North Carolina Board of Nursing (NCBON) · NP

50 hours. Every two years. Tied to your birth month.

Below is exactly what North Carolina Board of Nursing (NCBON) requires: mandatory topics, exemptions, accepted credit types, and documentation rules.

Updated April 2026Sourced from NCBN(~7 min read

Reviewed by Doug Doehrman, MD · Last reviewed April 25, 2026

Mandatory topics

For NPs, 50 hours is the total CME requirement. North Carolina also requires a set of one-time topics that count toward the 50-hour total.

General CME[1]
20 hrs
Biennial
At least 20 of the 50 required CE hours must be from providers approved by ANCC, ACCME, or other national credentialing bodies, OR from practice-relevant courses in an institution of higher learning. These 20 hours are part of the total 50-hour requirement, not additive.
View sourceVerbatim from source
“At least 20 hours of the required 50 hours must be those hours for which approval has been granted by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) or Accreditation Council on Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) or other national credentialing bodies or practice relevant courses in an institution of higher learning.”
21 NCAC 36.0807See source [1] in Primary Sources
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Conditional requirements

These rules apply only when the trigger described under each card is met (for example, holding a state-issued controlled substance registration or treating a specific patient population). Each cites the underlying statute or rule directly.

ConditionalPharmacology[1]
1 hr
Biennial

NPs who prescribe controlled substances (not those who have maintained national certification)

View sourceVerbatim from source
“Included as a part of the total 50 contact hours (for those who have not maintained national certification) 1 contact hour of CE is required for those NPs who prescribe controlled substances.”
21 NCAC 36.0807See source [1] in Primary Sources
ConditionalGeneral CME[1]
0 hrs
Biennial

NPs who maintain active national certification in lieu of the 50 CE hour pathway

View sourceVerbatim from source
“To maintain Nurse Practitioner approval to practice, the NP shall maintain national certification or earn 50 contact hours of continuing education every two years.”
21 NCAC 36.0807See source [1] in Primary Sources
Accepted credit

Credit must come from an organization accredited by the ACCME, AMA, North Carolina Medical Association, or AAFP. ACGME residency or fellowship time accrues toward the requirement. Teaching or presenting accredited CME can satisfy a portion of required hours.

Credit systemNotes
ANCC Contact Hour
min 20 hrs
At least 20 of the 50 CE hours must be ANCC-approved (or ACCME-approved, or from other national credentialing bodies, or from higher education institutions). ANCC contact hours fully count toward this 20-hour ANCC/national minimum.Source21 NCAC 36.0807
Board-approved credit
max 30 hrs
The remaining 30 hours (beyond the 20 ANCC/national minimum) must be CE at the advanced practice level. These may come from board-recognized providers. ACLS, PALS, NRP, and instructor certification count only if the certificate includes the date completed and number of contact hours.Source21 NCAC 36.0807
Documentation & audit

Documentation retention for NPs: 5 years per 21 NCAC 36.0807 and 36.0810 (longer than the 3-year RN requirement).

North Carolina NP continuing competence uses a birth-month biennial renewal schedule, same as RNs.

Waivers & exemptions

No formal waivers or exemptions are published for North Carolina.

FAQ
Does North Carolina require pharmacology CE for NPs?
North Carolina does not impose a general pharmacology CE mandate for all NPs. However, NPs who prescribe controlled substances and who satisfy continuing competence through the 50-hour CE pathway (rather than national certification maintenance) must include 1 contact hour on controlled substances within the 50-hour total. This 1-hour topic requirement is not an additional obligation — it is a content specification within the 50-hour total. NPs who satisfy continuing competence through national certification maintenance are not subject to this requirement.
Is North Carolina in the APRN Compact?
No. North Carolina is an NLC compact member for RN licensure, but it is not a member of the APRN Compact as of 2026. NPs who wish to practice in multiple states as APRNs must obtain individual APRN authorization in each state where they practice. The NLC compact status affects only the underlying RN license layer; NP approval to practice in North Carolina requires separate NCBON authorization regardless of compact status.
Does North Carolina require NPs to maintain national certification for APRN renewal?
National certification is one of two valid pathways for North Carolina NP continuing competence — NPs may satisfy the requirement by maintaining national certification or by completing 50 CE hours biennially. However, national certification is not universally mandatory for all North Carolina NPs: NPs who were approved before February 7, 2005 (in the Pennsylvania context — for NC, the requirement is per 21 NCAC 36.0807) may have different requirements. NPs who were certified after their initial NP approval are expected to maintain that certification. NPs should confirm their specific status with NCBON if uncertain.
Where can I check my North Carolina NP approval-to-practice renewal date?
North Carolina NPs can verify their approval-to-practice status and renewal date through the NCBON Nurse Portal at www.ncbon.com. Renewal notifications and audit notices are delivered electronically through the Portal, so NPs should keep their email address current in NCBON records. The NCBON website at https://www.ncbon.com/np-continuing-competence provides current guidance on the NP continuing competence requirements and documentation standards.

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Sources & Citations

Every mandatory topic and conditional requirement above cites the underlying statute or rule. Numbered references below correspond to the bracketed citations next to each requirement.

  1. NCBON — NP Continuing Competence (citing 21 NCAC 36.0807)
    Primary sourceAccessed 2026-04-23
    Show verbatim text
    “At least 20 hours of the required 50 hours must be those hours for which approval has been granted by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) or Accreditation Council on Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) or other national credentialing bodies or practice relevant courses in an institution of higher learning.”21 NCAC 36.0807
    “Included as a part of the total 50 contact hours (for those who have not maintained national certification) 1 contact hour of CE is required for those NPs who prescribe controlled substances.”21 NCAC 36.0807
    “To maintain Nurse Practitioner approval to practice, the NP shall maintain national certification or earn 50 contact hours of continuing education every two years.”21 NCAC 36.0807

This page is provided for general educational purposes and reflects the best available information as of the last reviewed date above. CME requirements change. Atlas CME is not affiliated with the North Carolina Board of Nursing (NCBON), or any other state medical board, licensing authority, or professional organization. Physicians are solely responsible for verifying their own current CME requirements directly with their state's medical board before relying on any information presented here.

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