New Hampshire Nursing CE Requirements for RNs, LPNs, LNAs & HHAs
New Hampshire RNs and LPNs must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education during the two years immediately preceding license renewal. Nurses must also maintain recent active-practice experience and may be required to complete a Board-approved re-entry program when they have not practiced for at least 400 hours during the previous four years. New Hampshire also licenses nursing assistants: LNAs must complete 24 contact hours of continuing education every two years, and home health aides working for Medicare-certified agencies add the federal 12-hour annual in-service standard.
C-E-U.com offers online nursing continuing education that New Hampshire RNs and LPNs may use toward the 30-contact-hour requirement when the selected courses meet the Board’s standards. C-E-U.com is a Florida Board of Nursing continuing education provider, Provider #50-47308, and provides immediate completion certificates for CE documentation.
New Hampshire CE Requirements at a Glance
| RN | LPN | RN or LPN without sufficient recent practice | LNA | HHA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continuing Education Requirement | 30 contact hours | 30 contact hours | Board-approved re-entry process may be required | 24 contact hours of continuing education | 12 hours annual in-service (federal, 42 CFR 484.80) |
| New Hampshire-Specific Requirement | Must also meet the recent-practice standard or an applicable Board-approved re-entry pathway | Must also meet the recent-practice standard or an applicable Board-approved re-entry pathway | Applies when the nurse has not completed at least 400 hours of active nursing practice during the previous 4 years | At least 200 hours of LNA practice also required for renewal (Nur 401.05) | HHA work is LNA practice; no NH-specific hour add-on |
| Time Period | CE within the previous 2 years | CE within the previous 2 years | Based on practice history | Every 2 years | Each 12-month period |
Nursing Continuing Education — 30 Contact Hours
New Hampshire RNs and LPNs must complete at least 30 contact hours of continuing education within the two years immediately preceding license renewal or reinstatement. Qualifying education must be designed to enhance nursing knowledge, judgment, and skills.
New Hampshire RN/LPN Continuing Education — 30 Contact Hours
C-E-U.com offers online nursing continuing education that New Hampshire RNs and LPNs may use toward the 30-contact-hour requirement. Courses are self-paced and include defined learning objectives, stated contact hours, a completion assessment, and an immediate certificate for the nurse’s records.
C-E-U.com is a Florida Board of Nursing continuing education provider, Provider #50-47308. New Hampshire nurses should select nursing-related courses appropriate to their practice and retain their completion certificates for renewal and audit documentation.
New Hampshire LNA Continuing Education — 24 Contact Hours
New Hampshire licenses nursing assistants (LNAs) through the New Hampshire Board of Nursing, and LNA license renewal carries a real continuing-education requirement: at least 24 contact hours of continuing education during the two years immediately preceding renewal, along with at least 200 hours of nursing assistant practice in the same period, under Nur 401.05. LNAs employed by Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing facilities must also complete at least 12 hours of employer-provided in-service education each year under 42 CFR §483.95.
LNA Continuing Education — 24 Contact Hours per 2 Years
New Hampshire LNAs must complete at least 24 contact hours of continuing education relevant to nursing assistant practice during each two-year renewal period. C-E-U.com offers self-paced online courses covering infection prevention, resident and client safety, dementia care, communication, documentation, abuse and neglect prevention, and other practical topics, with an immediate certificate for each completed course. LNAs should retain their completion certificates as documentation for renewal and any Board audit.
New Hampshire Home Health Aide Annual In-Service Training
In New Hampshire, home health aide work is nursing assistant practice, so aides generally hold an active LNA license and follow the LNA continuing-education requirements above. Home health aides working for Medicare-certified home health agencies must also complete at least 12 hours of annual in-service training under the federal standard, 42 CFR §484.80, with no New Hampshire-specific hour add-on.
HHA Annual In-Service Training — 12 Hours
Home health aides must complete at least 12 hours of in-service training each year, covering topics relevant to their patient population. Our HHA courses provide practical education on safe care in the home, infection prevention, communication, documentation, client rights, and recognizing changes in a client's condition. Training must be accepted, supervised, and documented by the employing home health agency, and these hours can also count toward the LNA 24-hour continuing-education requirement when relevant to practice.
New Hampshire Nursing Continuing Education References and Resources
New Hampshire Board of Nursing — Official source for New Hampshire RN, LPN, APRN, and nursing-assistant licensing, renewal, applications, rules, and Board guidance.
New Hampshire Board of Nurses Education and Training — Explains the continuing education requirements for RN and LPN renewal and reinstatement, including the 30-contact-hour requirement.
New Hampshire Nursing Administrative Rules — Contains the official nursing rules governing continuing competence, renewal, reinstatement, re-entry, and advanced-practice education requirements.
New Hampshire RN and LPN Re-entry Process — Explains the Board-approved re-entry requirement for nurses who have not practiced for at least 400 hours during the four years immediately preceding application.
New Hampshire Nursing Profession FAQs — Provides answers about renewal, expired licenses, reinstatement, applications, and other nursing licensure issues.
New Hampshire RN Applications — Provides RN renewal, reinstatement, endorsement, and application information.
New Hampshire Board of Nursing Forms and Documents — Central location for nursing applications, checklists, forms, publications, and supporting Board documents.
New Hampshire CE Broker — Explains New Hampshire’s use of CE Broker for continuing education tracking and licensee compliance.
New Hampshire CE Broker FAQs — Answers common questions about CE reporting, free CE Broker accounts, tracking requirements, and licensee responsibilities.
New Hampshire Nursing License Reinstatement Checklist — Summarizes reinstatement requirements, including 30 continuing education hours and the 400-hour recent-practice standard.
New Hampshire LPN Reinstatement Application — Provides LPN reinstatement requirements and documentation related to continuing education and recent nursing practice.
New Hampshire Nursing Rules and Rulemaking Resources — Official General Court resource for current and recently adopted New Hampshire administrative rules.
New Hampshire LNA Applications and Renewal — Official OPLC page for Licensed Nursing Assistant applications, renewal, and licensing information.
N.H. Admin. Code Nur 401.05 — LNA Renewal Requirements — Establishes the 24-contact-hour continuing-education and 200-hour practice requirements for New Hampshire LNA license renewal.
Federal Home Health Aide Training Requirements — 42 CFR §484.80 — Federal regulation governing home health aide initial training and annual in-service education requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions: New Hampshire Nursing Continuing Education
New Hampshire RNs and LPNs must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education during the two years immediately preceding license renewal or reinstatement.
Yes. Online and independent-study courses may qualify when they are nursing-related, meet New Hampshire continuing-education standards, and provide appropriate completion documentation.
Yes. Nursing-related C-E-U.com courses may be used toward New Hampshire’s 30-contact-hour requirement when they meet the Board’s continuing-education standards. C-E-U.com is a Florida Board of Nursing continuing education provider, Provider #50-47308, and provides certificates documenting the course title, completion date, and contact hours.
New Hampshire’s general RN and LPN renewal requirement focuses on completing 30 qualifying contact hours. Nurses should also confirm whether a specialty, employer, disciplinary order, or separate credential requires particular subjects.
Yes. RNs and LPNs generally must document at least 400 hours of active nursing practice during the four years immediately preceding the application. Nurses who do not meet that threshold may need to complete a Board-approved re-entry process.
No. The continuing-education requirement and recent-practice requirement address different aspects of continuing competence. Completing 30 contact hours does not automatically replace the active-practice requirement when both apply.
The nurse may be required to complete a New Hampshire Board-approved re-entry program before returning to practice. The specific requirements depend on the nurse’s practice history and application status.
Yes. New Hampshire uses CE Broker to track continuing education for regulated professionals, including nursing licensees. OPLC states that mandatory CE Broker use began for designated boards in 2025.
C-E-U.com exports qualifying nursing continuing-education completions to CE Broker when applicable. Nurses should verify that reported courses appear correctly and retain their completion certificates for their records.
No. New Hampshire licensees are not required to purchase a paid CE Broker account. CE Broker provides a free account option for required tracking and reporting functions.
Yes. Nurses should retain their certificates even when completions are reported electronically. Certificates provide backup documentation if a report is delayed, incomplete, or questioned during review.
New Hampshire evaluates whether the education meets its nursing continuing-education standards rather than relying solely on a single state-maintained course list. Nurses remain responsible for selecting qualifying nursing-related activities and maintaining supporting documentation.
The hours must be completed during the two years immediately preceding renewal or reinstatement. Education completed outside that period generally should not be relied upon for the current renewal cycle.
A nurse with an expired license must follow the applicable reinstatement process and satisfy current continuing-education and continuing-competence requirements before resuming practice. Renewal and reinstatement applications are handled through New Hampshire OPLC.
New Hampshire Licensed Nursing Assistants must complete at least 24 contact hours of continuing education during the two years immediately preceding license renewal, along with at least 200 hours of nursing assistant practice in the same period, under Nur 401.05. Qualifying C-E-U.com courses relevant to nursing assistant practice may be used toward the 24-hour requirement, and LNAs should retain their completion certificates for renewal and audit purposes.
Yes. In New Hampshire, home health aide work is nursing assistant practice, so aides generally hold an active LNA license and follow the LNA 24-hour continuing-education requirement. Home health aides working for Medicare-certified home health agencies must also complete at least 12 hours of annual in-service training under 42 CFR §484.80. Relevant hours can serve both purposes when accepted and documented by the employing agency.
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