State Board of Nursing Opioid Prescription and Education and Organ Donation Education

In 2016, Act 124 was enacted to require all prescribers and dispensers to obtain 2 hours of mandatory education regarding pain management or the identification of addiction, 2 hours of education in the practices of prescribing or dispensing of opioids within 1 year of obtaining prescriptive authority and an additional 2 hours of education in any of the three topics per biennium as a condition of prescriptive authority biennial renewal. Shortly after enactment, Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs met with the Department of Health (DOH) to discuss curricula required by Act 124 (2016). Because the opioid education required was readily available from multiple board-approved providers and is incorporated into many CRNP nursing education programs' advanced pharmacology courses, a decision was made not to mandate a specific curriculum. However, for guidance, DOH has posted seven modules that fit within the mandated education on its webpage at https://www.pa.gov/agencies/health/healthcare-and-public-health-professionals/pdmp/education.

In addition, the General Assembly amended 20 Pa.C.S.A. § 8628 (express anatomical gifts) to require registered nurses to complete at least 2 hours of board-approved continuing education in organ donation one time within 5 years of initial licensure or within 5 years of licensure renewal, whichever occurs first. The Board worked with DOH, State Boards of Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine, organ procurement organizations,  and other agencies to develop an approved curriculum for continuing education in organ donation which is now available for providers. The continuing education requirement in organ and tissue donation and recovery will apply beginning May 1, 2026.

For more information, please review the November 1, 2025 edition of the Pennsylvania Bulletin.