Home / State requirements / Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania CME and nursing CE requirements
Continuing education and license renewal rules for physicians, advanced practice clinicians and nurses licensed in Pennsylvania, 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 Board of Medicine
- License lookup
- Public license verification
- License renewal
- Every 2 years, based on a fixed calendar date (12-31)
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. Always confirm with the board before you rely on it.
Board-approved course required At least one topic must come from a course the board has approved, and a general CME course may not count. Check the board’s approved list before you buy.
- Total hours
- 100 hours every 2 years, with at least 20 in Category 1 or the equivalent
- License renewal
- Every 2 years, based on a fixed calendar date (12-31)
Required topics
| Topic | Hours | How often | Applies to | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Risk management / patient safety | 12 | Every cycle | Everyone | Patient safety or risk management |
| Opioid & controlled-substance prescribing | 2 | Every cycle | Everyone | Pain management, addiction identification or opioid prescribing; required of all licensees, not only prescribers |
| Child abuse recognition | 2 | Every cycle | Everyone Board-approved course required | Child abuse recognition and reporting |
Notes. 100 hours per 2 years, at least 20 Category 1. MD licenses expire December 31 of even-numbered years. DOs are licensed by the State Board of Osteopathic Medicine (see do).
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 20 in Category 1 or the equivalent
- License renewal
- Every 2 years, based on a fixed calendar date (10-31)
- Board for this profession
- [object Object]
Required topics
| Topic | Hours | How often | Applies to | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Risk management / patient safety | 12 | Every cycle | Everyone | Patient safety or risk management |
| Opioid & controlled-substance prescribing | 2 | Every cycle | Everyone | Pain management, addiction identification or opioid prescribing |
| Child abuse recognition | 2 | Every cycle | Everyone | Child abuse recognition and reporting |
Notes. State Board of Osteopathic Medicine: 100 hours per 2 years, at least 20 AOA Category 1-A, with licenses expiring October 31 of even-numbered years. Confirm.
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
- 30 hours every 2 years
- License renewal
- Every 2 years, based on a fixed calendar date (12-31)
Required topics
| Topic | Hours | How often | Applies to | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Child abuse recognition | 2 | Every cycle | Everyone | Board-approved child abuse recognition and reporting |
| Pharmacology | 16 | Every cycle | Some licensees, see the note | At least 16 of the 30 hours in pharmacology for CRNPs with prescriptive authority |
Notes. 30 hours every two years applicable to the specialty. Page does not mention opioid CE. Starting May 1, 2026 all RNs complete 2 hours of organ donation education once within 5 years; the page does not say whether it counts toward the 30. Renewal fee $81 plus $41 for prescriptive authority (unclear whether combined).
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
- 100 hours every 2 years
- License renewal
- Every 2 years, based on a fixed calendar date (12-31)
Required topics
| Topic | Hours | How often | Applies to | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Child abuse recognition | 2 | Every cycle | Everyone | Board-approved child abuse recognition and reporting at renewal |
| Opioid & controlled-substance prescribing | 4 | Every cycle | Everyone | One-time 4 hours: 2 on pain management or identifying addiction and 2 on prescribing or dispensing opioids; document within one year of first licensure if licensed on or after July 1, 2017 |
Notes. 100 hours of CME as required by NCCPA plus maintained NCCPA certification. Biennial cycle length is not stated on the snapshot; confirm with the board.
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
- 30 hours every 2 years
- License renewal
- Every 2 years, based on a fixed calendar date (12-31)
Required topics
| Topic | Hours | How often | Applies to | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Child abuse recognition | 2 | Every cycle | Everyone | At least 2 hours of child abuse recognition and reporting per renewal (49 Pa. Code 21.1030(c)(2)). |
Notes. Final-form rulemaking, 56 Pa.B. 41 (Doc. 26-1476), 49 Pa. Code 21.1030: CRNA certification renews biennially with the RN license; verify 30 hours of board-approved CE in the prior 2 years, including 2 hours of child abuse training and a one-time 2 hours of organ and tissue donation education within 5 years; plus current national certification. Fees: application $103, biennial renewal $61 (21.1002).
Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania has implemented the Nurse Licensure Compact. A registered or practical nurse whose primary state of residence is Pennsylvania can hold a multistate license issued by Pennsylvania, 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 Pennsylvania 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.
Board-approved course required At least one topic must come from a course the board has approved. Check the board’s approved list before you pay for a course.
- Continuing education
- 30 contact hours every 2 years
- Nursing license renewal
- Every 2 years
- Board
- Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing
- Source
- The board page this entry was checked against
Required topics
| Topic | Contact hours | How often | Applies to | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Child abuse recognition | 2 | Every cycle | Everyone Board-approved course required | Board-approved training on recognizing and reporting child abuse, each renewal |
| Organ donation and tissue recovery | 2 | Once | Everyone | Organ donation and tissue recovery education, once within 5 years, starting May 1, 2026 (all RNs) |
Notes. Biennial renewal needs 30 hours of CE including 2 hours of child abuse recognition and reporting, and a new one-time 2-hour organ donation requirement began May 1, 2026; the Board does not say whether it counts within the 30.
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.
Board-approved course required At least one topic must come from a course the board has approved. Check the board’s approved list before you pay for a course.
- Continuing education
- 2 contact hours every 2 years
- Nursing license renewal
- Every 2 years
- Board
- Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing
- Source
- The board page this entry was checked against
Required topics
| Topic | Contact hours | How often | Applies to | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Child abuse recognition | 2 | Every cycle | Everyone Board-approved course required | Board-approved training on recognizing and reporting child abuse, each renewal |
Notes. Biennial renewal needs only 2 hours of Board-approved child abuse recognition and reporting training and no other CE hour total is stated; the organ donation requirement is described for RNs only.
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. Some details are marked for confirmation, so treat those as unverified until the board confirms them.
Board-approved course required At least one topic must come from a course the board has approved. Check the board’s approved list before you pay for a course.
- Continuing education
- 30 contact hours every 2 years
- Nursing license renewal
- Every 2 years
- Board
- Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine
- Source
- The board page this entry was checked against
Required topics
| Topic | Contact hours | How often | Applies to | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Child abuse recognition | 2 | Every cycle | Everyone Board-approved course required | Board-approved training on recognizing and reporting child abuse, each renewal |
Notes. PA nurse-midwives are licensed by the State Board of Medicine, which requires 30 hours of CE for biennial renewal including 2 hours of child abuse training. An older Board handout also lists 16 pharmacology hours for midwives with prescriptive authority, which is not confirmed on a current page.
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.
Board-approved course required At least one topic must come from a course the board has approved. Check the board’s approved list before you pay for a course.
- Continuing education
- 30 contact hours every 2 years
- Nursing license renewal
- Every 2 years
- Board
- Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing
- Source
- The board page this entry was checked against
Required topics
| Topic | Contact hours | How often | Applies to | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Child abuse recognition | 2 | Every cycle | Everyone Board-approved course required | Board-approved training on recognizing and reporting child abuse, each renewal |
| Organ donation and tissue recovery | 2 | Once | Everyone | Organ donation and tissue recovery education, once within 5 years, starting May 1, 2026 (all RNs) |
Notes. PA certifies CNSs through the Board of Nursing on top of the RN license: 30 hours applicable to CNS practice every two years, including 2 hours of child abuse training, plus the new 2-hour organ donation education for RNs.
See nursing CE requirements by state to compare Pennsylvania with other states.
Plan this renewal
Use the free opioid CME planner to see the controlled-substance rules for Pennsylvania 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.
Keep every hour and deadline in one private place
ClinLicense tracks licenses, DEA registrations, CME credits and CE contact hours on your own devices, without an account.
Download ClinLicense