Every CE requirement verified against official state nursing board sources. How RenewRN verifies the data →
Every CE requirement verified against official state nursing board sources. How RenewRN verifies the data →
Field guide · Free CE
Built by Keegan, a travel RN · verified against official board sources
17 verified free courses accepted by the North Carolina Board of Nursing. No upsells. State-specific courses (for North Carolina mandatory topics) appear first.
See full North Carolina CE requirements
Returning to nursing after a lapse? See reinstatement and re-entry in North Carolina.
Requirements verified against the North Carolina Board of Nursing · last checked · How RenewRN verifies its data
North Carolina RNs renew their license every 2 years through the North Carolina Board of Nursing and complete 30 contact hours each cycle. Every course on this page is free and accredited, and the list below is curated to count toward North Carolina requirements.
North Carolina RNs renew every 2 years with 30 contact hours. Every verified course below counts toward your total. For any state-specific mandatory topic, check the paid options if no free course fits.
ANCC-accredited courses accepted by North Carolina and every other state nursing board that recognizes ANCC. A few to get you started. The full, searchable catalog lives on the main free-CE page.
Advocate Health
Free, ANCC-accredited 1-contact-hour implicit-bias awareness training for licensed healthcare professionals. A genuinely free national option for implicit-bias or cultural-competency CE; some states require 2 hours, so confirm the total against your state's requirement.
Free account required; the course page shows Cost: $0.00.
American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN)
Rotating library of free CE on acute and critical care topics: sepsis, hemodynamics, ventilation, ECG. Hour count varies by course. ANCC-accredited.
Free AACN account required (membership not required).
American Nurses Association
ANA releases free CE courses on rotating topics each month: leadership, ethics, evidence-based practice, well-being. Hour count varies.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Nurse-specific federal training on integrated, multimodal pain management and the nurse's role in safe opioid use. Free contact hours via CDC TRAIN.
Free CDC TRAIN account required (course WB4716R).
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Free federal training on screening for, diagnosing, and managing opioid use disorder, including medications for OUD. Contact hours via CDC TRAIN.
Free CDC TRAIN account required (course WB4664R).
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Self-paced immunization modules (vaccine administration, storage & handling, Vaccines for Children, and more), roughly 1 to 1.25 nursing contact hours each, free via CDC TRAIN.
Free CDC TRAIN account required; CE earned per module.
11 more free, ANCC-accredited courses are accepted in North Carolina. Browse them all, filter by topic, and search the full catalog.
RenewRN earns nothing from these courses. Sources verified by checking the provider site directly on the date shown. If a link is broken or a course is no longer free, email support@renewrn.net.
North Carolina license renewal guide
CE hours, mandatory topics, fees & deadlines
How to get your first North Carolina RN license
NCLEX application, background check, fees & permits
Can an RN inject Botox in North Carolina?
Aesthetic injector scope & rules
Returning to nursing in North Carolina
Reinstatement fees, refresher rules & timelines
North Carolina NP & APRN renewal
APRN CE, fees, prescriptive authority & cert clocks
Moving your license to North Carolina
Endorsement timeline, fees, permits & compact rules
North Carolina renewal: step-by-step
How to renew: forms, fees & timeline