Iowa Nursing Continuing Education: Requirements, Steps & Official Links

Direct answer

36 continuing-education hours during each three-year renewal cycle.

Iowa Nursing & Professional Midwifery ↗Verify license status ↗Nursing renewals ↗Continuing education ↗

Iowa factual snapshot for this workflow

Reviewed item	Jurisdiction-specific detail
Authority	Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing — Nursing & Professional Midwifery
Public verification	Iowa DIAL license verification
Renewal cycle	Every three years
Renewal deadline	The license expires on the fifteenth day of the licensee’s birth month; renewal opens up to 60 days before expiration.
Continuing competence	36 continuing-education hours during each three-year renewal cycle.
Fees	Renewal: $99; late renewal: $149.
Compact status	NLC member jurisdiction
Credentials	RN, LPN, ARNP
Phone	(515) 380-7308
Physical location	6200 Park Avenue, Suite 100, Des Moines, IA 50321

For Iowa, 6 primary official source records and 10 labeled official destinations support this jurisdiction guide. Source verification dates are shown separately from editorial release dates.

Core requirement36 continuing-education hours during each three-year renewal cycle.

Audit practiceDIAL can audit compliance; retain certificates and course details.

CredentialsRN, LPN, ARNP

Renewal cycleEvery three years

Continuing education or continuing competence rule

36 continuing-education hours during each three-year renewal cycle.

Mandatory topics, pathways and conditions

Use accepted nursing continuing-education activities.
Maintain records for four years.
ARNP requirements may include national certification maintenance in addition to state renewal.

Credential-specific checks

Credential note

Iowa routing note: Iowa nursing licensure is administered through DIAL. Licenses generally renew on a three-year cycle and expire on the fifteenth day of the licensee’s birth month.

Credential note

For Iowa, rN: verify the exact credential record, renewal rule and any credential-specific education or practice requirements.

Credential note

For Iowa, lPN: verify the exact credential record, renewal rule and any credential-specific education or practice requirements.

Credential note

ARNP: verify the exact credential record, renewal rule and any credential-specific education or practice requirements.

Credential note

Iowa RN: verify that the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing — Nursing & Professional Midwifery record or the specifically named registry shows the credential, current status and any separate approval required for the role. Renewal or competence requirements may differ from other Iowa credentials.

Credential note

Iowa LPN: verify that the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing — Nursing & Professional Midwifery record or the specifically named registry shows the credential, current status and any separate approval required for the role. Renewal or competence requirements may differ from other Iowa credentials.

Credential note

Iowa ARNP: verify that the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing — Nursing & Professional Midwifery record or the specifically named registry shows the credential, current status and any separate approval required for the role. Renewal or competence requirements may differ from other Iowa credentials.

Keep evidence for an audit

DIAL can audit compliance; retain certificates and course details.

Keep certificates and provider details for the published retention period.
Confirm course completion falls inside the correct renewal period.
Do not assume RN and APRN requirements are identical.
Check whether the provider reports electronically or whether you must upload documentation.

Common CE problems

CE or competence is not accepted

Compare the course, provider, date, credential and documentation with the exact Iowa rule: 36 continuing-education hours during each three-year renewal cycle. Retain evidence and use the authority’s upload or audit instructions.

Wrong credential rule

Return to the official source and match RN, LPN/LVN, APRN, first-renewal, certificate or assistant requirements before purchasing additional coursework.

Course not accepted

Confirm provider approval, topic, completion date and documentation against the authority instructions. A generic completion certificate does not prove acceptance.

Fraud and privacy safety

Begin every Iowa transaction from a reviewed authority domain (dial.iowa.gov) or a source-reviewed link on this guide.
Do not give a caller payment-card details, a password or a one-time code merely because the caller claims to represent Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing — Nursing & Professional Midwifery.
If threatened with immediate suspension or arrest, end the call and verify the issue through (515) 380-7308 or the secure Iowa account.
Use Verify License Status to confirm current status rather than a private lookup page or emailed screenshot.
Upload identity, background, education or legal documents only through a secure method explicitly named by Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing — Nursing & Professional Midwifery.
Before paying, verify the credential, transaction and amount against the current Iowa instructions; save the receipt and then verify the public record.
For Iowa, report a suspected licensing impersonation or phishing attempt to the authority and the relevant consumer-protection or law-enforcement channel.

Frequently asked questions

How much continuing education is required in Iowa?

36 continuing-education hours during each three-year renewal cycle.

Are there mandatory topics?

Use accepted nursing continuing-education activities. Maintain records for four years. ARNP requirements may include national certification maintenance in addition to state renewal.

Should I keep completion records?

DIAL can audit compliance; retain certificates and course details.

Can CE rules differ by credential?

Yes. RN, LPN/LVN, APRN, first-renewal, assistant and certificate-specific rules can differ.

What if CE does not appear in my account?

Can I use any online course?

No. Confirm accepted providers, course categories, mandatory topics and completion dates before purchasing a course.

Is CE always required for every renewal?

Not necessarily. Some jurisdictions use practice hours, competency pathways, exemptions or credential-specific requirements. Use the exact official rule.

Where do I verify CE information?

Use the official continuing education or competence source listed in the official-resource directory.