(a) As used in this section:

(1) “Commissioner” means the Commissioner of Public Health;

(2) “Contact hour” means a minimum of fifty minutes of continuing education and activities;

(3) “Department” means the Department of Public Health;

(4) “Licensee” means an advanced practice registered nurse licensed pursuant to § 20-94a; and

(5) “Registration period” means the one-year period for which a license has been renewed in accordance with § 19a-88 and is current and valid.

(b) Except as provided in this section, for registration periods beginning on and after October 1, 2014, a licensee applying for license renewal shall earn a minimum of fifty contact hours of continuing education within the preceding twenty-four-month period. Such continuing education shall: (1) Be in an area of the advanced practice registered nurse’s practice; (2) reflect the professional needs of the licensee in order to meet the health care needs of the public; (3) include at least five contact hours of training or education in pharmacotherapeutics; (4) include at least one contact hour of training or education in each of the following topics: (A) Infectious diseases, including, but not limited to, acquired immune deficiency syndrome and human immunodeficiency virus, (B) risk management, (C) sexual assault, (D) domestic violence, (E) cultural competency, and (F) substance abuse, including, but not limited to, prescribing controlled substances and pain management; (5) on and after January 1, 2016, include not less than two contact hours of training or education during the first renewal period in which continuing education is required and not less than once every six years thereafter on the topic of mental health conditions common to veterans and family members of veterans, including (A) determining whether a patient is a veteran or family member of a veteran, (B) screening for conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, risk of suicide, depression and grief, and (C) suicide prevention training; and (6) on and after January 1, 2020, may include not less than two contact hours of training or education during the first renewal period in which continuing education is required and not less than once every six years thereafter in diagnosing and treating cognitive or mental health conditions, including, but not limited to, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, delirium, related cognitive impairments and geriatric depression. For purposes of this section, qualifying continuing education activities include, but are not limited to, courses, including on-line courses, offered or approved by the American Nurses Association, Connecticut Hospital Association, Connecticut Nurses Association, Connecticut League for Nursing, a specialty nursing society or an equivalent organization in another jurisdiction, an educational offering sponsored by a hospital or other health care institution or a course offered by a regionally accredited academic institution or a state or local health department. The commissioner may grant a waiver of not more than ten contact hours of continuing education for an advanced practice registered nurse who: (A) Engages in activities related to the advanced practice registered nurse’s service as a member of the Connecticut State Board of Examiners for Nursing, established pursuant to § 20-88; or (B) assists the department with its duties to boards and commissions as described in § 19a-14.

(c) Each licensee applying for license renewal pursuant to § 19a-88 shall sign a statement attesting that he or she has satisfied the continuing education requirements of subsection (b) of this section on a form prescribed by the department. Each licensee shall retain records of attendance or certificates of completion that demonstrate compliance with the continuing education requirements of subsection (b) of this section for a minimum of three years following the year in which the continuing education activities were completed and shall submit such records or certificates to the department for inspection not later than forty-five days after a request by the department for such records or certificates.

(d) A licensee applying for the first time for license renewal pursuant to § 19a-88 is exempt from the continuing education requirements of this section.

(e) (1) A licensee who is not engaged in active professional practice in any form during a registration period shall be exempt from the continuing education requirements of this section, provided the licensee submits to the department, prior to the expiration of the registration period, a notarized application for exemption on a form prescribed by the department and such other documentation as may be required by the department. The application for exemption pursuant to this subdivision shall contain a statement that the licensee may not engage in professional practice until the licensee has met the requirements of this section.

(2) Any licensee who is exempt from the provisions of subsection (b) of this section for less than two years shall complete twenty-five contact hours of continuing education that meets the criteria set forth in subsection (b) of this section within the twelve-month period immediately preceding the licensee’s return to active professional practice.

(f) In individual cases involving medical disability or illness, the commissioner, or the commissioner’s designee, may grant a waiver of the continuing education requirements or an extension of time within which to fulfill the continuing education requirements of this section to any licensee, provided the licensee submits to the department an application for waiver or extension of time on a form prescribed by the department, along with a certification by a licensed physician, physician assistant or advanced practice registered nurse of the disability or illness and such other documentation as may be required by the commissioner. The commissioner or his or her designee may grant a waiver or extension for a period not to exceed one registration period, except that the commissioner or his or her designee may grant additional waivers or extensions if the medical disability or illness upon which a waiver or extension is granted continues beyond the period of the waiver or extension and the licensee applies for an additional waiver or extension.

(g) Any licensee whose license has become void pursuant to § 19a-88 and who applies to the department for reinstatement of such license pursuant to § 19a-14 shall submit evidence documenting successful completion of twenty-five contact hours of continuing education within the one-year period immediately preceding application for reinstatement.