Nebraska Physical Therapy CE Requirements (2026): 20 Hours Every 2 Years

Requirements Overview

Under Title 172 NAC 137, the Nebraska Board of Physical Therapy requires licensed physical therapists to log 20 contact hours of continuing education every 2-year (24-month) renewal cycle, with all PT licenses expiring November 1 of odd-numbered years. Physical therapist assistants have a separate, lower requirement of 10 hours on the same schedule.

The Board does not pre-approve individual courses or providers — any activity that relates to physical therapy theory, treatment, documentation, management, or education counts, as long as you keep proof of attendance. Home study and webinars are each capped at 10 hours per cycle, and a handful of alternate activities (presenting, publishing, supervising students, CPR certification) earn set amounts of credit under the rule's detailed point schedule.

Hours don't carry over between cycles — anything you complete counts only toward the 24-month period it falls in. The one-time Jurisprudence Examination (now the online NE JAM, replacing the older NE LAW format as of July 2025) is required before initial licensure, not for every renewal, though passing it can earn 5 hours of CE credit.

How You Can Complete Your CE

Nebraska CE Rules & Limits

Details specific to Nebraska that generic CE guides tend to miss:

• 1 contact hour = at least 60 minutes of participation in an organized learning experience. Academic credit converts at 15 contact hours per 1 semester credit hour, or 10 contact hours per 1 quarter credit hour (172 NAC 137, Section 002.06).
• Enhanced/alternate CE credit categories beyond ordinary course attendance: presenting a professional program = 1 hour per hour presented, max 4 hrs/cycle, first presentation only; publishing a refereed-journal article = 10 hours per article (5 hours for non-refereed), max 10 hrs/cycle combined publications; supervising a PT/PTA student = 1 hour per 160 contact hours of supervision, max 8 hrs/cycle (PT) or 4 hrs/cycle (PTA); passing the Jurisprudence (NE LAW/NE JAM) Examination (score >=600, not a free exam) = 5 hours; passing the free Nebraska Law Tutorial (100% score) = 1 hour (172 NAC 137, Section 011.02).
• The Jurisprudence Examination (formerly 'NE LAW', now the online 'Nebraska Jurisprudence Assessment Module' / NE JAM as of July 1, 2025) is a one-time requirement for initial licensure, not a recurring mandatory renewal topic; it can optionally be retaken/counted for 5 hours of CE credit toward a renewal cycle. The board page notes a brief registration interruption June 26-July 1, 2025 during the format transition.
• Fine-wire electromyography / dry needling privileges require a separate one-time pre-service/in-service training (anatomy, equipment, technique, sterile methods, test interpretation, etc.) or equivalent out-of-state authorization/board certification -- this is a one-time practice-privilege prerequisite under 172 NAC 137, Section 006, not part of the recurring 20-hour CE requirement.
• Reinstatement of an expired/lapsed license is governed by the general cross-profession rule 172 NAC 10 (172 NAC 137, Section 013: 'The applicant must meet the requirements set out in 172 NAC 10'); specific reinstatement CE-hour tiers are not detailed within the physical-therapy-specific rule itself, so no numeric reinstatement figures are asserted here.
• Board name/authority note: Nebraska licenses physical therapists through the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Division of Public Health, Licensure Unit; the 'Nebraska Board of Physical Therapy' is an advisory board that recommends rules and exam approval to the Department (172 NAC 137, Section 002.04), but does not itself pre-approve individual CE courses or providers.
• Non-acceptable CE subject matter is explicitly excluded per 172 NAC 137, Section 011.03, including business communications/operations topics unrelated to the theory or clinical application of physical therapy.

Provider Requirements

No board pre-approval of courses or providers. Per the board page: 'The Board of Physical Therapy does not pre-approve Continuing Education or Continuing Education Providers.' Per 172 NAC 137, 011.01: any activity or program accepted for renewal or reinstatement must relate to physical therapy and may focus on research, treatment, documentation, management, or education; the licensee/certificate holder is responsible for determining relevance and retaining documentation.

Tips for Nebraska PTs

• Track your 24-month window against your specific expiration date (November 1 of odd-numbered years) rather than the calendar year — hours completed outside that window don't count and don't carry forward.
• Cap home study and webinar-based CE at 10 hours each per cycle; relying too heavily on either category can leave you short since neither can cover your full 20-hour requirement alone.
• Since the Board doesn't pre-approve courses, keep your own documentation (date, location, course title, hours, signed certificate of attendance) for every activity in case of an audit.
• If you're a new licensee, note that the Jurisprudence Examination (NE JAM, formerly NE LAW) is an initial-licensure requirement, not a recurring renewal task — but retaking or passing it can still net you 5 CE hours if you need to fill your total.
• Higher-value activities like publishing a refereed journal article (10 hours) or supervising a PT/PTA student (up to 8 hours per cycle) can meaningfully offset your hour count if they fit your practice.

Sources

PT Requirements in Nearby States

Other Professions in Nebraska

All Physical Therapy CE Requirements by State

Open any other state's Physical Therapy CE requirements, or see the full Physical Therapy CE hub to compare every state in one table.