Maryland Nurse Practitioner CE Requirements
Maryland Board of Nursing (MBON); CDS registration via Maryland Department of Health, Office of Controlled Substances Administration (OCSA)
Last reviewed July 2026 · verify current rules with the board before relying on them
Build your Maryland renewal checklist →Renewal cycle
2 years- Licenses renew every 2 years (biennial).
- CRNP certification expires and renews with the RN license.
Total CE hours
None- No state CE-hour requirement for renewal — Maryland defers to national certification.
- To renew, a CRNP must document current national certification from a board-recognized certifying body (COMAR 10.27.07.04)
- Practicing on a lapsed national certification is prohibited
- RN renewal separately requires evidence of active practice (or a refresher) rather than CE hours.
Pharmacology CE
None- None at the state level for renewal.
- Pharmacology CE is only whatever the national certifier requires — e.g., ANCC for PMHNP-BC: 25 pharmacology hours per 5-year cycle.
- Advanced pharmacology is required in the APRN's graduate education, not for renewal.
Controlled-substance CE
One-time- A one-time 2 hours of CE on prescribing or dispensing controlled dangerous substances is required to obtain or first renew a Maryland CDS registration on or after October 1, 2018 (HB 1452/2018)
- Administered by the MDH Office of Controlled Substances Administration
- Attestation is made on the CDS application
- Any accredited course addressing CDS prescribing or dispensing qualifies
- Two one-time trainings apply: implicit bias training (first renewal on or after April 1, 2022) and, under 2025 legislation, structural racism training (first renewal on or after April 1, 2026); those who already completed the implicit bias training need not repeat it.
- The federal one-time 8-hour DEA MATE training applies to DEA registrants.
Good to know
- For a PMHNP, the practical burden is ANCC recertification CE plus the one-time CDS and implicit-bias trainings.
Official sources
This guide is informational and not legal or licensing advice. National certification (e.g. ANCC PMHNP-BC: 75 CE hours per 5 years including 25 pharmacotherapeutics hours) and the one-time 8-hour DEA MATE Act training may apply in addition to state requirements.
CE Requirements in Other States
Cover Your Maryland Requirements
The PMHNP CE Program, by Psychopharmacology Institute, is continuing education built around psychopharmacology: 115 CME contact hours, including 75+ pharmacology hours — the category state boards and certifying bodies actually require of prescribers. Every publication is available as video, audio in your podcast app, and text summaries with key points.
Content is taught by academic faculty, focused on real-world prescribing, and free of commercial bias. 1 CME = 1 contact hour, fully AANP-approved.
"The lack of commercial bias in this program gives me peace of mind." — program memberSee How the Program Works