Tennessee Board of Nursing
Tennessee Nursing CE Requirements
Tennessee RNs and LPNs need 10 contact hours of continuing education every 2 years (or another option the board accepts).
At a glance
Tennessee nursing license renewal
| Licenses covered | Registered nurse (RN), Licensed practical nurse (LPN) [1] |
|---|---|
| CE required for renewal | Yes [1] |
| Hours per renewal | 10 contact hours [1] |
| CE period | Every 2 years [2] |
| Renewal deadline | Licenses renew every two years; renewal notices are mailed 45 days before expiry and licenses can be renewed online up to 60 days before expiry. [2] |
| State-mandated topics | None stated by the board |
| What CE counts | Continuing education or in-service education applicable to nursing practice. [1] |
Other ways to meet the requirement
- A satisfactory employer evaluation, a peer's letter giving a satisfactory evaluation of the nurse's performance, or a copy of a contract renewal, re-appointment or continuing contract to a nursing position. [1]
- A written self-evaluation based on the standards of the profession, or a document identifying two nursing goals and their development, implementation and evaluation. [1]
- Evidence of current national certification. [1]
- A letter showing volunteer work as a nurse or service relevant to nursing on local, state or national boards, commissions, foundations or agencies. [1]
- For RNs only: documentation from a school of nursing of taking part in the formal education of nursing students. [1]
- A published article relevant to nursing, written by the licensee, in a professional journal. [1]
- Completing a two-week Board-approved nursing refresher program, or a two-week Board-approved comprehensive orientation program offered by a prospective nursing employer. [1]
- An official transcript from an approved or accredited nursing school (RN, APRN or RN-BSN completion program) showing three hours of nursing credit in the past five years. [1]
- Successfully retaking the NCLEX. [1]
Good to know
- Each renewal, RNs and LPNs must keep evidence of two items from the Board's continued-competence list; ten contact hours of CE is one of the listed items. [1]
- Licensees must keep evidence of compliance for four years and produce it within 30 days of a written request from the Board. [1]
- APRNs have separate requirements; APRNs with a Certificate of Fitness need at least two contact hours on controlled substance prescribing. [1]
Rules change, and your own license record decides your deadline. Confirm with the Tennessee Board of Nursing ↗ before you renew.
Free continuing education
Free nursing CE
The Tennessee 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
Tennessee nursing CE, answered
How many CE hours do Tennessee nurses need?
Tennessee RNs and LPNs need 10 contact hours of continuing education every 2 years (or another option the board accepts). Licenses renew every two years; renewal notices are mailed 45 days before expiry and licenses can be renewed online up to 60 days before expiry.
Does Tennessee require specific CE topics for nurses?
The Tennessee Board of Nursing pages we checked do not list a state-mandated topic for this renewal.
Do free online CE courses count in Tennessee?
Continuing education or in-service education applicable to nursing practice. 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.
- Tennessee Board of Nursing — Continuing Competence Requirements ↗www.tn.gov · PDF · Retrieved Oct 12, 2026
Quoted wording (24)
“Registered Nurses and Licensed Practical Nurses maintain evidence of TWO items from the following list:”
“Registered Nurses and Licensed Practical Nurses maintain evidence of TWO items from the following list:”
“Biennial competency requirements (with each renewal).”
“Certificate/evidence of ten contact hours per renewal period of continuing education/in-service education applicable to nursing practice.”
“contact hours per renewal period of continuing education/in-service education applicable to nursing practice”
“A copy of a satisfactory employer evaluation.”
“A letter from a peer providing a satisfactory evaluation of your nursing performance.”
“Copy of a contract renewal or re-appointment or continuing contract to a nursing position.”
“A written self-evaluation based on the standards of your profession.”
“A document identifying two nursing goals and subsequent development, implementation, and evaluation based on the standards of your profession.”
“Evidence of current national certification.”
“A letter where you have volunteered as a nurse or performed service relevant to nursing on local, state or national boards, commissions, foundations, or agencies.”
“Documentation from a school of nursing stating you have participated in the formal education of nursing students (RNs only).”
“Copy of a published article relevant to nursing in a professional journal written by the licensee.”
“Proof of successful completion of a two-week Board-approved nursing refresher program.”
“Proof of completion of a two-week Board-approved comprehensive orientation program offered by a prospective nursing employer.”
“An official transcript (may be student issued) from an approved/accredited school of nursing leading to licensure as a RN, or APRN, or a RN-BSN completion program showing three hours of nursing credit during the past five years.”
“Evidence of successfully retaken the NCLEX.”
“Registered Nurses and Licensed Practical Nurses maintain evidence of TWO items from the following list:”
“Certificate/evidence of ten contact hours per renewal period of continuing education/in-service education applicable to nursing practice.”
“Biennial competency requirements (with each renewal).”
“Each active licensee must maintain evidence of compliance for four years from when the requirements are completed. This documentation must be produced for inspection and verification within thirty days of a written request by the board.”
“APRN with Certificate of Fitness supply the following:”
“TWO contact hours (minimum) of continuing education designed specifically to address controlled substance prescribing practices.”
- Tennessee Department of Health — Board of Nursing ↗www.tn.gov · HTML · Retrieved Oct 12, 2026
Quoted wording (3)
“Once licensed, nurses renew their licenses every two years.”
“Once licensed, nurses renew their licenses every two years. Renewal notices are mailed from the administrative office forty-five days prior to expiration of the license to the current address on file.”
“Licenses may be renewed online up to sixty days prior to expiration”