CE Requirements Defined and Explained

A contact hour is defined as 50 consecutive minutes of participation in a board-approved nursing education class. One continuing education (CE) unit is equivalent to ten contact hours.

Earning CE units can be done in a variety of ways: conferences, seminars, workshops and online continuing education courses. College classes also count towards CE requirements, as long as the academic content is relevant to nursing practice. One-quarter hour of academic credit equals 10 contact hours; one semester hour of academic credit equals 1 hour of nursing continuing education.

What does not count towards attaining your CE requirements? Any activity that is part of your normal, ongoing job responsibilities. Job related business meetings, employee orientations and on-the-job clinical trainings do not count towards your CE requirement.

In theory, CE units were originally proposed to be taken in the current area of practice, in order to keep up with the trends of the specialty. Very few states currently specify that the CEUs must be practice or specialty focused.

State-By-State Specifics

The number of CE units required varies from state-to-state. The allowable requirements, actual seminar/lecture time versus online course time, also varies from state-to-state. Most states renew nursing licenses every 2 years, but there are a few states with 1, 3 or 4-year renewal periods. Seventeen states actually require no CEUs. Check this comprehensive guide for specifics.

How does the state keep track of your CE requirements? The state board of nursing does random audits. CE records should not be sent to the board unless you are being audited at the time of license renewal. Keep a record of the CE courses completed you complete for at least the last two consecutive nursing license registration periods.

Free Online CE courses

If online CE programs interest you and are approved by your state board of nursing, here a few sites that offer free courses.

1. Nurse.com offers 46 free courses for 1 contact hour each. The subject matter ranges from breast cancer to delirium to nursing leadership.

2. Medscape.org offers new CE programs every 2 weeks for subscribers to their site. The subject matter ranges from sleep apnea to dietary supplements to rotavirus. A major benefit of this site is that it has a personalized CE Tracker that keeps a chart of all your annual CE activity; it allows you to print an accurate chart of activity as well as individual course certificates.

3. Nurseceu.com offers 64 free CE programs ranging from .25 to 2 contact hours each. The subject matter ranges from child abuse to epilepsy to networking for career advancement.

There are many options available for nurses to complete their CE requirements. Be sure to check your state board of nursing licensing requirements to ensure that you are in full compliance.