Continuing education for unemployed RN

U.S.A. Tennessee

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I am a newly licensed RN, but am currently unemployed due to pregnancy and the recent birth of my child. My license is due to expire in October and I am not sure I will be able to find employment by that time. When I called the BON I was told I must complete 5 CEU for each year out of practice in order to maintain an active license. When I read the requirements online it stated that I needed 5 contact hours for each year out of practice. Im a bit confused because I was under the impression that contact hours and CEU's were not the same. Can someone please help me understand this more clearly so that I can be sure to obtain the necessary requirements to maintain my active license status? Also, I was told by a BON representative that Medscape was a free source of earning the CE requirements. Has anyone else used this website? Thanks in advance for your help!

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Specializes in MED-SURG Certified.

Hello Melliemel33, one CEU is equal to 10 contact hours. The requirements above sounds confusing. But to meet CE requirements, my friend also says Medscape seems the way to go. Registering is free as well as the CE credit. Here's the instructions from the site:

How can I earn free CME/CE credits on Medscape?

I hope this helps

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Thank you! I finally received a call from a nursing consultant for TN BON and she confirmed that it is indeed 5 contact hours rather than CEU (for each year not employeed).

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Hi, Melliemel33! My sister had to relocate shortly after graduation due to her husband being in the military. She was able to volunteer as an RN through the Red Cross, and I believe her hours counted for licensing purposes. These positions are not available everywhere, but it might be worth looking into. Maybe just a few contact hours through Red Cross will help you meet the minimum. Since it would be volunteer hours, you wouldn't need to make a long-term commitment like employment. That way, you can still stay home with your little one! I hope this helps. Good luck!

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Thank you! I will definitely look into this!

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