Below is exactly what Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing — CRNP Advisory Committee requires: mandatory topics, exemptions, accepted credit types, and documentation rules.
Reviewed by Doug Doehrman, MD · Last reviewed April 25, 2026
For NPs, 30 hours is the total CME requirement. Pennsylvania also requires a set of one-time topics that count toward the 30-hour total.
“At least 2 hours on child abuse recognition and reporting”
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.
CRNPs holding prescriptive authority approval
“if licensee has prescriptive authority approval, a minimum of 16 of the 30 hours of continuing education must be completed in pharmacology”
CRNPs with prescriptive authority approval AND a DEA registration
“If prescriptive authority approval held and DEA registration: at least 2 hours in pain management, identification of addiction, or practices of prescribing or dispensing opioids”
CRNPs who held RN licensure before May 1, 2026
“Organ Donation Education: Beginning May 1, 2026, all RNs must complete 2 hours of organ donation and tissue recovery education one time within 5 years”
Credit must come from an organization accredited by the ACCME, AMA, Pennsylvania 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 system | Notes |
|---|---|
ANCC Contact Hour | ANCC contact hours from Board-approved CE providers count toward both the 30-hour CRNP CE total and the pharmacology sub-requirement. Pharmacology CE must address pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics of drug categories or drugs used in the CRNP's specialty.Source49 Pa. Code § 21.331 |
Board-approved credit | Board-approved CE from approved providers. CE may not carry over from one biennial period to the next. CRNP CE certification co-expires with the underlying RN license.Source49 Pa. Code § 21.331 |
Physicians are responsible for retaining CME documentation and producing it on request. Requirements include course title, dates, hours, sponsoring organization, and accrediting body.
No formal waivers or exemptions are published for Pennsylvania.
Atlas CME tracks your hours, maps them to your state requirements, and reminds you before your your license anniversary renewal.
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.
“At least 2 hours on child abuse recognition and reporting”49 Pa. Code § 21.331(c)(2)
“if licensee has prescriptive authority approval, a minimum of 16 of the 30 hours of continuing education must be completed in pharmacology”49 Pa. Code § 21.331(c)(2) / Act 124 of 2016
“If prescriptive authority approval held and DEA registration: at least 2 hours in pain management, identification of addiction, or practices of prescribing or dispensing opioids”49 Pa. Code § 21.331(c)(2) · Effective 2017-07-01
“Organ Donation Education: Beginning May 1, 2026, all RNs must complete 2 hours of organ donation and tissue recovery education one time within 5 years”49 Pa. Code § 21.331 · Effective 2026-05-01