IMPORTANT UPDATE: BEGINNING IN 2024, NURSES MUST COMPLETE 4 HOURS OF CULTURAL COMPETENCY INSTEAD OF 2 HOURS EACH RENEWAL CYCLE.
What does this mean for you:
- As of January 1, 2024, when completing your license renewal, you will be asked if you have completed 4 hours of continuing education in cultural competency (NRS 632.343). The 4 hours of continuing education is part of the mandatory 30 hours already required by law (NRS 632.343).
- You must complete 4 hours of cultural competency continuing education each renewal cycle and those hours may be made up of as many Nevada Board of Nursing (NSBN) approved courses as you want so long as you meet the minimum of the 4-hour requirement.
- Should you be selected for a random audit, you will need to show proof of completion of all your continuing education for the most recent renewal period. The renewal period goes back two years from when the renewal is submitted.
- Should you be employed by a facility that has provided you with the cultural competency training required by NRS 449.103, and approved by the Nevada Board of Nursing, this training will count towards your cultural competency continuing education requirement.
Please click on the link below for information on how to determine whether a CE provider is approved by the Nevada State Board of Nursing
Please note: MEDCEU is not an approved CE Provider
The 2023 Legislative session also enacted SB 439 related to communicable diseases requiring certain healthcare professionals to receive continuing education related to HIV. Below is the language mandated for licensed nurses (RNs, LPNs, CRNAs, and APRNs)
For each person licensed pursuant to this chapter who provides or supervises the provision of emergency medical services in a hospital or primary care, at least 2 hours of training in the stigma, discrimination and unrecognized bias toward persons who have acquired or are at a high risk of acquiring human immunodeficiency virus to be completed within 2 years after beginning to provide or supervise the provision of such services or care.
Continuing Education Requirements by License Type
| Course | CNA 24 hrs/renewal | LPN 30 hrs/renewal | RN 30 hrs/renewal | APRN additional 15 hrs each renewal cycle | CRNA additional 15 hrs each renewal cycle |
| Bioterrorism | Optional | 4 hours one-time | 4 hours one-time | 4 hours one-time | 4 hours one-time |
| Cultural Competency | Optional | 4 hours every renewal cycle | 4 hours every renewal cycle | 4 hours every renewal cycle | 4 hours every renewal cycle |
| Suicide Prevention – Evidenced based suicide prevention and awareness | Optional | Optional | Optional | 2 hours every renewal cycle; then 2 hours every 4 years | Optional |
| SBIRT – Screening, Brief Intervention and referral to treat approaches of SUD | 2 hours every renewal cycle | ||||
| Opioid training – APRNs registered to dispense controlled substances; related to the misuse and abuse of controlled substances, the prescribing of opioids or addiction; or SBIRT | 2 hours every renewal cycle | ||||
| Treating/Managing Opioids/SUD – Beginning with DEA initial registrations or renewals starting June, 2023, all DEA registered practitioners are required to take 8 hours on treating and managing patients with opioid or other SUD including appropriate clinical use of all FDA-approved drugs for the treatment of an SUD | One time only | ||||
| HIV/Stigma – Anyone who provides or supervises the provision of emergency medical services in a hospital or primary care, the stigma, discrimination and unrecognized bias toward persons who have acquired or are at risk of acquiring HIV | Complete within 2 years after beginning to provide or supervise the provision of such care | Complete within 2 years after beginning to provide or supervise the provision of such care | Complete within 2 years after beginning to provide or supervise the provision of such care | Complete within 2 years after beginning to provide or supervise the provision of such care |
OPTIONAL APRN/RN/LPN
- The Board shall encourage each person licensed as an advanced practice registered nurse to receive, as a portion of his or her continuing education, training and education in the diagnosis of rare diseases, including, without limitation:
(a) Recognizing the symptoms of pediatric cancer; and
(b) Interpreting family history to determine whether such symptoms indicate a normal childhood illness or a condition that requires additional examination.
2. The Board shall encourage each licensee who treats or cares for persons who are more than 60 years of age to receive, as a portion of their continuing education, education in geriatrics and gerontology, including such topics as:
(a) The skills and knowledge that the licensee needs to address aging issues;
(b) Approaches to providing health care to older persons, including both didactic and clinical approaches;
(c) The biological, behavioral, social and emotional aspects of the aging process; and
(d) The importance of maintenance of function and independence for older persons.
Continuing Education/Training FAQs
How many CEs/CNA training hours are required for renewal?
RN/LPN
According to NAC 632.343, licensees are exempt from the requirement to earn 30 CEs for renewal “for the first biennial period after graduation.”
Therefore, new nurses who have earned their degrees within the last two years do not have to earn 30 CEs for their first renewal. However, they do need to complete the one-time, four-hour, bioterrorism CE Requirement and four-hour cultural competency course. The two-hour cultural competency course is required on every renewal.
Preceptor Hours Available for CEUs
Documentation from a school or agency attesting to 120 hours of preceptorship per renewal period = 10 continuing education units.
a. 10 CEUs maximum per renewal period
b. The preceptee must be an RN/LPN participating in a facility’s organized orientation course or a nursing student
during a preceptorship course.
c. Facility or school should provide preceptor with documentation of preceptorship, include RN#, date(s) and
number of hours precepted.
CNA
The Nevada Nurse Practice Act requires all renewing CNAs to complete 24 hours of CNA-related continuing training within the certificate renewal period. CNAs must also have practiced as a CNA under the direction of a licensed nurse for a minimum of 40 hours per renewal cycle.
APRN
APRN Portfolio Instructions
How do I submit my CEs/CNA training hours to the Board?
Rather than requiring licensees to submit their continuing education/training certificates at the time of renewal, the renewal application asks applicants to affirm (swear) they are in compliance with the continuing education/training requirement and reminds them to retain copies of their certificates in case of an audit. Then, the Board conducts random audits to ensure compliance. Failure to complete the continuing education within the renewal period, or failure to produce evidence of CE/training completion when audited, may result in disciplinary action. Please refer to the article in the September 2019 Nursing News
How long should I keep my CE certificates?
The Board recommends that you keep your annual CE certificates for at least four years and your bioterrorism certificate indefinitely in case of an audit.
What are approved continuing education/training providers?
If a continuing education provider is an academic institution, has a Nevada continuing education provider number, is approved by another state nursing board or health-related board (includes Boards of Medical Examiners, Pharmacy, and social workers), or is recognized by one of the organizations below, it is accepted by the Nevada State Board of Nursing.
- American Association of Critical Care Nurses
- American Association of Nurse Anesthetists
- American Nurse Credentialing Center Commission on Accreditation
- National Association of Pediatric Nurse Associates and Practitioners
- National League for Nursing
What is the law for the mandatory Cultural Competency course?
The course must include the all of the following components to be an approved course:
(1) May include the training provided pursuant to NRS 449.103, where applicable.
(2) Must be based upon a range of research from diverse sources.
(3) Must address persons of different cultural backgrounds, including, without limitation:
- Persons from various gender, racial and ethnic backgrounds;
- Persons from various religious backgrounds;
- Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning persons;
- Children and senior citizens;
- Veterans;
- Persons with a mental illness;
- Persons with an intellectual disability, developmental disability or physical disability; and
- Persons who are part of any other population that a person licensed pursuant to this chapter may need to better understand, as determined by the Board.
What is the law for the mandatory Bioterrorism course?
The course must include the following components to be an approved course:
- An overview of acts of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction;
- Personal protective equipment required for acts of terrorism;
- Common symptoms and methods of treatment associated with exposure to, or injuries caused by, chemical, biological, radioactive and nuclear agents;
- Syndromic surveillance and reporting procedures for acts of terrorism that involve biological agents; and
- An overview of the information available on, and the use of, the Health Alert Network
What continuing education/training courses can I take?
- Looking for a provider? Check with your human resources/staff development office, or try a web search, using key words like “Nurse (or CNA) continuing education.”
- What kind of course can you take? A course which is designed to increase or improve a nurse’s or CNA’s knowledge, skill or ability related to the authorized scope of practice of the nurse or CNA (CNAs, please refer to the CNA Skills Guidelines).
- Can’t find the classes the Board ordered you to take? Call the Board at 888-590-6726 and you will be directed to someone who can help you.
Please note: Make sure the continuing education/training provider is accepted by the Board.
How many CEs/CNA Training hours does a course equal?
- 60 minutes of participation in nurse CE equals one contact hour
- One hour of participation in CNA in-service training equals one contact hour
- College credit (if taken as part of education program to obtain higher nursing degree; includes prerequisites) – one credit (semester) equals 15 contact hours, one credit (quarter) equals 10 contact hours