Arkansas Registered Nurse (RN) Continuing Education Requirements
Requirements Overview
The Arkansas State Board of Nursing requires 15 contact hours of practice-focused continuing education per biennial renewal cycle. This means your CE must be relevant to your actual nursing specialty — gerontology courses would not satisfy requirements for a labor and delivery nurse, for example.
Alternatively, nurses may meet the requirement through current nationally recognized certification or by completing one college credit hour in nursing (grade C or better), which equates to 15 contact hours. The college course must be prefixed NUR, NURS, or NSG — prerequisites and CLEP testing do not qualify.
Excess CE hours cannot be carried over to the next renewal period. If audited and found non-compliant, you have 90 days to meet requirements or face a late fee and letter of reprimand reported to the national disciplinary data bank.
Mandatory Topics
| Topic | Hours | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Practice-focused continuing education | 15 | Every renewal | CE must be related to the nurse's area of practice. 'The requirement is for practice-focused continuing education. Your continuing education must be related to [your practice area].' (Chapter 2, Section VII.C.1.a.) |
Renewal Pathways
Exemptions
- First Renewal Exemption — If the first renewal cycle is less than 24 months, there is no continuing education requirement for the first renewal period. This applies to initial licensure by endorsement or examination.Only applies when the first renewal period is less than two years.
- Inactive License — Not required to have continuing education if nursing license is inactive.Must complete CE requirements to reactivate. Reinstatement from inactive status requires 20 contact hours.
- National Certification In Lieu Of CE — Holding a current nationally recognized certification or recertification satisfies the CE requirement.Must be recognized by the ASBN.
How You Can Complete Your CE
Provider Requirements
CE must be from a national or state continuing education approval body recognized by the ASBN. Accreditation statement listing the approval body must appear on advertising material and certificate of completion. Recognized organizations include ANCC (American Nurses Credentialing Center), ENA (Emergency Nurses Association), and others listed on the ASBN CE resource page. CME may count if the target audience includes nurses and content is relevant to the nurse's practice area.
Tips for Arkansas RNs
- Choose CE courses that match your specific practice area — Arkansas enforces the practice-focused requirement, and mismatched courses won't count during an audit.
- If you hold a current national certification (ANCC, etc.), it satisfies the entire CE requirement. Submit documentation at renewal.
- ACLS, PALS, NRP, and PEARS initial training or retraining count for 10 contact hours each — a single course can cover most of your requirement.
- Keep CE records for at least four years (two consecutive renewal periods). Arkansas conducts audits and non-compliance carries real consequences.