If you’re wondering about your nursing CE requirements in Alabama, we’ve got you covered.
In our guide to Alabama nursing CE requirements, we’ll provide you with all the information you need. Whether you’re a Certified Nurse Assistant, a Licensed Practical Nurse, a Registered Nurse, or an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, you’ll find what you need in the succeeding sections.
Ready for the details? Let’s go!
Alabama Nursing CE Requirements
For nurses in Alabama, here’s an overview of the requirements for license renewal:
| Type | Requirement |
| CNA(Certified Nurse Assistant) | 12 contact hours per year These must be provided by a skilled nursing facility. CNAs in Alabama must work for 8 hours every 24 months to renew their status. |
| LPN(Licensed Practical Nurse) | 24 contact hours every 2 years 1st renewal only — 4 hours on Board functions, the Nurse Practice Act, regulations, professional conduct, and accountability |
| RN(Registered Nurse) | 24 contact hours every 2 years 1st renewal only — 4 hours on Board functions, the Nurse Practice Act, regulations, professional conduct, and accountability |
| APRN(Advanced Practical Registered Nurse) | 24 contact hours every 2 years 1st renewal only — 4 hours on Board functions, the Nurse Practice Act, regulations, professional conduct, and accountability If prescribing medication — 6 hours must be on pharmacology |
Let’s break it down into specifics.
Alabama CNA Continuing Education Requirements
CNAs must do 8 hours of paid work every 24 months to renew their status. Working in a nursing home, hospital, home health agency, hospice, or mental health facility fulfills this requirement.
However, volunteer work or private sitting does not count. Neither does working in an assisted living facility or doing doctor’s office work.
As for the 12 general CE hours each year, they must be provided by a skilled nursing facility.
Alabama LPN Continuing Education Requirements
Licensed Practical Nurses need to complete 24 hours of continuing education every 2 years as part of the renewal process.
Of the 24 hours, LPNs must take 4 hours of Board-provided mandatory courses in preparation for their first renewal. These must be related to any of these topics:
- Board functions
- The Nurse Practice Act
- Regulations
- Professional Conduct
- Accountability
For the remaining 20 hours, you can earn credit hours by attending board-provided or board-approved courses or activities. More than that, you can accumulate as many as 12 CE hours through independent study.
In Alabama, LPN licenses renew on odd-numbered years, between September 1 and November 30.
Alabama RN Continuing Education Requirements
Registered Nurses have identical license renewal requirements as Licensed Practical Nurses. It means they also need to complete 24 contact hours every two years.
Out of the 24 required CE hours, you can complete 12 hours through independent study. You’ll have to find board-provided or board-approved courses or activities for the rest.
On their first renewal, part of their requirement includes a mandatory 4-hour Board-provided course on the same topics listed above.
The difference between the RN and LPN renewals is in the years. If you carry an RN license, you’ll have to complete your renewal requirements in even-numbered years.
Alabama APRN Continuing Education Requirements
Like LPNs and RNs, all Advanced Practice Registered Nurses have to complete 24 Board-recognized continuing education hours every 2 years.
For your first renewal, you must also complete the 4-hour mandatory class. The subjects these cover are the same as those for LPNs and RNs.
If you’re a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA), 6 of your contact hours must be about pharmacology.
Certified Registered Nurse Practitioners (CRNP) and Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNM) have a similar requirement. They also need to earn 6 hours on pharmacology, but it must be specific to their respective approved areas for collaborative practice.
You renew APRN licenses in the same year as RN licenses. It happens in even-numbered years.
Frequently Asked Questions
There’s a lot of information available regarding continuing education for nurses in Alabama. If you don’t sift through it, it can become confusing. Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about this subject.
How can I get continuing education credits in Alabama?
Your best bet is to engage in activities from an Alabama Board of Nursing approved or recognized provider, such as Net.CE, CEUfast.com, or NursingCE.
CE, CEUs, and Contact Hours — What’s the difference?
CE stands for Continuing Education, while CEU means Continuing Education Units.
These terms refer to the same thing — the number of hours nurses spend attending courses or approved activities. 1 CEU equals 10 hours of instruction.
A contact hour is a term used for one hour of instruction. These typically run for 50 to 60 minutes, depending on the state.
In Alabama, one contact hour is a learning experience that lasts for 50 minutes.
What is the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC), and is Alabama a part of it?
The Nurse Licensure Compact allows RNs and LPNs to hold a multi-state license. If you’re from an NLC state, you can practice in another state (also part of the NLC) either in person or through telehealth. Alabama joined the compact on January 1, 2020.
Your single-state license doesn’t change to being multi-state automatically — you must apply for it. If you want to begin the conversion process, you can find the application on the Alabama Board of Nursing’s website.
Nurses from other NLC states enjoy similar privileges — they can also practice in Alabama.
If I attend continuing education activities in another state, does it count towards my license renewal?
Alabama will consider these activities as acceptable content for Continuing Education if the other state’s board approves them. However, you will need to add these to your individual online record and upload your certificates as proof.
In Conclusion
And that’s all you need to know about renewing your nursing license in Alabama. All the information you need to get started is here.
For more information, you can visit the Alabama Board of Nursing.
There’s no better time to start working on your license renewal requirements than now. So good luck!
Last Updated: March 22, 2023 (Requirements taken from Alabama BON website)