New Mexico Board of Nursing
New Mexico Nursing CE Requirements
New Mexico RNs and LPNs need 30 contact hours of continuing education every 2 years (or another option the board accepts).
At a glance
New Mexico nursing license renewal
| Licenses covered | Registered nurse (RN), Licensed practical nurse (LPN) [1] |
|---|---|
| CE required for renewal | Yes [1] |
| Hours per renewal | 30 contact hours [1] |
| CE period | Every 2 years [2] |
| Renewal deadline | Licenses renew every two years by the end of the nurse's renewal month; the 30 hours must be accrued in the 24 months immediately before the license expires. [2] |
| State-mandated topics | None stated by the board |
| What CE counts | CE approved by a recognized approval body (national or state recognized nursing organizations, other state boards of nursing, or New Mexico board-approved local monitoring systems) that relates to the nurse's practice, with a certificate of attendance. Academic credit (1 credit = 15 contact hours) and home-study courses, if approved, are also accepted. [1] |
Other ways to meet the requirement
- RNs: national certification or recertification in a nursing specialty (e.g. CCRN, CPN, CNOR) within the current renewal period is accepted in lieu of the 30 hours of CE. [1]
Good to know
- If the licensing period is shorter than 24 months, the required contact hours are prorated. [1]
- APRNs who hold a DEA registration and prescribe controlled substances must also complete five hours of non-cancer pain management CE. [1]
Rules change, and your own license record decides your deadline. Confirm with the New Mexico Board of Nursing ↗ before you renew.
Free continuing education
Free nursing CE
The New Mexico Board of Nursing pages we checked do not name an accreditor we track, so we do not mark individual courses as accepted here. Check a course's approval against the board's rule before relying on it.
Questions
New Mexico nursing CE, answered
How many CE hours do New Mexico nurses need?
New Mexico RNs and LPNs need 30 contact hours of continuing education every 2 years (or another option the board accepts). Licenses renew every two years by the end of the nurse's renewal month; the 30 hours must be accrued in the 24 months immediately before the license expires.
Does New Mexico require specific CE topics for nurses?
The New Mexico Board of Nursing pages we checked do not list a state-mandated topic for this renewal.
Do free online CE courses count in New Mexico?
CE approved by a recognized approval body (national or state recognized nursing organizations, other state boards of nursing, or New Mexico board-approved local monitoring systems) that relates to the nurse's practice, with a certificate of attendance. Academic credit (1 credit = 15 contact hours) and home-study courses, if approved, are also accepted. Check that a free course meets this rule before relying on it.
Sources & verification
Every fact above links to the official page it comes from. We fetched each page on the date shown and confirmed the exact wording below appears on it.
- New Mexico Board of Nursing — Continuing Education/CE Broker ↗www.bon.nm.gov · HTML · Retrieved Oct 12, 2026
Quoted wording (11)
“LPN 30 contact hours CE courses 16.12.2.9 Q RN 30 contact hours CE courses OR Current National Certification”
“The New Mexico Board of Nursing requires all licensees and certificate holders to engage in continuing education”
“RN 30 contact hours CE courses OR Current National Certification (from Board of your specialty such as CCRN, CPN, CNOR) to cover continuing education requirements”
“To be acceptable in New Mexico, the CE activity must have been approved by a recognized approval body and must enhance the licensee’s scope of professional development as related to his/her activities in nursing.”
“The participant must receive a certificate of attendance which validates the number of approved CE hours awarded”
“Correspondence courses and home-study programs are acceptable, if approved.”
“Verification of certification or recertification within the current renewal period is accepted in lieu of the thirty (30) hours of CE required for licensure.”
“Certification or recertification in the registered nursing specialty area”
“RN 30 contact hours CE courses OR Current National Certification (from Board of your specialty such as CCRN, CPN, CNOR) to cover continuing education requirements”
“If the licensing period or certification period is less than 24 months, the required contact hours to meet the continuing education requirements will be prorated.”
“For those APRNs who prescribe controlled substances and have a DEA, the additional requirements for five hours non-cancer pain management continuing education according to 16.12.9.10 NMAC still remains.”
- New Mexico Administrative Code — 16.12.2 NMAC, Nurse Licensure ↗www.srca.nm.gov · HTML · Retrieved Oct 12, 2026
Quoted wording (8)
“30 hours of approved CE must be accrued within the 24 months immediately preceding expiration of license.”
“Licensed nurses shall be required to complete the renewal process by the end of their renewal month every two years.”
“30 hours of approved CE must be accrued within the 24 months immediately preceding expiration of license.”
“Recognized approval bodies for CE for nurses.”
“National or state recognized nursing organizations.”
“Other state boards of nursing.”
“New Mexico board-approved local monitoring systems.”
“academic credit, computation: one academic credit equals 15 contact hours;”