Alabama Nurse Practitioner CE Requirements

• Licenses renew every 2 years (biennial).
• Cycle dates depend on license type (Ala. Admin. Code 610-X-4-.08):
  • Single-state RN licenses: Jan 1 of odd years through Dec 31 of even years
  • Multistate licenses: even-to-odd years

• 24 contact hours of Board-approved or Board-recognized CE per 2-year earning period.
  • Applies to all licensed nurses, including CRNPs
  • The APRN pharmacology hours count within the 24
• First renewal: a 4-hour Board-provided course on nursing regulation, scope, and standards, plus 1 hour per remaining calendar month, up to a maximum of 24.

• 6 contact hours of pharmacology per renewal (Ala. Admin. Code 610-X-4-.08(7)). For CRNPs and CNMs with prescriptive authority, the hours must be specific to prescriptive practice in the approved collaborative practice area; CRNAs and CNSs need 6 hours of pharmacology (general).
  • Counts as part of the 24 total hours
  • Applies to CRNP, CNM, CNS, and CRNA
• Graduate pharmacology credit earned before initial CRNP approval does not qualify.
• If 1 year or less remains in the license period at initial approval, pharmacology CE is not required for the first renewal.

• CRNPs holding a QACSC (Qualified Alabama Controlled Substances Certificate) must complete 4 AMA PRA Category 1 credits every two years from an Alabama Board of Medical Examiners-approved course on prescribing controlled substances.
  • These 4 hours can count toward both the 6 pharmacology hours and the 24-hour total
• Initial QACSC: 8 hours of controlled-substance prescribing instruction plus 4 hours of advanced pharmacology within 1 year of application.

• A PMHNP prescribing controlled substances in Alabama needs the QACSC, so 4 of the 6 pharmacology hours must be BME-approved controlled-substance prescribing CME.
• CRNPs practice under collaborative agreements.
• National certification must also be maintained, but it does not replace the 24-hour state CE requirement.

Official sources