7 Free & Flexible Ways Nurses Can Earn CEU Credits Fast

For healthcare providers, continuing education is a must for staying up-to-date on current practice requirements, skills, and evidence-based practice. Many institutions like hospitals, rehab facilities, and specialty centers offer in-house training and education stipends for employees to be what our leadership calls “lifelong learners.”

As a registered nurse, I take courses to keep up my skills and knowledge and fulfill my state’s CEU requirements to renew my license every two years. CEUs, or continuing education units, are a standardized way that state licensure boards use to keep track of the minimum requirements for healthcare providers, including RNs, APRNs, and PAs. Find the required CEUs in your state.

CEUs come in classroom-style training, paid courses, conferences, and other unique and creative formats for every kind of learner. Even podcasts you can listen to on your commute count towards your CEUs.

7 Ways to Get CNE and CME Credits and Complete Your Requirements

 

 

 

 

 

 

Continuing Education Requirements for RNs vs. APRNs vs. PAs

CEUs, continuing education units, are defined by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) as “Ten contact hours of participation in an organized continuing education experience under responsible sponsorship, capable direction, and qualified instruction.” Each state has different requirements for healthcare providers to maintain licensure with the state’s accreditation board. Here are some examples:

• In Alabama, RNs must complete and provide documentation for 24 contact hours (2.4 CEUs) every two years.
• In Connecticut, RNs only have 2 contact hours in training or education every 6 years .
• The NCCPA requires that PAs take an exam to recertify every ten years and complete 100 continuing medical education units every two years.
• PAs maintain their certification through the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA).

RN CEU Requirement Examples

Every state is different, so we are highlighting a few states and their RN continuing education requirements.

• Alabama: 24 contact hours every two years
• Connecticut: 2 contact hours in training or education every 6 years 
• Montana: No CEs required
• Massachusetts: 15 contact hours every two years

APRN CEU Requirement Examples

Advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) must fulfill their state’s RN requirements and additional hours. Here are a few state requirements for APRNs.

• Alabama: Six of the 24 contact hours must be in pharmacology
• Connecticut: 50 hours of continuing education related to your area of practice every 2 years AND
• 2 contact hours regarding mental health conditions common with veterans and their family members in the first renewal cycle and not less than once every 6 years thereafter
• Montana: No CEs required
• Massachusetts: 15 contact hours every 2 years

PA CEU Requirements

All PAs must complete 100 CMEs every two years, and 50 must be Category 1. Category 1 CMEs are defined by the American Academy of PAs (AAPA) as “clinical and professional educational activities that serve to maintain, develop or increase the knowledge, skills and professional performance that a PA uses to provide services for patients, the public and the profession.”

CNEs vs CMEs

CNEs are continuing nursing education units, and CMEs are continuing medical education units. Each course is specifically tailored to its healthcare provider population and provides specialized education for its practice.

Free Ways for RNs, APRNs, and PAs to Maintain CEUs

Getting CEUs and fulfilling your state’s requirements doesn’t have to be boring, costly, or interrupt your life.

Sinead Bolze, a professional development manager in oncology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, is always searching for new and creative ways to share with her team to complete CEUs.

“I recommend starting with professional organizations within your specialty,” she says. “There are podcasts, webinars, and other free resources linked to their websites. You can also earn ten to fifteen CEUs from industry events like conferences, a fun opportunity to get two years of CEU requirements on a trip with colleagues to an exciting location!”

No matter your lifestyle, budget, or specialty, you can easily keep up your CEU requirements, even from the comfort of your couch. Or, you can gather some friends and go on a trip to Hawaii for a conference, completing your two-year requirements in a few days at the beach. Use these free CEU options to renew your RN, APRN, or PA license in any state.