Updated for 2026

Texas PMHNP Continuing Education Requirements

Here's what a Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) must complete to renew in Texas.

These are the Texas 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.

Topic minimums
5pharmacology
3controlled substance prescribing

The renewal cycle is biennial, and your license renews at the end of your birth month.

Where this comes from
State source
Texas 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

Texas PMHNP requirements

Total

Texas sets no APRN hour total that applies to every board-certified PMHNP. The topic minimums below still apply. Your ANCC certification renewal sets its own hours, listed with your other credentials. The renewal cycle is biennial, and your license renews at the end of your birth month.

Topic minimums

Pharmacology
5
You need 5 hours each cycle.
Controlled Substance Prescribing
3
You need 3 hours each cycle.

Cycle and record rules

Renewal
The renewal cycle is biennial, and your license renews at the end of your birth month.
New licensees
For the first licensing period after initial Texas licensure the 20 contact hours (or national certification) are waived (22 TAC § 216.8(b)-(c)), provided the first renewal is filed on time or within 90 days after expiration. The targeted requirements still apply: the nursing jurisprudence and ethics hours when due, population-targeted hours, and for APRNs the pharmacotherapeutics, controlled-substance and opioid hours that match the licensee's prescriptive authority.
Approved providers
Hours must come from "programs approved by a credentialing agency or provider recognized by the Board" (22 TAC § 216.3(a)): ANCC-accredited providers and approvers, AANP, other boards of nursing, and the Board-recognized credentialing agencies on its list. "Category I Continuing Medical Education (CME) contact hours will meet requirements as described in this chapter, unless otherwise prohibited" (§ 216.3(c)(7)), except the jurisprudence and ethics hours. Hours count only in the licensing period in which they were earned; "Additional contact hours earned may not be used for subsequent licensure renewals" (§ 216.8(a)).
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 a Texas 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
    Texas · Biennial

    5 hours of pharmacology and 3 hours of controlled substance prescribing every 2 years.

    Requirements above
  2. RNRegistered Nurse
    Texas · Biennial

    No fixed CE hour total applies to a board-certified, prescribing PMHNP.

    Requirements above
  3. CSRState Controlled Substance Registration
    Texas

    Texas does not issue a separate CSR.

  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 your renewal.

Your result appears here as you enter hours.

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

Texas PMHNP required trainings and mandates

Texas also 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

  • HHSC-approved human trafficking prevention course required as a condition of each renewal for a nurse who provides direct patient care (22 TAC § 216.3(i); Tex. Occ. Code ch. 116 governs course approval). Renewals on or after September 1, 2020. Completion is attested at renewal; the board does not set a contact-hour figure, so any logged completion tagged human trafficking satisfies it.
  • You need 2 hours of law & ethics every 6 years.
Full board policy details
  • National certification in place of the 20 hours: "A nurse may choose to demonstrate compliance with the continuing competency requirements by achieving, maintaining, or renewing a Board-approved national nursing certification in the nurse's area of practice within the licensing period in lieu of completing 20 contact hours" (22 TAC § 216.3(b)). The board approves "Any certification accredited by the Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification", which covers ANCC's PMHNP-BC, so the 20-hour total is gated on not holding `pmhnp bc`. The board is explicit that "Certification may not be used to fulfill the Nursing Jurisprudence and Nursing Ethics CNE requirement" nor the pharmacotherapeutics or controlled-substance hours, and those requirements are therefore not gated.
  • Forensic evidence collection (22 TAC § 216.3(d)): a nurse who performs forensic examinations on sexual assault survivors must have basic forensic evidence collection training before doing so, and a nurse employed in an emergency room setting must complete two contact hours on forensic evidence collection within two years of starting that employment. Both are one-time and tied to employment setting rather than to the license, so they are not modeled for this population.
  • Human trafficking prevention (22 TAC § 216.3(i)): "A nurse, including an APRN, who provides direct patient care must complete a human trafficking prevention course approved by the Health and Human Services Commission. This requirement applies to the renewal of a license on or after September 1, 2020." The course is an HHSC-approved training rather than a contact-hour requirement, so it is carried as an external mandate below, satisfied by any logged completion tagged human trafficking.
  • Reactivation and delinquent renewal (22 TAC § 216.8(d)-(e)): a license inactive or delinquent for less than four years is renewed on 20 contact hours, or certification in the prior area of practice, earned within the two years before the application, and the licensee is then exempt from the continuing competency requirement for the immediate licensing period except the targeted requirements. Four or more years requires the § 217.6 or § 217.9 reactivation path. The catch-up equals the standard requirement, so no conditional block is needed.

Texas PMHNP CE: frequently asked questions

Which credentials does a Texas PMHNP renew?

4 separate credentials, each on its own renewal date: the APRN (Texas, biennial), the RN (Texas, biennial), the PMHNP-BC (ANCC, every 5 years), and the DEA (DEA, triennial). Texas issues no separate CSR. A lapse at any one of them stops prescribing.

How often do Texas PMHNP licensees renew?

The renewal cycle is biennial, and your license renews at the end of your birth month.

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

Yes. Texas requires 5 hours of pharmacology, 3 hours of controlled substance prescribing.

Is the first renewal different for new Texas PMHNP licensees?

For the first licensing period after initial Texas licensure the 20 contact hours (or national certification) are waived (22 TAC § 216.8(b)-(c)), provided the first renewal is filed on time or within 90 days after expiration. The targeted requirements still apply: the nursing jurisprudence and ethics hours when due, population-targeted hours, and for APRNs the pharmacotherapeutics, controlled-substance and opioid hours that match the licensee's prescriptive authority.

Sources and verification

State source
Texas board rule
Last verified
October 2026
Ruleset version
2026.2

We reviewed this page against the Texas 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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Texas 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.Texas mental health workforce data →68,626 active providers, or 216.4 per 100,000 residents, ranked 50 of 51. The page includes a county density map and free CSV downloads.

Other Texas CE requirement pages

Texas LPCTexas LMFTTexas LCSWTexas PsychologistTexas Addiction Counselor

PMHNP CE requirements in other states