How to Document Nursing Continuing Education Credits
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Credit: Chaay_Tee / iStock / Getty Images PlusMost states and employers require nurses to earn continuing education credits (CEUs) to maintain licensure and employment. Because nurses typically acquire CEUs over several years, keeping up with each course and activity can be challenging.
Fortunately, tracking your credits is worth the effort. Failing to keep up with CEUs can cause problems — in extreme cases, you could even lose your license. Learn the three best ways to document your nursing CEUs and streamline the license renewal process.
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3 Ways to Keep Track of Your Nursing CEUs
CEUs, also known as continuing education credits (CECs), keep nurses current with best nursing practices. Healthcare is an ever-evolving field, with medical knowledge growing rapidly. Therefore, nurses and all other healthcare providers must stay current on the latest evidence and technology.
When renewing your license, you must prove that you earned the required CEUs to avoid delays or other problems. Continuing education for nurses can include multiple types of paid or free CEU courses and activities. These various sources can make it easy for the details, like certificates of completion, to get lost in the shuffle (or the inbox). Without organizing the process, busy nurses must search email records or contact CEU providers to request documentation.
By using one of the following methods to document and organize your nursing CEUs, you’ll have a more accessible record when you need it.
1 | Self-Management of CEUs
Using a spreadsheet to manage your CEU activity can be simple and effective. Each time you earn CEUs, just enter the key details in the document.
Self-management also requires you to store documentation. Make sure you have multiple copies of your proof of course completion, such as paper and electronic versions (ideally, digital versions can be stored on the web or in the cloud). You can mark the location of your documents in the spreadsheet and upload the documents to Google Drive or a similar service for a secure (and free) storage solution.
- Pros: Self-management allows you to develop a system that aligns with your needs and preferences. You can use free software and track activities from different providers in one place.
- Cons: You have to keep up with the data entry and storage procedures. It’s easy to lose track and forget to add CEUs.
2 | Educational Organizations Website Tracking
When you take CEUs through an organization like the American Board of Family Medicine or the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, your account contains a record of your completed courses. You can access your data by logging into your account and gathering the information you need. If you have a national certification with a governing body like the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), you can track your continuing education in your online account during the certification cycle.
- Pros: You don’t have to do anything extra to keep track — all the information you need is stored for you. The details are accurate, and when you need to submit documentation, it is easy to access.
- Cons: If you take CEU courses from other organizations, you will need to consolidate information from multiple sources, and not all providers have handy portals that easily grant access to the desired information.
3 | CEU Mobile Tracking Apps
Mobile apps like NursingCEConection and CEU Tracker streamline the process of recording CEUs. They allow you to use your mobile device to add information. You can track courses from multiple providers and in different states in one simple location.
- Pros: Apps have easy-to-use interfaces. They often include additional features like setting goals and tracking progress, setting alerts when your CEUs are due, and receiving access to CEU courses.
- Cons: CEUs still need to be manually added to the app.
Frequently Asked Questions: Documenting Nursing CEUs
Activities that advance nursing skills and knowledge, such as academic courses, professional development activities, and conferences, may qualify for CEUs. Activities must be accredited by the state board of nursing or the ANCC and should contain content that goes beyond the basic knowledge and skills required for entry-level nursing.
Page last reviewed on May 30, 2024
