Last verified 2026-10-17 against official board sources · Spot an error?
The biggest 2026 changes: Maryland now requires one-time implicit bias and structural racism training at renewal, Texas nurses must enter CE in the Nurse Portal CE Module before renewing, Washington's first health equity hours came due, Oregon dropped practice hours, and New York mandated reporters must finish an updated child abuse course by November 17, 2026.
Jump to: New York · Maryland · Texas · Maryland · Washington · Oregon · Topics: Implicit bias and cultural competency CE · Human trafficking CE · Opioid, pain management and substance use CE · Child abuse recognition and reporting training · Alzheimer's and dementia CE
Nursing CE changes in 2026, newest first
Nov 17, 2026 (deadline) · New York
Who: Mandated reporters, including RNs and NPs
What changed: Mandated reporters must complete the updated child abuse identification and reporting curriculum, which adds content on children with intellectual or developmental disabilities (Chapter 25 of the Laws of 2024). Those trained between Nov 1, 2022 and Aug 31, 2025 can take a 15-minute addendum.
What to do: Check your training date and finish the updated course or addendum by Nov 17, 2026.
Official source · Child abuse training by state · Logged Oct 17, 2026
Oct 2026 renewals · Maryland
Who: Maryland nurses renewing
What changed: Renewals for licenses expiring in Aug 2025, Sept 2025, Sept 2026 and Oct 2026 require a criminal background check, and the board says processing takes longer.
What to do: Start the background check early if your license is in one of those months.
Official source · Logged Oct 17, 2026
Sept 1, 2026 · Texas
Who: All Texas nurses renewing or reactivating
What changed: Nurses must enter CE compliance information in the Texas Nurse Portal CE Module before they can submit a renewal or reactivation application.
What to do: Enter your CE in the portal before you renew.
Official source · How to use the Texas CE Module · Logged Oct 17, 2026
Who: All Maryland renewal applicants
What changed: At the first renewal after this date, nurses attest to approved implicit bias and structural racism training. It's one-time, and implicit bias training already completed for a prior renewal needn't be repeated.
What to do: Take an approved structural racism course (and implicit bias, if you haven't) before you renew.
Official source · Implicit bias CE by state · Logged Oct 17, 2026
2026 renewal (deadline) · Washington
Who: Washington RNs and LPNs
What changed: The first 2 hours of health equity CE are due by each nurse's 2026 renewal date, then 2 hours every renewal period, within the 8 hours.
What to do: Make sure 2 of your 8 hours are health equity CE.
Official source · Implicit bias and health equity CE by state · Logged Oct 17, 2026
Jan 1, 2026 · Oregon
Who: Oregon LPNs, RNs and APRNs
What changed: Practice hours are no longer required to show competency. The 1-hour pain management (36 months) and 2-hour cultural competency (48 months) requirements remain.
What to do: Keep your pain management and cultural competency hours current.
Official source · Pain management CE by state · Logged Oct 17, 2026
Coming up in 2027-2028
- Jan 1, 2028, Oregon: LPNs and RNs will need 20 CE hours for renewal; APRNs will need national certification or 75 hours. (source)
- Oct 31, 2027, Kentucky: Nurses holding an active license on July 15, 2024 must complete 1 contact hour on Alzheimer's disease and other dementias by Oct 31, 2027. (source)
Older changes nurses still miss
- Jan 1, 2025, Illinois: A 1-hour cultural competency course every 6 years (Public Act 103-0531), separate from the implicit bias hour. (source)
- Mar 2025, Texas: HHSC revised its human trafficking course standards and is re-reviewing approved courses. Check the list before you take one. (source)
- Jan 1, 2024, Nevada: Cultural competency rose from 2 to 4 hours each renewal cycle. (source)
How we track rule changes
We re-check every state against its official board source on the schedule in our methodology, and add an entry here only once it has an official source. Spot a change we missed? Report it.
FAQ
What changed in nursing CE requirements in 2026?
Maryland added one-time implicit bias and structural racism training at renewal, Texas began requiring CE entry in the Nurse Portal CE Module before renewal, Washington's first health equity hours came due, Oregon dropped practice hours, and New York set a November 17, 2026 deadline for updated child abuse training.
Did Maryland add a new CE requirement for nurses in 2026?
Yes. Since April 1, 2026, Maryland nurses must attest at their first renewal after that date that they completed approved implicit bias and structural racism training. It's required only once. Nurses who already completed implicit bias training for an earlier renewal need only the structural racism portion, from an approved program.
Does Oregon still require practice hours for nurses?
No. As of January 1, 2026, Oregon no longer requires practice hours to show competency. Beginning January 1, 2028, LPNs and RNs will need 20 hours of continuing education for renewal.
When is New York's updated child abuse training due?
Mandated reporters, including registered nurses, must complete the updated child abuse identification and reporting curriculum by November 17, 2026.
Sources & last verified
Every entry last verified Oct 17, 2026 against the official source linked with it.
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