What continuing education do registered nurses need?

There is no national rule. Each state board of nursing sets how often an RN renews and how many continuing education (CE) hours or other options count. Among the 10 states we have checked, renewal is every two years in nine and every three in New York.

By Simmie J.Figures checked against official government and agency dataUpdated

Ten states compared

StateRenewal (years)Continuing education for RNsBoard source
California230 hoursBoard page
Florida224 hours, with required topicsBoard page
Georgia230 hours, or one of four other optionsBoard page
Illinois220 hours, with required topicsBoard page
Michigan225 hours, with required topicsBoard page
New York3No general hours listed; infection control course every 4 yearsBoard page
North Carolina230 hours, or one of seven other optionsBoard page
Ohio224 hours, with 1 hour of Ohio law and rulesBoard page
Pennsylvania230 hours, with required topicsBoard page
Texas220 hours, or national certificationBoard page

Hours and required topics change, so use the board page before you renew. The table summarizes each board’s published rules as of our last check.

What the table shows

Hours cluster between 20 and 30 per two-year cycle, but the topics are where states differ: implicit bias, human trafficking, jurisprudence, child abuse and others. Several states exempt the first renewal after you pass the NCLEX. New York lists no general contact-hour requirement, and North Carolina and Georgia let nurses meet competence through options other than hours, such as certification or practice hours.

Moving or working across states

You follow the rules of the state that issued the license you are using. See how to become a nurse by state for each state’s license steps. Advanced practice nurses also have certification renewals, see nurse practitioner continuing education.

Pay and projections: Bureau of Labor Statistics. NCLEX figures: NCSBN. Enrollment: AACN. Sources and years are ondata sources.

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