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What continuing education does a nurse need to renew a license in Kentucky?
A Kentucky nurse picks one method per earning period to validate continued competency. The methods are 14 contact hours of CE, national certification, a research project, a journal article or a preceptorship, or 7 hours of CE plus an employment evaluation. Section 5 adds required topics to several methods, such as pharmacology hours for APRNs.
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The rule, fact by fact
- Course hours
- 14 contact hours of continuing education in the earning periodThe hours must come from a provider the board has approved, and they must include the CE that Section 5 requires.
- Verified. apps.legislature.ky.gov (opens state website) · checked Nov 13, 2026
- Method
- One validation method per earning periodThe licensee keeps proof of the method chosen and hands it over if the board directs.
- Same source and date as above
- Valid for
- Earning period: November 1 through October 31 of a licensure periodHours for the contact-hour method must be completed inside this window.
- Same source and date as above
- Employment option
- 7 hours of continuing education plus a satisfactory employment evaluationA supervisor or employer signs the form, or the board may accept a standard employee review.
- Same source and date as above
- APRN pharmacology
- APRNs need 5 pharmacology contact hoursQualifying content includes details on specific drugs and safe prescribing, among other topics.
- Same source and date as above
How to get it done
Step 1. Pick a method for the current earning period. The earning period runs November 1 through October 31 of a licensure period, and you choose a method for each one.
Step 2. Check the one-time topics. A nurse earns 1.5 contact hours in pediatric abusive head trauma, 3 on domestic violence and elder abuse, 1 on Alzheimer's disease and other dementia, and 2 on suicide prevention. A nurse who met each one on or before July 15, 2024 does not repeat them. A nurse with an active license on that date has until October 31, 2027 for the dementia hour, and some new licensees have three years from licensure.
Step 3. Choose a provider the board has approved under 201 KAR 20:220 and finish the hours during the earning period. A contact hour is 50 minutes of organized learning.
Step 4. Finish the method you chose. A nursing-related research project, a published article in a peer-reviewed health-related journal or a preceptorship of at least 120 hours also works, together with the Section 5 CE. The 7-hour option needs a satisfactory evaluation from your employer that covers at least six months of the earning period.
Step 5. Keep records that substantiate your method for at least five years after the licensure period. If the board asks, send legible copies within twenty days of a written request.
Before you pay
Before you pay for a course, check that its provider is one the board has approved under 201 KAR 20:220. We haven't confirmed course prices or which providers hold that approval.
Questions
Does national certification replace CE?
Not entirely. The certificate must relate to the nurse's practice role. It must have been earned or renewed during the earning period, or have stayed in effect for all of it if it carries an expiry date. The nurse also needs the CE that Section 5 requires.
What must an advanced practice nurse's pharmacology hours cover?
An APRN who holds a DEA registration and has a PDMP account needs at least 3 of the pharmacology hours on pain management or addiction. The hours need stated objectives. Naming a drug or treatment in passing does not qualify.
Can I take the same course twice in one licensure period?
No. A licensee may not repeat the same offering within a licensure period. The board decides whether two offerings are the same from the certificate of attendance, which shows items such as the activity number, date, topic and presenter.
Can a course from a provider the board has not approved count?
It can, through an individual review. The licensee applies within 30 days after the immediate past licensure period expires and pays $10. The course must have been completed during the earning period, and the review covers only that offering.
Can a talk I give or a college class count as hours?
For the methods built on contact hours, yes. A presentation you design for nurses, offered by a board-approved provider, earns twice the contact hours offered to an attendee. A postlicensure college course relevant to nursing practice earns 15 contact hours per semester hour or 12 per quarter hour, with a grade of C or better or a pass.
Can a nurse fix a shortfall after the board finds one?
Yes, unless one of two exceptions applies. The nurse meets the CE rules within 10 business days of notice and enters a consent decree within 10 days of the board's notice. The board issues a complaint instead if records are not furnished as requested, or if there is evidence of fraud or deceit in getting or trying to get a license.
What to do next
Start with the rule the Board of Nursing wrote on continuing competency. Read it again before each earning period ends.
Sources we read
- apps.legislature.ky.gov › 215 · read Nov 13, 2026