New Jersey Nurse Practitioner CE Requirements

Renewal cycle

2 years (biennial certificate renewal)

Total CE hours

30 contact hours per biennial period (the APN completes the same 30-hour CE requirement as RN license renewal per N.J.A.C. 13:37-5.3, applied via N.J.A.C. 13:37-7.8) PLUS whatever the APN's national certifying agency requires for recertification — NJ largely defers ongoing pharmacology competence to national certification. Mandated within the 30: at least 1 hour on prescription opioid drugs (alternatives to opioids, risks/signs of abuse, addiction, diversion) and 2 hours related to end-of-life care; one-time 1 hour on organ/tissue donation and recovery.

Pharmacology CE

No recurring state pharmacology hour quota within the biennial 30 (deferred to national certification maintenance). State pharm-specific requirements: 6 contact hours of CE in pharmacology related to controlled dangerous substances (see next field) tied to CDS prescriptive authority, and the 1-hour opioid topic each biennium. For initial certification, 39 pharmacology hours in the graduate program (or 30 contact hours if the pharm course is over 5 years old) are required (N.J.A.C. 13:37-7.2).

Controlled-substance CE

Per N.J.S.A. 45:11-49 (as amended by P.L.2017, c.28 opioid law): to prescribe controlled dangerous substances, an APN must complete 6 contact hours of CE in pharmacology related to controlled substances — addiction prevention/management, responsible opioid prescribing, alternatives to opioids, risks/signs of opioid abuse/addiction/diversion — 'in addition to' the Board's other pharmacology requirements. Widely implemented/described as a one-time requirement tied to CDS registration. Additionally, every renewing licensee needs the 1-hour opioid CE within the 30 (since the June 1, 2020 biennium). Federal one-time 8-hour DEA MATE training applies to DEA registrants.

Good to know

Structure verified from regulation text: 13:37-7.8 ties APN CE to the RN 30-hour requirement plus national certifying agency requirements, with 2 of the credits in end-of-life care; 13:37-5.3 confirms 30 hours/biennium including at least 1 opioid hour (all renewing RNs/APNs). The 6-hour CDS pharmacology requirement is statutory (45:11-49) and additional to Board pharmacology requirements; the statute itself doesn't state a recurrence interval — Board guidance and CE vendors treat it as one-time before/for CDS prescribing authority, so mark that cadence medium confidence. Up to 15 excess contact hours may carry into the next biennium. Relevant for PMHNPs: NJ requires maintained national certification (e.g., ANCC PMHNP-BC), whose own 25-pharm-hour recertification rule effectively supplies pharmacology CE.

Official sources