Pennsylvania APRN license renewal: CE, fees, and prescriptive rules

NP, CRNA, CNM, CNS · Verified 2026-05-13

APRNs in Pennsylvania complete 30 CE hours every 2 years for board renewal. The APRN renewal fee is $122. The board is one of up to four clocks: your national certification and any DEA registration renew separately.

What the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing (BPOA) requires of APRNs

Requirement	Hours	Status
General CE	30 hrs	Required
Child Abuse Recognition and Reporting	2 hrs	Required
CRNP Pharmacology	16 hrs	Required
CRNP Pain Management & Opioid Prescribing	2 hrs	Required
Organ and Tissue Donation	2 hrs	Optional

Full renewal context (deadlines, grace period, audits): Pennsylvania nursing license renewal guide.

Prescriptive authority in Pennsylvania

What we verified for Pennsylvania

Board-sourced

Practice authority: Reduced-practice model: CRNPs practice and prescribe under a collaborative agreement with a physician who is available in person or remotely.
Collaboration / supervision: A written prescriptive-authority collaborative agreement naming the collaborating physician (and substitute) must stay current; the board must be notified in writing when an agreement is updated or terminated.
State controlled-substance registration: No separate state controlled-substance registration; federal DEA registration governs controlled-substance prescribing.
Prescriber CE: Per biennial renewal: at least 16 hours of board-approved pharmacology CE, plus at least 2 hours in pain management, addiction identification, or opioid prescribing for CRNPs with (or using) DEA registration, within the 30-hour CE total (49 Pa. Code 21.331).
National certification at renewal: Pennsylvania requires current national certification for CRNP certification; keep it current through renewal and confirm specifics with the board.

Source: 49 Pa. Code 21.285 and 21.331, last checked 2026-06-11. Rules change; confirm with the board before relying on this.

The other three clocks

Pennsylvania has not enacted the APRN Compact (which is not yet operational anywhere). The Nurse Licensure Compact covers RN and LPN/VN licenses only, so multi-state APRN practice still means a separate APRN credential in each state. Your national certification (AANPCB, ANCC, NBCRNA, or AMCB) and any DEA registration renew on their own cycles, with their own CE math.

The four-clock guide: certification cycles, compact status, DEA and MATE

Pennsylvania APRN renewal FAQ

How many CE hours do APRNs need to renew in Pennsylvania?: APRNs in Pennsylvania complete 30 CE hours every 2 years for board renewal. That includes the CRNP Pharmacology requirement of 16 hours. Your national certification keeps its own CE requirement on a separate clock.
What is the APRN renewal fee in Pennsylvania?: The Pennsylvania APRN renewal fee is $122. Fees change, so confirm the current amount on the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing (BPOA) portal.
Can APRNs prescribe independently in Pennsylvania?: Reduced-practice model: CRNPs practice and prescribe under a collaborative agreement with a physician who is available in person or remotely.
Does Pennsylvania require a state controlled-substance registration on top of the DEA?: No separate state controlled-substance registration; federal DEA registration governs controlled-substance prescribing.
Is Pennsylvania in the APRN Compact?: No. Pennsylvania has not enacted the APRN Compact, and the compact itself is not yet operational anywhere. The Nurse Licensure Compact covers RN and LPN/VN licenses only, so it does not extend APRN practice across state lines.
Does my national certification have to be current to renew my Pennsylvania APRN license?: Pennsylvania requires current national certification for CRNP certification; keep it current through renewal and confirm specifics with the board.

More for Pennsylvania nurses

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What the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing (BPOA) requires of APRNs

Requirement	Hours	Status
General CE	30 hrs	Required
Child Abuse Recognition and Reporting	2 hrs	Required
CRNP Pharmacology	16 hrs	Required
CRNP Pain Management & Opioid Prescribing	2 hrs	Required
Organ and Tissue Donation	2 hrs	Optional

Prescriptive authority in Pennsylvania

What we verified for Pennsylvania

Board-sourced

Practice authority: Reduced-practice model: CRNPs practice and prescribe under a collaborative agreement with a physician who is available in person or remotely.
Collaboration / supervision: A written prescriptive-authority collaborative agreement naming the collaborating physician (and substitute) must stay current; the board must be notified in writing when an agreement is updated or terminated.
State controlled-substance registration: No separate state controlled-substance registration; federal DEA registration governs controlled-substance prescribing.
Prescriber CE: Per biennial renewal: at least 16 hours of board-approved pharmacology CE, plus at least 2 hours in pain management, addiction identification, or opioid prescribing for CRNPs with (or using) DEA registration, within the 30-hour CE total (49 Pa. Code 21.331).
National certification at renewal: Pennsylvania requires current national certification for CRNP certification; keep it current through renewal and confirm specifics with the board.

Source: 49 Pa. Code 21.285 and 21.331, last checked 2026-06-11. Rules change; confirm with the board before relying on this.

The other three clocks

Pennsylvania APRN renewal FAQ

How many CE hours do APRNs need to renew in Pennsylvania?

APRNs in Pennsylvania complete 30 CE hours every 2 years for board renewal. That includes the CRNP Pharmacology requirement of 16 hours. Your national certification keeps its own CE requirement on a separate clock.

What is the APRN renewal fee in Pennsylvania?

The Pennsylvania APRN renewal fee is $122. Fees change, so confirm the current amount on the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing (BPOA) portal.

Can APRNs prescribe independently in Pennsylvania?

Reduced-practice model: CRNPs practice and prescribe under a collaborative agreement with a physician who is available in person or remotely.

Does Pennsylvania require a state controlled-substance registration on top of the DEA?

No separate state controlled-substance registration; federal DEA registration governs controlled-substance prescribing.

Is Pennsylvania in the APRN Compact?

No. Pennsylvania has not enacted the APRN Compact, and the compact itself is not yet operational anywhere. The Nurse Licensure Compact covers RN and LPN/VN licenses only, so it does not extend APRN practice across state lines.

Does my national certification have to be current to renew my Pennsylvania APRN license?

Pennsylvania requires current national certification for CRNP certification; keep it current through renewal and confirm specifics with the board.