5 Ways to Earn Continuing Education as a Nurse Practitioner

Sep 15

Earning and organizing continuing education (CE) can be frustrating for any provider, but particularly for advanced practice registered nurses (APRN), because laws vary by state and certification. APRNs typically need around 150 CEs to renew their certifications with at least 25 of those CEs to be pharmacology specific. Additionally, some certifications require at least 75 CEs to address the patient population the APRN serves, or skills specific to the APRN’s area of practice. If the APRN is unable to obtain all CEs in a formal learning setting, such as a conference, she or he may obtain CEs by precepting new graduates, submitting publications, taking a graduate level course, or by completing a professional presentation. However, it is up to the APRN to determine the number of hours and type of hours required to complete her/his recertification. The following are five unique ways for an APRN to earn CEs for license recertification.

Conferences

A favorite of mine and my colleagues are conferences. Conferences are wonderful for many reasons – you receive the most up to date research, get to travel to a new city, and many of our jobs will pay for one conference per year. Sometimes, you can even earn 10-20 CEs in one trip. Of note, most medical conferences provide CEs for physicians, nurse practitioners, and physicians assistants. Therefore, the options for conferences are many.

Online CEs

Many companies offer CEs online. If you like online learning, or you need to complete a few last minute CEs prior to renewal, online learning is the way to go. BoardVitals is a great option for this because they offer CEs specific to your area of practice and also pharmacology specific CEs. Of note, to determine the number of CE Points for programs providing CEs or CMEs that do not specify pharmacology hours and that do not provide formal contact hours (but include pharmacology content) the calculation is typically: 60 minutes = 1 CE Point. So, 60 minutes of online learning will give you one CE. Finally, do not forget to check with your employer regarding reimbursement. Many APRN jobs offer 1000-2000 dollars per year devoted to CE, so definitely don’t pay for these out of your own pocket if your job will reimburse you. To help you stretch your CE dollars even further, BoardVitals offers a custom CE with gift card package. Simply choose your area of practice and enter your CE budget and they will create a custom bundle for you which includes an Amazon or Apple gift card.

Publications

If you work at a research hospital or are associated with a university, publishing opportunities might be easier for you. The following are some activities related to publishing that will award you CE credits: journal article, editorial, book chapter, book author, doctoral project, book review, or a research abstract. Figure 1 contains the publishing options for certifications through the AACN and their CE equivalents.

Figure 1. From the AACN Renewal Points Program. — Figure 1. From the AACN Renewal Points Program.

Precept or Volunteer

If you choose to precept a student APRN, volunteer in a leadership position, or participate in a practice change committee, this might grant you CE hours as well. Once again, check with your certifying body, but typically 80 hours of mentoring or participation, awards ten CEs per year. Regarding the committees, if you are required to participate for your job, those hours do not count toward CEs. Your participation must be in addition to your employment requirements.

Take A Graduate Level Course

You may have hated grad school or maybe there is a part of you that really misses the grind – I know I do. Taking a graduate level course related to your area of practice gives you many CE hours for your work. In fact, a three credit hour course will give you 45 CEs. Once again, do not forget to check with your employer about reimbursement; a graduate level course might be covered by them as well.

And Finally

The certification renewal process is, to say the least, confusing, but the CE portion doesn’t have to be. The preceding is a good place to start when collecting CEs through the years. And also, do not forget to check with your specific association regarding their CE requirements.

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Danielle LeVeck

Danielle LeVeck (DNP, ACNPC-AG, CCNS, RN, CCRN) is a practicing Adult Geriatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner in a busy Cardiovascular Surgical Intensive Care Unit. She graduated as a second degree BSN student in 2011 and has been working as an Intensive Care Registered Nurse ever since. Her experience includes cardiac medical and surgical intensive care patients, medical-surgical intensive care patients, and intensive care travel nursing.

When Ms. LeVeck became a nurse, she instantly recognized the beautiful quirks of nursing culture and healthcare in general. She was driven to share the stories of these “nurse abnormalities” because it was clearly evident how brilliant and instrumental nurses were in providing optimal patient care. Becoming a nurse positively transformed Ms. LeVeck’s life and she hopes to give to the profession as much as it has given to her.

Through her writing and storytelling, Ms. LeVeck strives to inspire and empower the next generation of nurses and renew the previous generation. Her additional passions include promoting synergy within the multidisciplinary team and incorporation of palliative care in the ICU. Overall, she attempts to use humor, raw vulnerability, and clinical precision to achieve authenticity in her online presence.