Updated for 2026

Illinois PMHNP Continuing Education Requirements

Illinois psychiatric nurse practitioners must complete 80 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew their APRN license, including 20 hours of pharmacology, 10 hours of opioid prescribing or substance abuse education (within pharmacotherapeutics), 1 hour of sexual harassment prevention, and 1 hour of implicit bias.

These are the Illinois APRN license requirements for a board-certified PMHNP who prescribes controlled substances. Your RN license, ANCC certification and DEA registration renew separately; see every credential.

80hours every 2 years
Topic minimums, counted within the 80
20pharmacology
10opioid prescribing or substance abuse education (within pharmacotherapeutics)
1sexual harassment prevention
1implicit bias

Next deadline: May 31, 2028The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by May 31 of even years.

Where this comes from
State source
Illinois board rule
Last verified
October 2026
Ruleset version
2026.2

Every figure on this page is read from this rule, and the page refreshes when the ruleset changes. How we verify

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Requirements

Illinois PMHNP requirements

Total

80 hoursYou need 80 hours every 2 years. The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by May 31 of even years.

Topic minimums, counted within the 80

The remaining 48 hours are not tied to a topic minimum.
Pharmacology
20
You need 20 hours each cycle.
Opioid prescribing or substance abuse education (within pharmacotherapeutics)
10
You need 10 hours each cycle.
Sexual Harassment Prevention
1
You need 1 hour each cycle.
Implicit Bias
1
You need 1 hour each cycle.

Limits on how the hours are earned

Teaching and publication combined
max 30 hrs

Cycle and record rules

Renewal
The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by May 31 of even years.
Renewal fee
The board renewal fee is $80 every 2 years.
New licensees
The 80 hours are not required at the first renewal of an Illinois APRN or FPA-APRN license (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1300.130(a)(4)). The one-hour sexual harassment prevention course is still required. The RN license's own first-renewal rule applies separately to the RN row, and the controlled substance license's opioid hour has no first-renewal exemption (il-csr.yaml).
Approved providers
Program hours must come from an approved sponsor (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1300.130(c)(1)): approved providers of the recognized certification bodies, CME conferences, ANCC-accredited or approved providers, ISAPN, AANP, NPACE, NACNS, ACNM, ANA-Illinois, the Illinois Nurses Association, providers approved by another state's board of nursing, Illinois nursing education programs, Illinois-licensed hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers, accredited schools and government agencies, or a sponsor licensed by IDFPR. "1 CME = 1 contact hour". Hours count only when earned between June 1 of the odd year before renewal and May 31 of the renewal year.
Recordkeeping
Keep CE documentation for 4 years after each renewal.
Board audit
The board may audit licensees to verify CE compliance.
Late renewal
A late renewal adds a late fee.

To keep your proof in order, see what to keep for a CE audit, which covers every state’s retention period and what the audit notice asks for.

Credential stack

Every credential an Illinois PMHNP renews

Each one renews on its own date, and a lapse at any of them stops prescribing. The ANCC certification and DEA registration are the same in every state.

  1. APRNAdvanced Practice Registered Nurse
    Illinois · Biennial

    80 CE hours every 2 years, including 20 hours of pharmacology, 10 hours of opioid prescribing or substance abuse education (within pharmacotherapeutics), 1 hour of sexual harassment prevention and 1 hour of implicit bias.

    Requirements above
  2. RNRegistered Nurse
    Illinois · Biennial

    20 CE hours every 2 years, including 1 hour of sexual harassment prevention and 1 hour of implicit bias.

    Illinois board rule
  3. CSRState Controlled Substance Registration
    Illinois · Biennial

    1 hour of safe opioid prescribing practices every 2 years.

    Illinois board rule
  4. PMHNP-BCPsychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Board Certified
    ANCC · Every 5 years

    75 CE hours every 5 years, including 25 hours of pharmacology.

    PMHNP-BC renewal requirements
  5. DEADEA Registration
    DEA · Triennial

    No recurring CE hours, but a one-time training applies.

    DEA renewal requirements
Your hours

Check where you stand

Enter the hours you have completed this cycle to see what is left before May 31, 2028.

Your result appears here as you enter hours.

Also hold a Illinois Psychologist or LPC license? Each board runs its own CE cycle. See the Illinois Psychologist and Illinois LPC requirements.

Illinois PMHNP required trainings and mandates

Beyond the 80-hour CE total, Illinois requires specific trainings. Some are due once around initial licensure, and others run on their own recurring schedule.

Recurring mandates outside the 2-year cycle

  • One-hour course on the diagnosis, treatment and care of individuals with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1130.550; 20 ILCS 2105/2105-365), from the first renewal requiring CE on or after January 1, 2023 and repeated once every six years. Applies only to APRNs who provide health care services to and have direct patient interactions with adults age 26 or older. Counts toward the 80 hours.
  • You need 1 hour of cultural competency every 6 years.
Full board policy details
  • National certification: "At the time of renewal, APRNs shall attest to continued, current national certification in their specialty" (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1300.40(a)), so the pmhnp bc row must be current to renew. Maintaining certification does NOT replace the 80 hours. The only certification credit is an exam: "Successful completion, during the prerenewal period, of a recertification exam in the APRN's area of specialty as recognized in Section 1300.10 may be used for 60 CE hours" (1300.130(b)(7)(B)). ANCC PMHNP-BC renewal is ordinarily by professional development rather than exam, so no gate on pmhnp bc is modeled; a licensee who renews by exam logs a 60-hour credit for it.
  • Full practice authority (225 ILCS 65/65-43(b)): an APRN becomes an FPA-APRN by attesting to "at least 250 hours of continuing education or training and at least 4,000 hours of clinical experience after first attaining national certification". That is a one-time eligibility showing, not a renewal requirement; the FPA-APRN renews on the same 80 hours (1300.40(a)).
  • Delegated Schedule II authority (720 ILCS 570/303.05(a)(2)(B)(vii)): an APRN without full practice authority who has been delegated Schedule II prescribing "must annually complete 5 hours of continuing education in pharmacology", and needs 45 graduate contact hours of pharmacology for a license issued with Schedule II authority after August 2011. This rides on the controlled substance license and is described in il-csr.yaml; the license context has no Schedule II delegation fact, so it is not enforced.
  • Skills certification courses (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1300.130(b)(6)): up to 5 CE hours, at most 2 for CPR and 3 for BLS, ACLS or PALS. Not modeled as a cap.
  • Alzheimer's disease and other dementias (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1130.550; 20 ILCS 2105/2105-365): one hour every six years for an APRN with direct patient interaction with adults age 26 or older. IDFPR's APRN FAQ: APRNs "who provide health care services to and have direct patient interaction with adults 26 years of age and older will be required to complete a one-hour course". Carried as an external mandate because patient age is not a license fact.
  • Mandated reporter training (325 ILCS 5/4(k)): the advanced practice registered nurse is listed medical personnel; one who works with children completes the training at least every 6 years and attests at each renewal, and one who does not attests instead. Gated on treats children below.
  • Statutorily mandated topics (20 ILCS 2105/2105-375(b)): a professional on a 2-year renewal "must complete all statutorily mandated topics within 3 renewal periods"; the six-year cultural competency and Alzheimer's cadence implements it.
  • Out-of-state CE (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1300.130(a)(6), (e)): hours used for another jurisdiction may count; a program not given by an approved sponsor needs individual approval with a $25 fee before participation or within 90 days before expiration, or a $50-per-hour late fee capped at $300.
  • Compacts: Illinois is not a Nurse Licensure Compact state and has not enacted the APRN Compact, which is in effect nowhere. The Illinois APRN license is single-state.

Illinois PMHNP CE: frequently asked questions

Which credentials does an Illinois PMHNP renew?

5 separate credentials, each on its own renewal date: the APRN (Illinois, biennial), the RN (Illinois, biennial), the CSR (Illinois, biennial), the PMHNP-BC (ANCC, every 5 years), and the DEA (DEA, triennial). A lapse at any one of them stops prescribing.

How many CE hours do Illinois PMHNP licensees need?

Illinois requires 80 continuing education hours every 2 years to renew a PMHNP license. The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by May 31 of even years.

How often do Illinois PMHNP licensees renew?

The renewal cycle is biennial, and CE is due by May 31 of even years.

How much does Illinois PMHNP license renewal cost?

The board's renewal fee is $80 every 2 years, per the Illinois board fee schedule. CE course costs are separate and set by course providers.

Are there subject-specific CE requirements for Illinois PMHNP licensees?

Yes. Illinois requires 20 hours of pharmacology, 10 hours of opioid prescribing or substance abuse education (within pharmacotherapeutics), 1 hour of sexual harassment prevention, 1 hour of implicit bias.

Is the first renewal different for new Illinois PMHNP licensees?

The 80 hours are not required at the first renewal of an Illinois APRN or FPA-APRN license (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1300.130(a)(4)). The one-hour sexual harassment prevention course is still required. The RN license's own first-renewal rule applies separately to the RN row, and the controlled substance license's opioid hour has no first-renewal exemption (il-csr.yaml).

Sources and verification

State source
Illinois board rule
Fee schedule
Illinois board fee schedule
Last verified
October 2026
Ruleset version
2026.2

We reviewed this page against the Illinois board source, and we refresh it from the compiled ruleset above. Methodology and disclaimer. Compliance data is for guidance only, not legal or board advice. Always confirm requirements with your licensing board before renewing. See something wrong? Report it

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Illinois guides & data

What to keep for a CE audit →Learn what boards ask for in a CE audit, how long each state says to keep certificates, and what the notice looks like, then use the printable checklist.Illinois mental health workforce data →56,193 active providers, or 441.8 per 100,000 residents, ranked 25 of 51. The page includes a county density map and free CSV downloads.

Other Illinois CE requirement pages

Illinois LPCIllinois LMFTIllinois LCSWIllinois Psychologist

PMHNP CE requirements in other states