How do CEU's work?

If the activity is approved by ANCC it is called "contact hours" not CEU's. Units used to be 10 contact hours. That is now obsolete.

I would look at the Nursing Practice Act for the states in which you are licensed to determine any state requirements. After that, the Educator in your facility might be able to advise. My state requires CNE with license renewal, 20 hours, and it needs to be within area of practice and must meet guidelines (no basic class like CPR). As for keeping a list - I certainly would not put it on a resume. No one will read it. But if the list has value for other purposes, like documenting for a certification, then that is your decision. Happy learning!

The requirements vary by state, with some states requiring no CEUs at all for license renewal, some requiring specific types of courses, some requiring that the CEUs be in your area of practice, etc. Here are the requirements by state:

http://ce.nurse.com/RStateReqmnt.aspx

New York only requires an initial 2 hour course on child abuse for your initial license, plus a 3 hour course on infection control every 4 years, and that's it. I assume this is why you don't see NY listed as one of the states that accepts the other CEUs that you've done -- they're not required by your state.

Some states also require that you work a certain number of hours as a nurse in the 2 to 5 years preceding each license renewal, whereas others do not have a work hour requirement.

The best source of information for the requirements in your state is your state BON.

BTW, even though your state doesn't require CEUs, if you feel like they're helping you in your practice, then of course they're worth taking anyway. I have taken a few courses which have been invaluable to me in my work as a public health nurse, including one on pertussis, and another on medical evidence of child abuse. If you choose courses relevant to your work, I think that CEUs can be very worthwhile.

My state requires 24 hrs every 2 years. It is automatically placed on your individual CEU record, right there on the state's web site. Just pull up your State Board of Nursing and read the requirements.

In my state we need 30 credits every 2 years to renew, except the first year of licensure, when we do not need any since our recent schooling is considered credits enough.

Unless your CEUs are getting you a certification of some sort, like ACLS or PALS, I don't see how they could directly translate in to a salary increase. Being someone who seeks out educational experiences to continually develop oneself, however, will likely be seen as valuable to your employer and could be beneficial to your career indirectly.

I'm a new grad so do not need CEUs right now, but between the classes I've done on my own and the ones provided by my employer, I already have 45+ CEUs in 6 months of working as a nurse. I anticipate continuing to gain CEUs as I build my practice and in the future to keep current and to continue to develop my knowledge base. I hear from experienced nurses that there is always more to learn, and take that to heart. Even if I were in a state that didn't require CEUs I would pursue learning opportunities.

Anyone know how CEU requirements are checked? I've taken more than enough already but I'm not sure if it's automatically sent to the local BON or if I'm expected to tell them and/or keep proof of hours. I'm in DC if it makes a difference.

Anyone know how CEU requirements are checked? I've taken more than enough already but I'm not sure if it's automatically sent to the local BON or if I'm expected to tell them and/or keep proof of hours. I'm in DC if it makes a difference.

I keep copies of certificates that show the CEUs and my employer keeps a log online of CEUs I complete through them. I only need to submit that to my board if I am audited. I'm not sure how it works in DC, but I would be surprised if anything is automatically sent to them.

I haven't started doing these yet, I did join the site, my state doesn't require any the last I checked but I plan on doing them just because. It's not a waist of money because my work pays for it.