CE Broker and KBN Changes: What Kentucky Nurses Need to Know

• CE Broker is now the official CE tracking system for the Kentucky Board of Nursing.
  
• Nursing CE Central breaks down all of the CE Broker and KBN changes that Kentucky nurses need to know, heading into the 2021 renewal period and beyond.

If you‘re a nurse in the state of Kentucky or you actively hold a Kentucky nursing license, this one‘s for you! According to the Kentucky Board of Nursing, CE Broker is now the official CE tracking system for the Commonwealth. CE Audit notifications relating to the CE Broker and KBN partnership were sent via email, by CE Broker, on February 1, 2021. CE Broker will now track your CE renewal requirements and will make your nursing license management a breeze.  

The Continuing Education Competency earning period for the state of Kentucky is November 1st through October 31st. 

The entire purpose of mandatory continuing education/competency based on Kentucky law, is to ensure that there is evidence of a nurse‘s efforts to maintain and update their nursing knowledge and skills.  

Kentucky Nurses will be able to access their free CE Broker accounts beginning March 1, 2021. CE Broker offers, and allows you to actually have, three different account types. You can choose from the following:

1. A Free Account– This account type is only required for purposes of the audit, and includes access to features for:

• Finding your appropriate courses
• Managing your official CE documents
• Access to your CE compliance status
• Report CE activities to your board

2. A Professional Account– This account type serves as an Automated Compliance Calculator, allowing you to be able to:

• See detailed renewal requirement
• Check your compliance status at any tim
• Know when your requirements have been me
• Get alrerts from your regulating agenc
• Stores all your certificates

3. A Concierge Account– This account type serves as Full Reporting Service, and includes convenience factors such as:

• Everything you get from a professional account
• All of the reporting is done for you
• Ensuring you are compliant
• Finding additional CE’s

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Nursing CE Central is a continuing education provider that is nationally approved by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). We are also a Kentucky Board of Nursing (KBN) approved provider of CEUs. In order to offer the most convenience for busy nurses across the country, we automatically reporter to CE Broker. If you take our courses you can rest assured that we are fully accredited, approved by the KBN, and will automatically send your CE courses to CE Broker with no hassle!

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What Do I Do If I Get Audited?

With the current union of CE Broker and KBN processes, if you are now selected as part of an audit, just follow the following steps to complete the auditing process:

1. Select one of the options provided by the state of Kentucky to validate your completion of the nursing continuing competency for the CE audit. Review your documents to ensure they meet the requirements for the option selected.

2. Register for a free CE Broker account. CE Broker offers three types of accounts, but this is the only one needed to submit CE validation documents for audit.

3. Upload all documents required for submission to your CE Broker account.

Contact CE Broker Support at [email protected] for assistance in registering for your Basic CE Broker account and uploading documents.

What if I Have Been Out of Practice for the Last Year Due to COVID or Other Circumstances?

If you are a nurse who has been out of practice over the last year, prior to CE Broker and KBN process changes, here’s what you will need to know and do, according to the Kentucky Board of Nursing:

1. Review continuing education competency requirements.

There are multiple options for the RN, LPN, and APRN to verify continuing education competency. Review the options available for RNs, LPNs, and APRNs, and the documents required for each.

2. Gather the required certificates and documents.

– Review the documents to be sure they are complete and include your name and a date of completion within the 2020 earning period, November 1, 2019 – October 31, 2020.

– Continuing education completion certificates must include your name, date of completion; the number of contact hours awarded; the approved provider’s information; and who approved the providership to offer nursing continuing education.

– Save each document to your computer in pdf format.

– Upload required pdf documents to CE Broker.

CE Broker and KBN FAQ’s

(Q) How do I submit my certificates or validation of competency?

(A) If you use an approved CE provider that automatically reports your certificates to CE broker, then CE Broker will do the work for you. If you use a CE provider that does not automatically report your certificates to CE Broker, you will have to manually have to enter the certificate.

(Q) What if I completed a CE course, and it is not showing up on CE broker?

(A) First, I would contact the CE provider that you went through to receive your CEU. Ensure that they automatically report your CE certificates to CE Broker. If you use a CE provider that does not automatically report your certificates to CE Broker, you will have to manually enter the certificate.

(Q) Do I need to keep a copy of my certificates myself?

(A) You are not required to do this, but for the sake of completeness, I would. I have made it a habit to keep a copy of every document that goes toward CE requirements, in case the person you are giving them to loses them.

(Q) Who do I pay my licensure renewal fee to?

(A) You still pay your licensure fee to the Kentucky Board of Nursing (KBN), just as you always have.

(Q) Do I need to upload certificates from prior renewal periods?

(A) No. This process takes effect starting for the year 2021, so previous renewal periods do not apply.

(Q) How does the process work if you are meeting your CE competency in other ways, other than a CE certificate?

(A) This information has not yet been released. Please await updates from KBN on this matter.

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