This is your reminder that it is probably time to renew your nursing license or at least work on the continuing education units

I renewed my North Carolina nursing license yesterday.

North Carolina, like most other states, has a 2 year limit on their nursing license.

In North Carolina, there are many options for proving you’re still registerable. The requirement I chose is 640 hours as a working nurse. This translates to roughly 16 weeks of full time 40 hours per week nursing work. Which is roughly 4 months out of 24 months. To choose this option, you also have to do 15 hours of CEUs.

These requirements must have been fulfilled in the 2 years window.

Additional options include

1. national certification by a credentialing body recognized by the board of nursing
2. 30 hours of CEU
3. completion of a refresher course approved by the board of nursing
4. completion of a minimum of 2 semester hours of post-licensure education. This is your MSN and BSN bridge and DNP and PhD programs
5. 15 CEUS and completions of a nursing project as the Principal Investigator for a nursing problem
6. 15 CEUs and authoring an article, paper, book
7. 15 CEUs and developing and doing a nursing CEU presentation of at least 5 contact hours

Of course I am an over achiever and have completed 6 of the 7 options. The only thing that I haven’t done is the refresher course.

What can I say? I am passionate about being a nurse.

The hospital systems do a good job of keeping you on task for renewing your nursing license. But pull it out and check it anyway.

Mistakes do happen.

But, Kate, what happens if my nursing license has expired?

This is a big bad.

Like really bad.

Like being charged with assault bad. The reason of the assault charge is that you are not licensed, therefore you are practicing nursing without legal protections. Both for you and your patient.

There is a reason it is called Fitness to Practice and the entire reason behind the two year cycle.

It is up to you to keep current on education, hence the CEUS. No one wants a nurse who isn’t aware of the newest things that affect patients. Remember 2020? I do.

So check the expiration date of your nursing license.

But if you have questions about how to find free CEUs, I have loads of options for you.