Tennessee Nurses CE Requirements, Accreditations & Approvals

Tennessee Nurses

In support of improving patient care, NetCE is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

The Tennessee Board of Nursing accepts courses from any provider who is ANCC accredited.

Continuing Education Requirement

The Tennessee Board of Nursing accepts NetCE courses.

RNs and LPNs are required any combination of two (2) of the following every two years:

• Five (5) contact hours of continuing education (10 if not practicing)
• Evidence of current national certification
• Copy of satisfactory employer evaluation
• Letter from peer providing satisfactory evaluation of your nursing performance
• Letter from patient or family member giving evidence of satisfactory nurse/patient relationship
• Copy of a contract of renewal or re-appointment to a nursing position
• Written self-evaluation based on the standards of competence listed in the rules
• A document that identifies two nursing goals and how those goals were met
• A letter from the agency where you volunteered as a nurse
• Documentation from a school of nursing stating that you participated in the education of nursing students
• Copy of a published article relevant to nursing written by the licensee
• Letter of satisfactory completion of a nursing refresher course
• Letter of satisfactory completion of a comprehensive nursing orientation program
• Official transcript (may be student issued) demonstrating two hours of nursing credit
• Evidence of successfully retaken NCLEX

APRNs are required to maintain national certification, plus one (1) option from RN/LPN list above. Licensees who hold a Certificate of Fitness (CF) to prescribe are also required 2 hours of prescribing controlled substances, which must include instruction in the TN Chronic Pain Guidelines.

Beginning with DEA initial registrations or renewals starting June 27, 2023, all DEA-registered practitioners (with the exception of DVM-only license holders) are required 8 hours on treating and managing patients with opioid or other substance use disorders, including the appropriate clinical use of all FDA-approved drugs for the treatment of a substance use disorder, one-time only.

View RN and LPN Special Offers
View APRN Special Offers
View Course List

All Accreditations and Approvals
License Renewal Instructions

For More Information

Please contact the Tennessee Board of Nursing at (615) 532-5166, or visit their website at https://www.tn.gov/health/health-program-areas/health-professional-boards/nursing-board/nursing-board/about.html.

Additional information regarding your continuing education requirements may be found at:
https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/health/healthprofboards/nursing/continuing-education/Continued%20Competence%20Req.pdf - All Licensees.
https://publications.tnsosfiles.com/rules/1000/1000-01.20210630.pdf - RNs (TAC Rule 1000-01-.14(2)(b).
https://publications.tnsosfiles.com/rules/1000/1000-02.20210630.pdf - LPNs (TAC Rule 1000-02-.14(2)(b).
https://publications.tnsosfiles.com/rules/1000/1000-04.20190812.pdf - APRNs with CF to prescribe (TAC Rule 1000-04-.05).