Continuing Education Requirements for Nurses

Understand nursing license renewal requirements in your state and find all the continuing education
required to maintain your license and enhance your patient care.

Nursing continuing education requirements by state

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Nursing continuing education requirements FAQ

How many hours of CE do I need and how often do I need to complete continuing education credits?
Most states require a specific number of CE contact hours every two-year renewal cycle to maintain your nursing license, but every state will have different requirements set by their respective boards of nursing. Some states will have mandatory topic requirements, such as implicit bias training in Michigan or human trafficking training in Texas. You can check the requirements for your license and your renewal period by clicking your state above.


Why is continuing education required in my state?
Nursing CE is important to maintain continuing competency in an ever-evolving profession with new techniques and technologies, to ensure patient safety, to continuously expand skills and knowledge for career growth, to meet regulatory and accreditation standards, and to improve patient outcomes.


What is the difference between a CE credit and a CEU?
CE credits and CEUs are different ways to measure continuing ed completion, with ten CE credits equaling one CEU. However, you’ll find that many continuing education providers, nurse educator programs, employers and healthcare systems will use the terms interchangeably.


Where can I find approved CE courses for my specific requirements?
Elite Learning is an ANCC-accredited provider that maintains a growing library of more than 250 courses that meet both mandatory and elective CE requirements. Elite’s library includes learning modalities like online text courses, podcasts, webinars, videos, and printed books to suit any learning style. Courses can be purchased individually or accessed through full library access in one of our Nursing Passport Memberships.


Does Elite Learning have courses that meet the requirements for advanced practice nurses?
Yes! Elite Learning offers courses specifically created for APRNs , including 100+ hours in pharmacology, a topic required for license renewal by many state boards and for APRN certification or recertification.

Meet Your State Requirements with Nursing Passport Lite Membership

Your State CE Package is Included

All State-Required CE

Unlimited Podcast CE Access

Extensive CE Library

Elite Nursing Passport Lite
Membership

$48/year

Be your best and stay prepared with our nursing continuing education online

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Evidence-based courses from highly credentialed instructors—created by nurses for nurses

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Elite is an ANCC accredited provider with courses accepted by state boards

What Our Members Say

I can explore a variety of topics anytime I want in addition to meeting state requirements at a low cost.

Jo-Ann V., RN

My favorite part about my membership is the podcasts. I love being able to listen and earn CE credits and I feel like I learn more when people are talking in a conversational way as they do on the podcast.

Lydia J., RN

I like the freedom to choose courses and the ease of listening while on the go or in the car

Ruth B., RN