Washington DC Continuing Education Requirements for Nurses and License Renewal

Mandatory Subjects:

• Director determined Public Health Priorities - 10% of total hours
• LGBTQ - 2 contact hours every 2-year renewal period.

D.C. Law 21-95. LGBTQ Cultural Competency Continuing Education Amendment Act of 2016
LEGISLATION SUMMARY - Law 21-95 makes changes to the continuing education requirements for health professionals seeking the maintenance of their professional license, registration or certification. It specifies that two (2) credits of instruction pertinent to cultural competency or specialized clinical training that focuses on LGBTQ patients must be included as part of the continuing education requirements for any license, registration, or certification.

Change to the Term of License, Certificate and Registration
Effective Date June 16, 2024

DC Health has always operated with fixed renewal windows for each profession. In response to feedback from the health professional community, the Director has moved to change the renewal system to align with each licensee’s month of birth. As such, all applicable licenses, certificates, or registrations issued on or after June 16, 2024, will expire on the last day of the birth month of the license holder. This will apply to all new applicants and will become applicable to licensees renewing later this year. For those renewing, this will not take effect until September 2024.

Mandatory Subjects:

• Director determined Public Health Priorities - 10% of total hours
• LGBTQ - 2 contact hours every 2-year renewal period.

D.C. Law 21-95. LGBTQ Cultural Competency Continuing Education Amendment Act of 2016
LEGISLATION SUMMARY - Law 21-95 makes changes to the continuing education requirements for health professionals seeking the maintenance of their professional license, registration or certification. It specifies that two (2) credits of instruction pertinent to cultural competency or specialized clinical training that focuses on LGBTQ patients must be included as part of the continuing education requirements for any license, registration, or certification.

Change to the Term of License, Certificate and Registration
Effective Date June 16, 2024

DC Health has always operated with fixed renewal windows for each profession. In response to feedback from the health professional community, the Director has moved to change the renewal system to align with each licensee’s month of birth. As such, all applicable licenses, certificates, or registrations issued on or after June 16, 2024, will expire on the last day of the birth month of the license holder. This will apply to all new applicants and will become applicable to licensees renewing later this year. For those renewing, this will not take effect until September 2024.

NEW! DEA MATE ACT:
Beginning with DEA initial registrations or renewals starting June 27, 2023, all DEA-registered practitioners (with the exception of DVM-only license holders) are required to complete 8 hours of one-time training on the treatment and management of patients with opioid or other substance use disorders.

Mandatory Subjects:

• Director determined Public Health Priorities - 10% of total hours
• LGBTQ - 2 contact hours every 2-year renewal period.

D.C. Law 21-95. LGBTQ Cultural Competency Continuing Education Amendment Act of 2016
LEGISLATION SUMMARY - Law 21-95 makes changes to the continuing education requirements for health professionals seeking the maintenance of their professional license, registration or certification. It specifies that two (2) credits of instruction pertinent to cultural competency or specialized clinical training that focuses on LGBTQ patients must be included as part of the continuing education requirements for any license, registration, or certification.


Additional requirement for APNs with prescriptive authority:
Pharmacology - 15 contact hours every 2-year renewal period. 

Change to the Term of License, Certificate and Registration
Effective Date June 16, 2024

DC Health has always operated with fixed renewal windows for each profession. In response to feedback from the health professional community, the Director has moved to change the renewal system to align with each licensee’s month of birth. As such, all applicable licenses, certificates, or registrations issued on or after June 16, 2024, will expire on the last day of the birth month of the license holder. This will apply to all new applicants and will become applicable to licensees renewing later this year. For those renewing, this will not take effect until September 2024.