact hours every 2 years
- Nursing license renewal
- Every 2 years
- Board
- Ohio Board of Nursing
- Source
- The board page this entry was checked against
Required topics
| Topic | Contact hours | How often | Applies to | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State laws & rules | 1 | Every cycle | Everyone | At least one of the hours must be Category A, directly related to Ohio nursing law and Board rules, from an OBN approver or approved provider unit |
Notes. Rule 4723-14-03 and ORC 4723.24 require 24 contact hours every two years. Nurses licensed by examination owe no CE at the first renewal, and nurses licensed by endorsement for one year or less need 12 hours. Up to 8 hours may come from volunteer care, one waiver per license is allowed, and the reporting period runs July 1 to June 30 (RN in odd years, LPN in even years) under Rule 4723-14-01.
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
- 24 contact hours every 2 years
- Nursing license renewal
- Every 2 years
- Board
- Ohio Board of Nursing
- Source
- The board page this entry was checked against
Required topics
| Topic | Contact hours | How often | Applies to | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State laws & rules | 1 | Every cycle | Everyone | At least one of the hours must be Category A, directly related to Ohio nursing law and Board rules, from an OBN approver or approved provider unit |
Notes. Rule 4723-14-03 and ORC 4723.24 require 24 contact hours every two years; an LPN who also holds an active RN license is exempt from the LPN requirement. Nurses licensed by examination owe no CE at the first renewal, and nurses licensed by endorsement for one year or less need 12 hours. Up to 8 hours may come from volunteer care, one waiver per license is allowed, and the reporting period runs July 1 to June 30 (RN in odd years, LPN in even years) under Rule 4723-14-01.
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
- 24 contact hours every 2 years
- Nursing license renewal
- Every 2 years
- Board
- Ohio Board of Nursing
- Source
- The board page this entry was checked against
Required topics
| Topic | Contact hours | How often | Applies to | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pharmacology | 12 | Every cycle | Some licensees, see the note | At least 12 of the 24 hours in advanced pharmacology |
Notes. Rule 4723-8-10: 24 contact hours every two years for APRNs including CNMs, with 12 in advanced pharmacology. No CE is due at the first renewal after the APRN license is first issued and the waiver in 4723-14-03 does not apply to APRN hours.
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
- 24 contact hours every 2 years
- Other ways to meet it
- Rule 4723-8-10: 24 contact hours every two years for APRNs including CNSs, with 12 in advanced pharmacology; a CNS first certified on or before December 31, 2000 without national certification needs 12 extra hours.
- Nursing license renewal
- Every 2 years
- Board
- Ohio Board of Nursing
- Source
- The board page this entry was checked against
Required topics
| Topic | Contact hours | How often | Applies to | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pharmacology | 12 | Every cycle | Some licensees, see the note | At least 12 of the 24 hours in advanced pharmacology |
Notes. Rule 4723-8-10: 24 contact hours every two years for APRNs including CNSs, with 12 in advanced pharmacology; a CNS first certified on or before December 31, 2000 without national certification needs 12 extra hours. No CE is due at the first renewal after the license is first issued.
See nursing CE requirements by state to compare Ohio with other states.
Plan this renewal
Use the free opioid CME planner to see the controlled-substance rules for Ohio 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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