What are Texas' State CE Requirements?

Licensed Vocational Nurses

• LVNs can complete 20 contact hours of continuing education every 2 years OR achieve, maintain, or renew a board-approved national nursing certification in the nurse’s practice area.
• Mandatory Continuing Education Requirements:
• 2 contact hours on geriatric care for those working with the geriatric population
• This course is provided by Nursing CE Central and can be taken here.
• 2 contact hours on medical forensics for those working in the ER setting (one-time requirement)
• This course is provided by Nursing CE Central and can be taken here.
• 2 contact hours on nursing jurisprudence and ethics – required every 6 years (3 renewals)
• This course is provided by Nursing CE Central and can be taken here.
• LVNs are required to complete a course on human trafficking prevention every renewal.
• There is no specified contact hour requirement for this course
• The Health and Human Services Commission must approve this course
• This course is approved by the TX DHHS and is provided by Nursing CE Central and can be taken here.

Registered Nurses

• RNs can complete 20 contact hours of continuing education every 2 years OR achieve, maintain, or renew a board-approved national nursing certification in the nurse’s practice area.
• Mandatory Continuing Education Requirements:
• 2 contact hours on geriatric care for those working with the geriatric population
• This course is provided by Nursing CE Central and can be taken here.
• 2 contact hours on medical forensics for those working in the ER setting (one-time requirement)
• This course is provided by Nursing CE Central and can be taken here.
• 2 contact hours on nursing jurisprudence and ethics – required every 6 years (3 renewals)
• This course is provided by Nursing CE Central and can be taken here.
• RNs are required to complete a course on human trafficking prevention every renewal.
• There is no specified contact hour requirement for this course
• The Health and Human Services Commission must approve this course
• This course is approved by the TX DHHS and is provided by Nursing CE Central and can be taken here.

Advanced Practice Registered Nurses

• APRNs can complete 20 contact hours of Continuing Education every 2 years OR achieve, maintain, or renew a board-approved national nursing certification in the nurse’s practice area.
• Mandatory Continuing Education Requirements:
• 2 contact hours must be on Geriatric Care for those working with the geriatric population
• This course is provided by Nursing CE Central and can be taken here.
• 2 contact hours must be on Safe and Effective Pain Management related to Prescription of Controlled Substances for those with prescriptive authority – required annually
• This course is provided by Nursing CE Central and can be taken here.
• 1 contact hour must be on Best Practices, Alternative Treatment Options, and Multi-Modal Approaches to Pain Management for those whose practice includes the prescription of opioids – required annually
• This course is provided by Nursing CE Central and can be taken here.
• 2 contact hours must be on Approved Procedures of Prescribing and Monitoring Controlled Substances (one-time requirement)
• This course is provided by Nursing CE Central and can be taken here.
• 2 contact hours must be on Medical Forensics for those working in the ER setting (one-time requirement)
• This course is provided by Nursing CE Central and can be taken here.
• 2 contact hours must be on Nursing Jurisprudence and Ethics – required every 6 years (3 renewals)
• This course is provided by Nursing CE Central and can be taken here.
• 5 additional contact hours must be on pharmacotherapeutics for those with prescriptive authority. These hours are above and beyond the 20 hours required for all nurses
• Any APRN whose practice includes the treatment of tick-borne diseases is encouraged to participate in continuing education relating to the treatment of tick-borne diseases
• This course is provided by Nursing CE Central and can be taken here.
• APRNs are required to complete a course on Human Trafficking Prevention every 2 years.
• There is no specified contact hour requirement for this course
• The Health and Human Services Commission must approve this course
• This course is approved by the TX DHHS and is provided by Nursing CE Central and can be taken here.

All mandatory continuing education hours may be used towards the 20 contact hours option for renewal.

For clarification, please see the Texas Administrative Code.

https://www.bon.texas.gov/education_continuing_education.asp#D

Important Updates for Texas Nursing Renewals

Starting September 1, 2026, Texas nurses must upload all continuing education (CE) certificates directly to the Texas Nurse Portal before renewing their licenses, as required by Senate Bill 912. This marks a significant change in the way Texas nurses have historically managed their continuing education (CE) requirements. In the past, Texas nurses simply attested to their CE completion during the renewal process and kept their certificates on hand in case of an audit. Now, it will be mandatory to submit all CE completion certificates to renew their licenses.

What Nurses Must Do Under this New Process

• Use Approved Providers: Nursing CE Central is accredited by the ANCC and, in turn, is an approved provider of continuing education for nurses in Texas. For continuing education hours to be accepted and approved for CE renewal requirements, the courses must be from board-approved providers.
• Save Certificates: Keep digital copies of all course completion records as they finish them.
• Check Portal Access: Navigate to the Texas Nurse Portal and create and/or log in to their profile before their renewal is due to ensure their account is ready.

Continuing Education (CE) Upload Requirements

• Digital Uploads: TX nurses must upload their completion certificates to the Texas Board of Nursing portal before their renewal application can be approved.
• No Extra Fees: The new digital tracking process requires no extra user accounts, subscriptions, or additional fees.
• Enforcement: Licenses will not be renewed without prior digital verification of full CE compliance for that cycle.

If you are an RN or LVN, a one-time payment of $49.99 includes unlimited access to all of Nursing CE Central's RN / LVN course offerings for an entire year. This means you can take as many courses as you need to renew your Texas RN / LVN license, and you have the freedom to take even more courses to further expand your knowledge. We've even created the Texas Renewal Bundle (included with enrollment), which contains all 20 contact hours in a single, convenient package.

If you are ready to begin your continuing education for your Texas RN/ LVN license renewal, click here to enroll now!

If you are an APRN a one-time payment of $149.99 includes unlimited access to all of Nursing CE Central's APRN and RN / LVN course offerings for an entire year. This means you can take as many courses as you need to renew your Texas APRN license, and you have the freedom to take even more courses to further expand your knowledge. We've even created the Texas APRN Bundle (included with enrollment), which contains all 20 contact hours in one convenient bundle.

If you are ready to begin your continuing education for your Texas APRN license renewal, click here to enroll now!

Nursing CE Central is directly accredited by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and the Texas Board of Nursing accepts and honors this national accreditation.

For information on Nursing CE Central's accreditation(s) for your state, click here!

For further information on your renewal requirements, click here for a link to the Texas Board of Nursing website.