Come and Get Your Continuing Education Units (CEUs)
Nursing is a dynamic profession with a front-row seat in the healthcare industry as it expands, transforms, and advances. Continued education is your ticket to that seat, and it is (in most cases) obligatory to keep practicing as a nurse.
An Overview of Continuing Education Credit Hours
What are CEUs in nursing? Continuing education hours, also referred to as continuing education units (CEUs), continuing nursing education (CNE), continued education (CE), or contact hours, are training courses created by professionals.
Nursing isn't the only profession to have a CEU component to maintain licensure, so don't feel singled out. It makes sense that while you are done with a nursing program (unless you decide to go back to up your licensure level), you are not done learning. Continuing education courses are an important way for the industry to educate nurses on what's new: technologies, techniques, information, models, systems, best practices, challenges, and so on. Moreover, CEUs aren't only about what is new. They're excellent opportunities to brush up on old skills that you haven't used in a while or information that has gotten cobwebby over time. Keep your skills sharp, keep learning, and keep that nursing license active.
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It's an important distinction that not all proffered training courses that market to nurses are actually valid for CEUs towards maintaining your nursing license. Look for opportunities that have been accredited by a professional organization, and be sure the CEUs are appropriate to your level of licensure. For example, not all training courses for licensed practical or vocational nurses (LPNs/LVNs) will offer valid CEUs for registered nurses (RNs) or nurse practitioners (NPs). Furthermore, check with your state board of nursing, as some state boards have stricter lists of approved providers than