Should all states require CEU's for registration renewal?

Nurses General Nursing

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How do you feel about the requirement of a certain number of CEU's in some states for registration renewal?

New York state currently does not require CEU's to renew an RN registration, although many states do.

What state do you practice in, do they participate in this requirement, and if they do how many do you need each renewal period?

in ma, we're required to take 15 ceu's q 2 yrs.

i just finished reading, "humor in healthcare: the laughter prescription" for 20 ceu's and $25.

pretty darned good.:)

leslie

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

The purpose of the State Board and the regulations for nursing practice is to protect the public from unsafe practitioners. I have yet to see any study that demonstrates that the patients in states with mandatory CEU's are any safer and/or receive better nursing care than the patients in other states.

Until such a study is done, then the government has no evidence upon which to base CEU requirements for nurses.

As others have said, many CEU's are a sham and do nothing to improve actual nursing practice.

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Specializes in ICU, CCU,Wound Care,LTC, Hospice, MDS.

When I lived in another state where CEU's were required, the area hospital gave free inservices to employees for CEU's. Those of us employed elsewhere had to pay to attend. It was pretty disheartening to sit there with employees who read a book, worked a crossword puzzle or gossiped through the whole presentation and then picked up the same certificate I had payed $35 to receive!

At that time only half of the CEU's could be home study. Since I've moved they have changed that and you can do all home study.

The whole thing was a joke.

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Specializes in PACU.

There's no requirement for CE here for LPNs and RNs, but my agency makes a portion of our annual raises dependent upon having completed at least 20 hours of CE. Fortunately, they photocopy a bunch of tests and articles for us and then correct them in the office so that we don't have to pay the somewhat exorbitant fee to get the "official" credit.

I do what they provide me along with some other free stuff I find online. I'm somewhat glad that I don't need it in a formal sense so I don't have to spend a ton of money. Like others, I am opposed to requiring CE as a requirement for license renewal unless it can be established that it leads to better care and outcomes.

One question I do have is if I were to move from my current state (that does not require CE) to a state that does, would I need to have CE done prior to first being licensed in the new state? Or would my obligation to complete CE begin after I got my initial license in a state requiring it, making it due with my first renewal?

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Specializes in ICU, CCU,Wound Care,LTC, Hospice, MDS.
..........

One question I do have is if I were to move from my current state (that does not require CE) to a state that does, would I need to have CE done prior to first being licensed in the new state? Or would my obligation to complete CE begin after I got my initial license in a state requiring it, making it due with my first renewal?

I was required to have them first in Nebraska after moving from a state that did not require them. When I returned to Arkansas, both had become compact states and I did not have to have them until renewal time.

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Specializes in Post Anesthesia.

The whole idea of required CEUs makes me crazy. In Ohio we are required to get 24hrs(I think) every renewal period-(2 years). 1 CEU has to be on the nurse practice act that hasn't changed in years. It is a waste of time and money and the only purpose it serves is to keep the CEU providers in business. Some of the CEUs offered (and accredited) are on such silly, not scientific material that it is embarrassing to have them offered for nursing credit. If you are practicing you are updating your skills and knowledge every day- you can't help it. If you are out of practice I can see a required "update" exam to make sure you have in some way kept current. But with each state having thier own requirement and wide open rules as to what the material can be, I think it shows a profound lack of professionality- just the opposite of what is intended.

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Specializes in Operating Room.

My state requires 10 every 2 years although I just renewed for the first time in March. For a first time renewal, you did not have to have any CEU's ...they waive it that first time. I had something like 18-20 anyway. Our grad nurse training at my first hospital gave us a bunch.

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The whole idea of required CEUs makes me crazy. In Ohio we are required to get 24hrs(I think) every renewal period-(2 years). 1 CEU has to be on the nurse practice act that hasn't changed in years. It is a waste of time and money and the only purpose it serves is to keep the CEU providers in business. Some of the CEUs offered (and accredited) are on such silly, not scientific material that it is embarrassing to have them offered for nursing credit. If you are practicing you are updating your skills and knowledge every day- you can't help it. If you are out of practice I can see a required "update" exam to make sure you have in some way kept current. But with each state having thier own requirement and wide open rules as to what the material can be, I think it shows a profound lack of professionality- just the opposite of what is intended.

It is even worse in the water and wastewater business in Ohio. As a holder of Class III water and wastewater licenses, I have to earn 18 hours per license every 2 years. At least I get a "discount" now because I have dual licenses. It used to be 24 hours per license.

There are no free CEUs available for us. Since many of us only get paid for 8 hours when we travel, we do not attend any training that offers less than 6 hours credit. 12 hours of travel and training for 8 hours pay is not a very good deal, so you can see why we would not want to put in a 12 hour day for 2 hours of training.

Only 25% of these CEUs can be in safety, which further limits the selection. I was approved to teach a course for 2 hours once, and I got my college Excel course approved for 20 hours. Either way, there are a lot of hoops to jump through. Auditing of CEUs is not uncommon, so you need to have your documentation in order. This can be problematic when in-house training does not provide the necessary documentation.

Much of this training is not offered during the summer. Because I go to college part-time, this presents another hurdle. That 4.00 GPA (post-baccalaureate and graduate) I have since I started back in 1993 and got serious about college has come about through sheer hard work. Missing classroom time or study time is not an option.

You are correct about CEUs mostly benefiting the providers. When this program was being set up, I sent written comments about the problems that would result if college courses did not count for credit. I was able to reduce the number of hoops to jump through for college course approval.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.
Are CEU's tax deductible?? And if so, would they still be so in MD, a state that doesn't require them??

Yes, they are tax deductible. In fact one of my coworkers did CEU's online and then took her internet connection charge as a tax deductible as well.

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CEUs are a joke. Not talking about certificates of completion in training courses-talking about mandatory CEUs.

I have taken online courses (the cheapest) and gotten 30 CEU hours in 2 days time-simply for renewal. Couldn't tell you what the classes were.

BUT- the seminars I was interested in, and took for my own enrichment- THOSE I remember.

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