Licensing Requirements for first time Renewal??

[catmscott]

Hello! I am a recent LPN grad and need to renew my license this year. I noticed in the Massachusetts licensing requirements there is an exception for first time renewals about not having to 'sending in CEs'. I am wondering if this means you don't need to complete CEs for the first renewal period. I tried to email the state board about this but the address they have on their website is not valid (big surprise there .... ). Thanks for any help! Cathy

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

There is no CEU requirement for your first renewal. You never have to send in proof of your CEUs unless you get audited.

[catmscott]

Great - thank you!

[elkpark]

Most (all?) states that require CEUs have an exception for first renewal -- the reason is that people who apply for initial licensure, either as new grads or applying for endorsement from another state, get an initial licensure good for whatever amount of time it takes to get you into that state's regular cycle of renewals, not the full two years or whatever the usual time frame for nursing licenses is in that state. Your initial license might be good for nearly two years, or it might be good for only a few months (one time that I relocated to another state, my initial license in the new state was issued in August, and my birthday is in September -- the license I got was good only until the end of September, and I had to immediately turn around and renew (and pay for doing so, of course ...) the following month). The thinking is that, since the initial licenses are good for varying amounts of time, it's not fair to hold everyone to the usual requirement for CEUs over the full term of a license.