Washington State Board of Nursing
Washington Nursing CE Requirements
Washington RNs and LPNs need 8 hours of continuing education every year. 3 state-mandated topics may apply, depending on the license and practice.
At a glance
Washington nursing license renewal
| Licenses covered | Registered nurse (RN), Licensed practical nurse (LPN) [1] |
|---|---|
| CE required for renewal | Yes [1] |
| Hours per renewal | 8 hours [2] |
| CE period | Every year [2] |
| Renewal deadline | Licenses expire on the nurse's birthday and RNs must renew every year by their birthday; online renewal opens 85–90 days before expiry. [5] |
| State-mandated topics | Health equity (including implicit bias); Suicide assessment, treatment and management; Telemedicine training [3] |
| What CE counts | Any continuing education related to the practice of nursing, including employer or institution training, self-study or accredited courses; formal CEUs or CNE credits are not required. [7] |
State-mandated topics
- Health equity (including implicit bias) — 2 hours [3]
All RNs and LPNs, every year at renewal; the training must include implicit bias training. The hours count toward the 8. First due by the second full CE reporting period after initial licensure or the 2026 renewal, whichever is later.
- Suicide assessment, treatment and management — 6 hours [2]
RNs (except those holding an active certified registered nurse anesthetist license) and LPNs, once, by the end of the first full year of licensure. The course must be on the Department of Health model list; the hours count toward the CE requirement.
- Telemedicine training [2]
Nurses who provide clinical services through telemedicine must complete the requirements of RCW 43.70.495. Telemedicine training hours can count toward the CE requirement.
Good to know
- Nurses must also complete at least 96 hours of active nursing practice in the 12 months before renewal; this is in addition to the CE hours. [2]
- The CE and practice requirements must be met within the renewal period and cannot be carried over. [1]
- At renewal the nurse attests to completing the practice and CE hours; the Board may audit nurses at random. [2]
- A nurse who is enrolled in, or has completed prerequisite classes for, an advanced nursing education program is exempt from the continuing competency requirements for the current review period. [2]
- ARNPs have separate requirements on a two-year cycle, including 30 CE hours and active certification in each area of advanced practice. [7]
Rules change, and your own license record decides your deadline. Confirm with the Washington State Board of Nursing ↗ before you renew.
Free continuing education
Free nursing CE
The Washington State 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
Washington nursing CE, answered
How many CE hours do Washington nurses need?
Washington RNs and LPNs need 8 hours of continuing education every year. 3 state-mandated topics may apply, depending on the license and practice. Licenses expire on the nurse's birthday and RNs must renew every year by their birthday; online renewal opens 85–90 days before expiry.
Does Washington require specific CE topics for nurses?
Health equity (including implicit bias) (2 hours): All RNs and LPNs, every year at renewal; the training must include implicit bias training. The hours count toward the 8. First due by the second full CE reporting period after initial licensure or the 2026 renewal, whichever is later. Suicide assessment, treatment and management (6 hours): RNs (except those holding an active certified registered nurse anesthetist license) and LPNs, once, by the end of the first full year of licensure. The course must be on the Department of Health model list; the hours count toward the CE requirement. Telemedicine training: Nurses who provide clinical services through telemedicine must complete the requirements of RCW 43.70.495. Telemedicine training hours can count toward the CE requirement.
Do free online CE courses count in Washington?
Any continuing education related to the practice of nursing, including employer or institution training, self-study or accredited courses; formal CEUs or CNE credits are not required. 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.
- Washington State Board of Nursing — Continuing Competency ↗nursing.wa.gov · HTML · Retrieved Oct 12, 2026
Quoted wording (8)
“Registered Nurse (RN) Continuing Competency Requirements”
“Licensing Practical Nurse (LPN) Continuing Competency Requirements”
“Washington nurses must meet continuing education and practice requirements to renew their license.”
“Complete 8 continuing education hours (2 of these hours must be heath equity CE)”
“These hours count toward the RN & LPN required 8 hours total of continuing education every renewal period listed below.”
“These requirements must be done in the renewal period and can't carry over”
“Has 30 continuing education hours”
“Holds an active certification in each area of advanced practice”
- Washington Administrative Code — WAC 246-840-220 Continuing competency requirements, active status ↗app.leg.wa.gov · HTML · Retrieved Oct 12, 2026
Quoted wording (10)
“A minimum of eight hours of continuing nursing education of which at least two hours must be on health equity training, as specified in WAC 246-840-222.”
“A nurse shall complete within a 12-month period prior to the renewal of licensure”
“A registered nurse, except for registered nurses holding an active certified registered nurse anesthetist license, and licensed practical nurses must complete a one-time, six-hour training in suicide assessment, treatment, and management from a qualified suicide prevention training program. The training must be completed by the end of the first full year of licensure.”
“A qualified suicide training program must be on the department of health model list, required under RCW 43.70.442, to be accepted.”
“The hours spent completing a qualified training program in suicide assessment, treatment, and management under this section counts toward continuing competency requirements”
“A nurse providing clinical services through telemedicine shall complete requirements under RCW 43.70.495.”
“A nurse shall complete within a 12-month period prior to the renewal of licensure”
“A minimum of 96 hours of active nursing practice; and”
“Upon license renewal a nurse shall attest on a form provided by the department of health declaring completion of the required active nursing practice hours and continuing nursing education hours.”
“A nurse who is enrolled in, or has completed prerequisite classes for, an advanced nursing education program is exempt from the continuing competency requirements during their current review period.”
- Washington Administrative Code — WAC 246-840-222 Continuing competency requirements, health equity continuing education ↗app.leg.wa.gov · HTML · Retrieved Oct 12, 2026
Quoted wording (4)
“Nurses must complete a minimum of two hours of health equity continuing education every year upon license renewal”
“The hours spent completing health equity continuing education under this section count toward meeting applicable continuing education requirements for nurse license renewal”
“Implicit bias training to identify strategies to reduce bias during assessment and diagnosis.”
“The health equity continuing education training must be completed by the second full continuing education reporting period after initial licensure or 2026 renewal, whichever is later.”
- Washington Administrative Code — WAC 246-840-230 Continuing competency audit process and compliance ↗app.leg.wa.gov · HTML · Retrieved Oct 12, 2026
Quoted wording (2)
“The board may conduct a compliance audit”
“Through random selection; and”
- Washington Administrative Code — WAC 246-12-030 How to renew a credential ↗app.leg.wa.gov · HTML · Retrieved Oct 12, 2026
Quoted wording (1)
“The expiration date for all credentials is the practitioner's birthday”
- Washington State Board of Nursing — Renew or Reactivate a License ↗nursing.wa.gov · HTML · Retrieved Oct 12, 2026
Quoted wording (3)
“All registered nurses in Washington state must renew annually by their birthday to remain active.”
“All registered nurses in Washington state must renew annually by their birthday to remain active.”
“You can renew your license online 85-90 days before your license expires”
- Washington State Board of Nursing — Continuing Competency Requirements FAQs ↗nursing.wa.gov · PDF · Retrieved Oct 12, 2026
Quoted wording (4)
“Health equity, suicide prevention and telemedicine training can be used to meet the continuing competency education requirements.”
“Any type of continuing education that is related to the practice of nursing meets the continuing education requirement. Training by an employer/institution, self-study training, or accredited courses may be counted.”
“The laws and rules do not require any continuing education hours to have formal CEUs or CNEs.”
“ARNP licensure is based on a 2-year cycle”