Continuing Competence

Active in Practice Requirements

APRN

• 400 hours active in practice specialty in the 4 years immediately preceding date of application.
• If newly graduated as an APRN within the previous 2 years before licensure, program coursework and clinical count for 1st renewal.

LNA

• A minimum of 200 hours of nursing assistant related activities under the supervision of a licensed nurse within the 2 years immediately prior to the date of application
• or successful completion of nursing assistant competency testing within 2 years prior to date of application.

MNA

• A minimum of 50 hours of medication nursing assistant related activities under the supervision of a licensed nurse within the 2 years immediately prior to the date of application.

RN/LPN

• 400 hours active in practice in 4 years immediately prior to date of application,
• or have completed a board approved refresher program within 2 years of application or have successfully completed NCLEX examination within 2 years of application.

Continuing Education Requirements

APRN

• Specialty certification = 30 of the 60 required contact hours
• and an additional 30 hours should include 5 hours of Pharmacology
• For licensees with an active DEA # for prescribing in New Hampshire 3 of the 5 hours must address opioid prescribing, pain management, or substance abuse disorder.
• Proof of completion should be sent to the board office.

RN/LPN

• 30 contact hours in 2 years immediately preceding license application including workshops, conferences, lectures or other education offerings designed to enhance nursing knowledge, judgment, and skills

• Or successful completion of a refresher course within 2 years of date of application

LNA

• 24 contact hours in the two years immediately preceding licensure, conferences, lectures or other education offerings designed to enhance nursing assistant knowledge, judgment, and skills
• or successful completion of nursing assistant competency test within 2 years of date of application.

MNA

• 8 of the 24 required contact hours for LNA Licensure must be related to medication administration.

Nur 403.01 Continuing Education Requirements for LPN, RN and APRN.

(a) Each applicant for licensure by endorsement, renewal or reinstatement for an RN or LPN license shall complete at least 30 contact hours of workshops, conferences, lectures or in-service educational offerings that are designed to enhance nursing knowledge, judgment, and skills. Current national certification may be used to fulfill such continuing education requirement.

(b) Educational courses offering content in the following shall fulfill the requirements of (a) above:

1. Nursing art and science;
2. Nursing education, practice, or research;
3. Research in health care;
4. Biological, physical, or behavioral sciences;
5. Management, administration or supervision of health-care delivery;
6. Teaching or learning principles;
7. Ethical or legal aspects of health-care;
8. Content offered in basic nursing educational programs appropriate to the licensure category; or
9. Health-care trends, issues or policies.

(c) One or more of the following educational activities shall fulfill the requirements of (a) above:

1. Authorship of a published professional nursing article or book;
2. Preparation and initial delivery of a professional nursing paper;
3. Preparation and initial participation on a professional nursing panel;
4. Participation in quality assessment or risk management studies;
5. Nursing or nursing-related grant-writing or research; or
6. Completion of 2 or more credits in a school, college, or university that enhances nursing knowledge, judgment and skills.

(d) Each APRN applicant for APRN license renewal or reinstatement shall complete at least 30 contact hours of continuing education in addition to the continuing education requirements to renew or reinstate a RN license within the 2 years immediately preceding date of application. At least 20 of the 30 hours shall be specific to the specialty practice area, and 5 hours shall be education in pharmacology appropriate to the specialty practice area.

Nur 403.02 Continuing Education Requirements for LNA. Each applicant for renewal, reinstatement, or endorsement of an LNA license shall complete at least 12 contact hours per year of workshops, conferences, lectures, or in-service educational offerings that are designed to enhance nursing assistant knowledge, judgment, and skills. Successful completion of a state nursing assistant examination may be used to fulfill such continuing education requirements.

Nur 403.03 Continuing Education Requirements for MNA. Each applicant for renewal of an MNA license shall complete at least 4 contact hours per year of workshops, conferences, lectures, or in-service educational offerings that are designed to enhance nursing assistant knowledge, judgment, and skills related to medications and/or medication administration.

Nur 403.04 Method of Calculation of Contact Hours for Individualized Learning.
(a) Academic credit for courses shall be converted to contact hours, with one credit being the equivalent of 15 contact hours.
(b) Individualized learning activities shall count on an hour-for-hour basis towards fulfilling the requirements of continuing education.

The Board does not require that your contact hours be earned at conferences that provide "official" contact hours granted by a professional organization. However, the educational offering must:

• Have specific objectives that guide the learning
• Pertain to and enhance the licensee's knowledge, skills and judgment
• Pertain to the licensee's scope of practice
• Have a method for evaluating the learner's attainment of the objectives
• Maintain a list of attendees

Documentation

The licensee shall maintain documentation of attendance that includes: the title, length and date of the offering and the name of the entity providing the offering. There is no limit to the number of contact hours that can be completed through independent study. However, individualized learning courses must have some method of verifying that the course was completed.

December 20, 2018 Board of Nursing Interpretation of Nur 403.01:

Are nurses permitted to repeat the same educational offering in the same two year renewal period and receive credit from the board office for attending both? Yes

Are courses such as glucometer training, use of IV pumps and back training (mandatory training for organizations) counted towards courses that “are designed to enhance nursing knowledge, judgment, and skills.”? Yes