Vermont Nurse Practitioner CE Requirements

• APRN licenses renew every 2 years, on fixed licensing periods.

• No fixed CE-hour requirement for APRNs — renewal is built on practice hours and certification instead (Board of Nursing Rules 4-8(d) and 9-7, May 2023).
• To renew, you must meet all of the following:
  • Satisfy RN renewal: 400 practice hours in 2 years, OR 960 hours in 5 years, OR 20 hours of qualifying CE, OR current national certification
  • 400 hours (50 days) of APRN-role practice in the preceding 2 years, or 960 hours in 5 years
  • Current certification by a national APRN certifying body
  • A collaborating provider agreement if you are still in transition-to-practice

• No pharmacology-specific CE-hour requirement for APRN renewal in the Board of Nursing rules.
• Ongoing pharmacology competence is deferred to national certification maintenance.

• 2 hours of CE on controlled-substance prescribing per 2-year renewal for APRNs who prescribe controlled substances or hold (or have applied for) a DEA registration.
• Topics covered:
  • Abuse and diversion
  • Safe use, storage, and disposal of controlled substances
  • Appropriate use of the Vermont Prescription Monitoring System (VPMS)
• This mirrors the statutory 2-hour requirement applied to Vermont prescribers generally.

• The 2-hour controlled-substance CE comes from Vermont's prescriber CE statute and VPMS requirements, not the nursing administrative rules themselves.
• APRNs with under 24 months or 2,400 hours in the role must maintain a collaborative provider agreement.

Official sources