Do You Need Mandatory Continuing Education for Re-Licensure?

…If you live in California, Kansas, Delaware and now Pennsylvania, you do. About 60 percent of the states in the United States have some kind of CE requirement. Each State Board has its own specific requirements on the number of hours, prescribed time periods, and mandated topics such as domestic violence and medication error reduction, as in Florida. The National Council of the State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) is considering criteria for ensuring the continued competence of RNs. Nurses need to monitor the NCSBN Web site ( http://www.ncsbn.org/ ) for information about the development of recommendations based on a continued competence regulatory model.
The Pennsylvania State Board is implementing this process in a cyclical manner (see table below). You do not need to submit CE certificates with your renewal form but must keep the documents for 5 years for auditing purposes. If you do not complete the 30 hours your license will be renewed but you will incur fines. You then have 6 months to complete the CE or be subject to disciplinary action from the Board. Note: Continuing education must meet accreditation standards and certain course content is not acceptable for re-licensure such as: mandatory annual institutional policies, basic life support and self improvement. See www.dos.state.pa.us/nurse for more information.


If your expiration date on your license is:
October 31, 2010

Then you must obtain 30 hours of Board Approved CE from:
11/1/08 through 10/31/10

If your expiration date on your license is:
April 30, 2011

Then you must obtain 30 hours of Board Approved CE from:
5/1/09 through 4/30/11

If your expiration date on your license is:
October 31, 2011

Then you must obtain 30 hours of Board Approved CE from:
11/1/09 through 10/31/11

If your expiration date on your license is:
April 30, 2012

Then you must obtain 30 hours of Board Approved CE from:
5/1/10 through 4/30/12

(source: www.dos.state.pa.us/nurse )


Villanova University College of Nursing offers accredited continuing education in a variety of approved areas of study. Day programs on topics like clinical research, nursing management, role excellence and I.V. catheter insertion are just a few of the courses offered in the new state-of-the art Driscoll Hall. Online CE is also available at www.villanova.edu/nursing/ce.


By Margaret “Peggy” Lyons MSN, CRNI
Program Coordinator, Continuing Education
Villanova University College of Nursing