As a nursing professional, you know that learning is not over after you graduate – and that’s where nursing CEUs come in.
Continuing Education Units, also known as Continuing Education Credits, are used to measure your ongoing participation in learning activities throughout your career such as online courses or hands-on labs.
Continuing education for nurses is important and relevant in an ever-changing profession like medicine. The most recognized provider is The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). This organization, also known as Nursing World, focuses on nursing board certification and is the benchmark standard for nursing CEUs.
In fact, ANCC courses are recognized by all state boards an employers consider nurses with ANCC CEUs to have higher earning potential.
Now that you have a thorough understanding of the requirements for nurses CEUs, let’s review three quick and easy ways to earn them:
1. Nursing CEUs Online
Not every CEU will require in-person attendance, so obtaining them online can make it easy and quick.
Online learning offers many perks, such as:
- Online CEUs often cost less than in-person study.
- The convenient learning style means you can take your courses anywhere, any time.
- Save time with online courses; skip the commute. Save money on school supplies, gas and more.
- Group learning is fun and collaborative, but solo online learning ensures a distraction-free way to learn at your own pace.
- Enjoy the comfort of your own home and sweatpants if you need to de-stress; online courses mean you can learn in whatever way is most comfortable for you.
Here is a list of excellent websites that offer nursing CEUs:
- Quantum CEUs also known as Quantum Units Education offers a wide variety of courses for health professionals. Quantum CEU credits are considered affordable and are accredited.
- CEUFast offers a beautifully organized site which is very easy to navigate. They are nationally accredited and offer more than 100 courses. What’s more, they offer a yearly subscription meaning you can take as many courses as you want for one yearly cost.
- NetCE is another valuable website with many course bundles available by state and need. In many cases, you can purchase by the number of CEUs you need which is convenient and simple.
Another notable perk of online learning is the ability to review your courses at any time.
2. Nursing CEU Conferences and More
Attending Nurse CEU Conferences
Enjoy the learning process when you choose to attend a seminar that includes CEU credits. It is possible that your employer will cover part or all of the cost for you to attend these types of conferences, making it even more desirable.
With countless nursing conferences throughout the country and world, there’s sure to be one that interests you. Oftentimes you can search for conferences by location and/or by specialty.
One perk of choosing to obtain your CEUs at a conference is that you are surrounded by like-minded professionals. The speakers are often thought leaders in the nursing field and breakout sessions are almost always interactive and highly educational.
Here are a few providers of CEU accredited conferences you may like to learn more about:
- MedSeminars is a well-known organization that provides CEUs in both conference, seminar and online formats. With over 30 years in the business, MED-ED “leads the industry in providing nurses with continuing education that elevates their practice by focusing on evidence-based practice and the development of competence and critical thinking skills.”
- MER has a great website that organizes their conference offerings by month. In one month alone they have over 10 conferences in states like Florida, South Carolina and California to name a few.
- Nursing Network provides more than just conference information, but it is a great resource for nursing-specific CEU details. They offer online courses as well, so this site can serve as a one-stop-shop.
Nurse CEU Vacations
Yes, there is such a thing as Nursing Continuing Education Cruises! University at Sea is an organization that runs accredited CEU cruises so you can vacation while you fulfill your required nurse CEUs.
3. Free CEUs for Nurses
Although you should check your state requirements first, you can find a number of free CEUs for nurses!
Though many courses will cost money, we recommend seeking out free courses to make the process a bit easier. Some of the best places to find free CEUs for nurses are:
Conveniently Earn Your Nursing CEUs
It’s worth mentioning again that in order for your nursing CEUs to count, you must ensure you obtain them from an accredited or approved provider. It pays to understand what your state’s specific requirements are so that you do not accidentally take a course that won’t count.
Do you have any questions about getting your CEUs? Let us know.
