21 NCAC 36 .0807             CONTINUING EDUCATION (CE)

(a)  In order to maintain nurse practitioner approval to practice, the nurse practitioner shall earn 50 contact hours of continuing education activity every two years, beginning with the first renewal after initial approval to practice has been granted. A minimum of 20 hours of the required 50 hours must be within the nurse practitioner's national certification. The 20 hours must have approval from a national credentialing body or Accreditation Council on Continuing Medical Education (ACCME). A nurse practitioner who possesses a current national certification by a national credentialing body shall be deemed in compliance with the requirement of Paragraph (a) of this Rule.

(b)  Prior to prescribing controlled substances as the same are defined in 21 NCAC 36 .0809(2), nurse practitioners shall have completed a minimum of one CE hour within the preceding 12 months on 1 or more of the following topics:

(1)           Controlled substances prescription practices;

(2)           Prescribing controlled substances for chronic pain management;

(3)           Recognizing signs of controlled substance abuse or misuse; or

(4)           Non-opioid treatment options as an alternative to controlled substances.

(c)  Nurse practitioners who complete the federally required training under the Medication Access and Training Expansion Act (MATE), 21 U.S.C. 823(l), shall be deemed in compliance with the controlled substance prescribing requirements of this Rule for the two-year CE period in which the MATE training was completed.

(d)  Documentation of all CE completed within the previous five years shall be maintained by the nurse practitioner and made available upon request to either Board.

History Note:        Authority G.S. 90-8.2; 90-14(a)(15); 90-18(c)(14); 90-171.23(b)(14); 90-171.42; S.L. 2015-241, s 12F;

Recodified from 21 NCAC 36 .0227(f) Eff. August 1, 2004;

Amended Eff. March 1, 2017; December 1, 2009; April 1, 2008; August 1, 2004;

Readopted Eff. January 1, 2019;

Amended Eff. July 1, 2024; June 1, 2023; June 1, 2021.