New Mexico Nurse Practitioner CE Requirements

Renewal cycle

2 years (biennial, 24-month period)

Total CE hours

50 contact hours total for a CNP: 30 contact hours for the RN license component plus 20 additional advanced-practice contact hours per 2-year renewal.

Pharmacology CE

10 contact hours in pharmacology per renewal (part of the 20 APRN hours). Without DEA registration the remaining 10 hours must relate to the CNP's practice; with DEA registration the split is 10 pharmacology + 5 practice-related + 5 non-cancer pain management.

Controlled-substance CE

CNPs who hold a DEA registration must complete 5 contact hours in the management of non-cancer pain per renewal. Current national certification (e.g., ANCC PMHNP) can satisfy all CE requirements EXCEPT these 5 non-cancer-pain hours, which must still be completed separately.

Good to know

Numbers confirmed directly from the NM Board of Nursing CE page. National certification can substitute for the RN 30 hours and most APRN hours, but a DEA-registered CNP (including PMHNPs) must still document the 5 non-cancer pain hours. NM uses CE Broker for tracking. Some CE-vendor sites still describe an older 15-pharmacology-hour split; the board's current page states 10 pharmacology hours with the DEA/non-DEA breakdown above.

Official sources