What is continue education / contact hours? License Renewal! Need help!

*Posh* · Mar 31, 2011

CEU's/contact hours, all the same thing. I'm from TX. I don't remember what site I go to, but go to the BON website and it will give you info on where to go for CEU's (in TX anyway). I have never paid for any of my CEU's. There are tons of free ones out there. Just make sure they apply to your certification. The BON website has plenty of helpful info. You should check it out. (Not that we mind you asking here!)

noahsmama · Mar 31, 2011

As the PP said, CEU = contact hour. It's equal to the number of hours you spend in the class, so a class that lasts for 3 hours = 3 CEUs = 3 contact hours (for online classes, the provider estimates the hours, and you just claim that amount). Some classes also give you an additional number of hours for "home study".

In CA, the BRN approves providers of CEUs (there's a list of approved providers on their website), and when you complete any given class the provider gives you a certificate with your license number and their provider number on it. I would check with the BRN in both PA and TX to find out if they take CEUs from providers approved by the other state (most likely they do, but I would check first!). I think there might also be a process to petition to get CEUs accepted from providers that aren't already on the BRN list, but not something I want to mess with -- I'd rather just get my CEUs from the pre-approved providers.

Good luck!

hnt1987 · Mar 31, 2011

So, you're saying, just look for a free CEU articles, study it and take the test?

What happened if you take free CEU from multiple websites, you can basically print the results and send it to the state BON to show proof?

I'm still confused!!!

And, forget about the paying fee, b/c I saw there's is like a 39.99 for a whole year of CEU course, that's why I ask because these are like The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) certified credits...

So if I get my 30 needed credit for PA, then I can use it for TX (only 20) too, yes?

Isabelle49 · Mar 31, 2011

Medscape is great. Free ceu's and you can download your certificates. Been doing that for years and years.

hnt1987 · Mar 31, 2011

Is Medscape have an accreditation with The American Nurses Credentialing Center? Because TX only take accreditation hours?

highlandlass1592, BSN, RN · Mar 31, 2011

ANCC isn't the only organization who can approve CEU's. What you need to do is go to the BON for each state and make sure they have no specific CEU's you need to obtain.

For example, in Michigan I need 25 CEU's to renew my 2 years license, and one of those CEU's must be somehow related to pain management. No big deal.

Once you know any specifics, then you've already determined how many CEU's you need (you listed them in an earlier post). You can actually google 'free nursing ceu's". Do you belong to any nursing organizations? Many of them have CEU courses and keep track of them for you. Taking ACLS? Full course=14 CEU's through American Heart. Get any nursing journals? Tons of articles have CEU's that you can pay and send away for. A company I've used in the past is Anderson continuing education; I like them because they have incorporated Critical care references to use for their tests, the books are very reasonable and I can keep them after I take the tests.Great way to get reference materials for the future.

Re: sending CEU's into the BON, you don't actually send them anywhere. You collect your certificates and keep them in a safe place.When you renew your license, you then usually have to attest to the fact that you've completed the required CEU's. You then need to keep them for a varying amount of time (again, in Michigan it's 4 years). The BON has up to that amount of time to audit you, which means they demand you show proof of your CEU's. If you get audited and don't have proof, you can get in trouble with the Board. I actually just threw some of my certificates from 10 years ago away. I just put them all in a folder in my file cabinet and don't worry about it.

It's not as hard to do as you're making it out to be...it all starts with your BON. If you have questions not answered here, give them a call. They will be happy to help you.

BrookeeLou_RN · Mar 31, 2011

Yes, you can use same CEU's for both states. Check BON's for anything in particular either state would require.. like some states require Domestic Violence or Medication Error class, etc as part of your total. Check that the BON of each state will accept all online CEU's.. Some states make you get some in person.. Many agencies, facilities and hospitals have online free CEU's for their employees. Check HR for that. Check with BON"s but most just have your signature on the renewal form states that you took the right number of classes, I do not know of any state that wants certificates sent them.. Each BON audits nurses and that is where you would need certificates to prove you took correct CEU's for that state. Does not seem to be any rhyme or reason to who gets audited when.

That website for American Nurses where you pay $39.99 for a year is a good example of where to find CEU's..If you are in college, nursing college credits count a CEU"s also.. check with BON's to see how to figure the numbers. You can find cheaper site than $39.99 if you look. On year I did all 1-4 credits classes to reach my required as I found a cheaper place to get CEU's. You can find them for free if you look harder.

I make it a habit to try to take classes where I learn something I wanted to learn not just basic stuff for work. I mean it would be for work but I took a CEU class once for Humor in Nursing.. not every CEU must be earth moving difficulty.

And word to the wise.. if you time things right and sign up for a years worth of CEU's from a company.. you could possibly do the next 2 yrs worth of CEU's in that same period without paying extra. One time I waited til close to expiration date to do CEU's.. way too much stress. so in future I get them done early into the 2 yr period.

bosnanurse · Mar 31, 2011

http://www.nurseceu.com/free_nursing_ceus.htm

HI, here is a list of available free CEU classes.

classicdame, MSN, EdD · Mar 31, 2011

First, per ANCC the term CEU is outdated. Units used to be 10 contact hours. The term contact hours is more accurate. Next, Texas Rule 216 states the continuing nursing education requirement is 20 contact hours. It goes on to define what is NOT CNE (for instance, anything you would have learned in nursing school, or CPR ,etc). The TNA website (www.ttexasnurses.org) has some free CNE. ANCC, ENA, AHA, CCRN - there are lots of organizations providing CNE. They are usually good in every state, unless that particular state has rules, like Texas, stating what is NOT acceptable. I go to vendor's websites for free CNE - like Baxter, or to Nursing Medscape.

Last year Texas BON established a new rule that nurses must have their CNE in the area in which they practice. Many things are generic, like critical thinking, conflict resolution, ethics---, but you should also look for CNE on topics that pertain to what you do at work. Happy learning!

hnt1987 · Mar 31, 2011

First, per ANCC the term CEU is outdated. Units used to be 10 contact hours. The term contact hours is more accurate. Next, Texas Rule 216 states the continuing nursing education requirement is 20 contact hours. It goes on to define what is NOT CNE (for instance, anything you would have learned in nursing school, or CPR ,etc). The TNA website (www.ttexasnurses.org) has some free CNE. ANCC, ENA, AHA, CCRN - there are lots of organizations providing CNE. They are usually good in every state, unless that particular state has rules, like Texas, stating what is NOT acceptable. I go to vendor's websites for free CNE - like Baxter, or to Nursing Medscape.
Last year Texas BON established a new rule that nurses must have their CNE in the area in which they practice. Many things are generic, like critical thinking, conflict resolution, ethics---, but you should also look for CNE on topics that pertain to what you do at work. Happy learning!

That's stupid especially the one who come up with these rules in choosing certain CNE areas. I thought nursing is a vast base of education, in which you can choose things that you like to learn. Texas BON mandated everythings. The next thing is probably your uniform & stethoscope that they will target.

Anyway, what happened if you are a Med / Surg nurse in PA? And have an endorsement in TX (I've to go back to PA due to lack of employment in Houston) So, do I have study CNE related to Med / Surg for TX renewal???

caliotter3 · Mar 31, 2011

The easiest way to approach this is to find a provider that has a provider number for the state where you are renewing in. That way, you know you are meeting the state requirements. Most states do not even require continuing education for the first renewal. I would look into that before paying for a course.