The original RN license renewal

Nurses General Nursing

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I got my first RN license in Michigan in July 2014. I renewed it once without any requirements in 2015 because it was the first renewal. It will expire in early 2017. I've never practiced in MI. Now I am holding an Indiana license. However people are saying I should never let my original license expire. To renew the MI license I need 25 hours CE with 1 hour on pain and symptom management, which is not required in Indiana license renewal. Does the "hours" means credit hours? If so, do I need to go back to school for that every 2 years? and where do I get the specific CE on pain and symptom management?

Please help. Thank you very much!

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I got my first RN license in Michigan in July 2014. I renewed it once without any requirements in 2015 because it was the first renewal. It will expire in early 2017. I've never practiced in MI. Now I am holding an Indiana license. However people are saying I should never let my original license expire…

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You should ask those that tell you that you should never let your original license expire, why they say this. Once you have endorsed your original license, and you are not practicing in that state, there is no requirement that you maintain it in active status.

…To renew the MI license I need 25 hours CE with 1 hour on pain and symptom management, which is not required in Indiana license renewal. Does the "hours" means credit hours? If so, do I need to go back to school for that every 2 years? and where do I get the specific CE on pain and symptom management?

[…]

Regarding CE hours, you will hear these called various names (continuing education hours [CEH], continuing education units [CEU], continuing education credits [CEC], etc.). You don't need to go back to school to acquire these. There are many online sources for CE. Before you choose one, make sure that it is an accredited provider. Although some of these providers list required courses by state (CEUFast, MIchigan Requirements), you are still responsible to ensure that you have met all requirements. Also, if you are licensed in more than one state that requires CEU hours, you can use the same hours for multiple states.

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Regarding CE hours, you will hear these called various names (continuing education hours [CEH], continuing education units [CEU], continuing education credits [CEC], etc.). You don't need to go back to school to acquire these. There are many online sources for CE. Before you choose one, make sure that it is an accredited provider. Although some of these providers list required courses by state (CEUFast, MIchigan Requirements), you are still responsible to ensure that you have met all requirements. Also, if you are licensed in more than one state that requires CEU hours, you can use the same hours for multiple states.

Thanks, Chare! I went back to school for RN to BSN from an university, and I just graduated three days ago. The RN to BSN program I did 70 credit hours, which can be counted into the 25 hours CE, right?

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Generally, one semester hour is considerably more than on CE hour. You should be able to find conversion information on the MI BON website.

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Specializes in Leadership, Psych, HomeCare, Amb. Care.
Thanks,

I went back to school for RN to BSN from an university, and I just graduated three days ago. The RN to BSN program I did 70 credit hours, which can be counted into the 25 hours CE, right?

Probably. That would count in Illinois as long as they were specifically nursing courses, but check the state website to be sure. You may need to take the pain management CE.

That is assuming you even want to bother renewing your Michigan license at all.

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Probably. That would count in Illinois as long as they were specifically nursing courses, but check the state website to be sure. You may need to take the pain management CE.

That is assuming you even want to bother renewing your Michigan license at all.

I do not plan to go back to Michigan, but I would love to move from state to state in the future. People say I should keep my original registration active all the time in case if I want to move again, the new state might want information from MI BON. I am not sure if it is necessarily true.

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I do not plan to go back to Michigan, but I would love to move from state to state in the future. People say I should keep my original registration active all the time in case if I want to move again, the new state might want information from MI BON. I am not sure if it is necessarily true.

Again, unless you are planning on working in MI, there is no need to maintain a MI license as the MI BON will be able to verify your license whether it is active or not.

It also makes no difference, other than possible ease in re activating it later, whether you place it in inactive status, or let it lapse.

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Specializes in Critical care.
I do not plan to go back to Michigan, but I would love to move from state to state in the future. People say I should keep my original registration active all the time in case if I want to move again, the new state might want information from MI BON. I am not sure if it is necessarily true.

I'm chiming in to agree with Chare. I know of no need to maintain a license just because it's the 'original one'.

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Specializes in Maternal - Child Health.

I agree with the information you were given about keeping your original license active, and disagree that there is no difference between placing your license on inactive status versus simply letting it lapse. My perspective reflects my experience over 30 years, and it may be vastly different than other posters, so take it for what it's worth :)

I was originally licensed in IL in 1986. I was advised by a nursing school instructor as well as my first nurse manager to always keep my original license active, unless it was not financially feasible to do so. I am glad I took that advice.

I never imagined working or living anywhere other than IL. But plans and circumstances changed and only 2-1/2 years later, I was moving out of state. Endorsing my license the first time was no big deal. In short, I moved 4 times in 3 years, and ultimately a total of 7 times, never repeating the same location.

If you are licensed in a compact state and moving to a compact state, or if all states involved use the NURSYS system of license verification, it may not be any big deal whether or not your original license is active. But not all states use the system (IL being one that does not). In that case, the state to which you are applying must contact IL IDPFR directly to verify your information. IL is notoriously slow in responding to these requests, and if you are not a current license holder (and fee payer) you may wait MONTHS for the IL to respond to your request. Having a current, active license hastens this process significantly, at least in the State of IL. Since not all states grant temporary practice permits to out of state license holders, this can mean the difference between working while you wait for license approval or being forced into unemployment for weeks, if not months when moving.

If you decide that you no longer need a license, I strongly advise taking the few moments necessary to formally place it on inactive status. If you unexpectedly find yourself needing that license again in the future, re-instating it from inactive status is typically a quick and easy process. If it has been allowed to lapse, the state BON may require you to jump thru all kinds of hoops such as documenting a continuous paper trail of active practice and continuing education, as well as paying a financial penalty that is not assessed to inactive licenses. It requires little effort, but can save you headaches in the event that you need to reinstate your license.

This may or may not apply to the state in which you are licensed, but it is certainly worth checking into. Best of luck to you.

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