The Ultimate Nursing Continuing Education Guide

Nursing CEUs AKA continuing education is any professional activity, course, or program that is designed to provide a healthcare provider with updated knowledge and skills that can be transferred into their everyday practice, ensuring optimal patient care. Nursing CE is known by many different monikers, and they are often used interchangeably. Let’s take a look at the different ways nursing CE can be referred to below:

There are several different options for obtaining nursing CEU, but the most convenient, cost-effective method is online. Nurses are already juggling a heavy workload, long shifts, and understaffing – the last thing you’ll want to do is spend a precious day off sitting in a class. Online nursing CE activities are a great way to knock out those CE requirements from the comfort of your own home, while also saving money you’d probably be spending on supplies, books, or the commute to and from the class. You’re able to work at your own pace instead of at the pace of an instructor and can work free of distractions. Often, online nursing CE programs are much more affordable than in-person options, making this option attractive to nursing professionals whose employers provide little to no financial support for continuing education activities. If you’d like to refer back to your course materials at any point during the year, most websites will have that information readily accessible for you to review if you need a quick refresher.

In Person: In-person options for continuing education can vary, and contact hours may be obtained by attending courses or classes that are required for you to perform essential job functions. Some examples of these activities include:

• Trauma Nursing Core Course (TNCC)
• Advanced Trauma Care for Nurses (ATCN)
• Oncology tumor boards (organization specific, be sure to check with your credentialing office to confirm that these contact hours will transfer to nursing CEUs)
• Hospital skills fairs (again, this is organization specific)

While this may seem like an easy option, some state nursing boards do not accept these courses for licensure renewal. The best way to ensure you are able to count these hours towards your requirements is to check with your state nursing board. There will be a list of approved courses on the website and it will definitively answer any questions you have about whether these courses or activities count.

The American Heart Association (AHA) offers CME and nursing CE credits for many of its course offerings, both online and in-person. Courses that offer CE/CME through the AHA include:

Instructor-led in-person courses:

• Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS)
• ACLS for Experienced Providers (ACLS EP)
• Basic Life Support (BLS)
• Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)
• Pediatric Advanced Emergency Assessment, Recognition, and Stabilization (PEARS)

Blended (in-person and online component) courses:

• HeartCode® BLS
• HeartCode ACLS
• HeartCode PALS
• Heartsaver® First Aid CPR AED Online
• Heartsaver CPR AED Online
• Heartsaver First Aid Online
• Heartsaver Pediatric First Aid CPR AED Online

E-learning courses:

• Heartsaver Bloodborne Pathogens Online

Organizations and institutions that provide nursing CEU must be accredited by an approved certifying body, and requirements can vary by state. The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) is universally accepted as the gold standard for nursing continuing education, and courses that have been accredited by the ANCC are accepted by all state boards of nursing. Taking an ANCC-accredited course may also boost your chances of promoting within your organization and increase your earning potential, so keep that in mind when shopping for nursing CE courses.

Most states will also accept CEUs that are provided by another state’s board of nursing. Be sure to check into a course’s accreditation status and whether it will be accepted by your state’s board of nursing before committing to and paying for it.

Nursing CEU can be broken down into two categories: free and paid. While “free” always sounds like the best option, these courses are not always the best way to get your CE. Websites that market free nursing CEU may not be accredited by the ANCC or a state nursing board-approved organization, which means they won’t count toward your annual or biannual requirements for licensure renewal. That’s not to say that all free Nursing CEU is not accredited, though! Just be sure to verify that the course or program is accredited by an approved organization so you are getting credit for your time spent.

Paid CEUs are much more reliable and are more than likely accredited by the ANCC or another approved organization. Furthermore, you get what you pay for – paid CEU courses are often of higher quality, have more features and methods of information delivery, and may be more current with evidence-based practice changes. User-friendly sites like Nursing CE Central offer a flat rate package deal, where you pay a one-time fee and are then granted access to unlimited CE courses with immediate access to your certificates. This is extremely helpful when you’re in a time crunch and need to get those contact hours ASAP.

If you are a member of a nurse union, or if you work for a larger health organization, chances are you will be reimbursed for a certain amount towards your continuing education. If you are not a member of a union or you work for a smaller health organization or practice, you will more than likely be able to write-off the cost of your continuing education on your taxes.

The world of nursing continuing education can be difficult to navigate, so here are a few important points to remember:

1. Nursing CEU requirements vary by state. As evidenced by the table above, many states have differing requirements for nursing continuing education. To be on the safe side, always check with your state board of nursing’s website to verify the continuing education requirements they have set forth.
2. Your state may not require any Nursing CEU. There are currently 11 states that do not require nursing CE: Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wisconsin. This absolutely does not mean that you shouldn’t do nursing CEUs, it just means that you don’t have to have completed them in order to renew your nursing license.
3. The time period during which you complete CE matters. In order for you to use your contact hours to get credit for license renewal, the CEUs must have been completed before your license expires. This is another great reason to utilize a website like Nursing CE Central – your certificates are immediately available and the information you view will be readily accessible to you throughout the year. Another important thing to remember: Any contact hours above the minimum requirement cannot be rolled over for the next year. If you do extra CEUs, good for you! You’ll be that much more prepared to deliver quality care to your patients.
4. You may need to complete contact hours in a certain subject, if required by your state board of nursing. There are a few states that require continuing education in a specific subject matter. Remember, check your state’s board of nursing website regularly as nursing continuing education requirements may change on a yearly basis. Here are the states that currently have subject-specific requirements:
   • Florida – 2 hours for medical errors, 2 hours for Florida state laws and rules, 1 hour of HIV/AIDS training (for the first renewal only), and 2 hours of domestic violence CE (every third renewal).
   • Iowa – 2 hours related to child/dependent adult abuse for nurses who regularly examine, attend, counsel, or treat dependent adults or children.
   • Michigan – 1 hour of CE related to symptom and pain management.
   • Nevada – State requires their bioterrorism course be completed.
   • New York – 2 hours related to child abuse prior to initial licensing, 3 contact hours for infection control every 4 years.
   • Oregon – 7 hours of pain management-related CE (one-time requirement), 1 hour to be provided by the Oregon Pain Management Commission.
   • Texas – Required CE in nursing jurisprudence, ethics, geriatric care, and forensic collection.
   • West Virginia – Drug diversion training required if a nurse administers or dispenses controlled substances. CE related to mental health conditions in the veteran population and their families is also required.
5. If you’re practicing in a compact state, you must meet the requirements of the state where you are licensed. There are currently 34 states participating in the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC), which is an agreement that is renewed on a yearly basis. If you are licensed in one of these states, it means that you are able to be licensed in one state, but practice in any state that is a member of the NLC without having to get another license in that state.
6. If one state recognizes a Nursing CEU course as acceptable for credit, another state may not. This is a tricky situation. For example, one state may recognize an Advanced Cardiac Life Support Provider initial certification, yet another state may not accept the same course. Be sure to check your state board of nursing’s website for a list of approved CE courses before counting them towards your annual or bi-annual requirements.
7. Employer-specific training may not qualify for nursing CEUs. Most hospitals and healthcare organizations require their nurses to complete a general hospital orientation program at the start of employment, as well as a unit-specific orientation period. During the unit-specific period, you may have to attend and complete training courses that are specific to your area of nursing. Unfortunately, most states do not recognize these training and orientation periods as nursing CEUs, and most do not offer CME/CEUs at completion. On the job training and your orientation period are typically not accepted for CE credits, either. There are a few states that will recognize your work as a preceptor, though, so if you have officially served in a preceptor capacity for a nursing student or new nurse employee, you may be able to count that towards your annual requirements.
8. Your Nursing CEU must come from an accredited organization that is approved by your state’s board of nursing. This point cannot be stressed enough, especially if you’re completing free ceu for nurses. In order for you to meet your state board of nursing’s requirements for continuing education, you must complete activities or courses of study that are approved by the ANCC or other board-approved organizations. Your state’s board of nursing website will have a list of acceptable sources of nursing CEUs, so be sure to read it carefully and make sure that your courses are accredited and will count toward your requirements.
9. Keep all of your certificates. There is nothing worse than spending a lot of time and money on continuing education courses only to not get credit for them because you don’t have the certificate to prove that you did it. Print and save all of your completion certificates, even if you don’t have to show them in order to renew your license. There is always the chance that you will be audited by your board of nursing when you renew your license or by your employer at your yearly review, so that’s all the more reason to keep up with your CE and keep the certificates as proof.