Arizona Nurse Practitioner CE Requirements

• The APRN certificate expires when the RN license expires or when national certification expires, whichever occurs first (A.A.C. R4-19-506).
  • RN licenses renew every 4 years

• No fixed CE hour requirement. Arizona uses a continued-competency model and defers routine CE to the national certifying body.
• Renewal requires (A.A.C. R4-19-506):
  • Current national certification in your role and population focus
  • At least 960 hours of APRN practice in the preceding 5 years

• No pharmacology hours required per renewal if you meet the 960-hour practice requirement and maintain national certification.
• If the practice requirement is not met, you must complete (A.A.C. R4-19-506):
  • 45 contact hours of advanced pharmacology
  • 45 contact hours related to your role and population focus
  • Precepted clinical hours of 300-1,000, depending on time out of practice
• Initial prescribing authority requires 45 contact hours of pharmacology/clinical management of drug therapy within the preceding 3 years (A.A.C. R4-19-511).

• APRNs with an active DEA registration must complete a minimum of 3 hours of opioid-related, substance use disorder-related, or addiction-related CE each license renewal cycle (A.R.S. 32-3248.02).
  • Applies to Arizona health professionals authorized to prescribe Schedule II controlled substances who hold a valid DEA registration
  • Counts toward other CE obligations

• Arizona is an NLC compact state for RN licensure; the APRN certificate is Arizona-specific.
• For a practicing PMHNP, the practical requirements are:
  • Keep ANCC certification current
  • Log 960+ practice hours per 5 years
  • If DEA-registered, complete 3 hours of opioid/SUD CE per 4-year renewal cycle

Official sources