Want to know the requirements to renew your nursing license in Maine?
We’ve got you covered!
Here, we’re going to talk about the nursing CE requirements in Maine. We’ll talk about the requirements for the most common license types.
So let’s dive in!
Maine Nursing CE Requirements
In a rush? No worries, here is a quick summary:
| CNA (Certified Nurse Assistant) | No CEs required! Must work at least 8 hours for a 24-month period after being certified CNA certificate must be renewed every 24 months. |
| LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse) | No CEs required! Renewal of license is every 2 years on the licensee’s date of birth. Renewal fee of $50 per renewal period. |
| RN (Registered Nurse) | No CEs required! Renewal of license is every 2 years on the licensee’s date of birth. Renewal fee of $75 per renewal period. |
| APRN (Advanced Practice Registered Nurse) | Maintain national certification 50 hours of continuing education every 2 years. For APRNs with prescriptive authority: 3 contact hours in prescribing opioid medication 15 contact hours in advanced practice pharmacology (if they have not prescribed in the past 2 years) APRN license renewals are made concurrently with RN license renewal. The renewal fee is about $100. |
Now, let’s get into more detail.
Maine CNA Continuing Education Requirements
CNAs in Maine are not required to take any continuing nursing education courses.
The minimum requirements to stay active on the registry are:
- Complete at least 8 hours of employment in a health care setting supervised by a registered professional nurse every 24 months.
- CNA must not have any disqualifying annotations such as criminal convictions or substantiated complaints
CNA certificate renewal is done every 24 months. The registry will send out a notification and a renewal form on your address 45-60 days before the expiration of your listing.
The renewal form can be sent to the Divison by mail. Another option is to renew your listing online.
Failure to renew your certification prevents you from working as a CNA in Maine.
Maine LPN Continuing Education Requirements
As of writing, there are no CE requirements for LPNs in Maine.
License renewal for LPNs occurs every 2 years on the licensee’s birthday. Renewals will be done online.
A fee of $50 will be required upon submission of the renewal application form.
Though there are no CE requirements, Maine is strict when it comes to renewing your license. They don’t offer a grace period. If you missed your license renewal, it will be considered a lapse, and additional fees may occur.
Maine RN Continuing Education Requirements
Lucky you, RNs in Maine are not required to complete continuing nursing education, too.
2 months before the license expiration date, a renewal notification will be sent to the license holder. RN license renewal is every 2 years on the date of birth of the licensee.
Renewals can only be done online. The renewal fees cost about $75 per renewal period.
Note that the Maine State Board of Nursing DOES NOT offer a grace period for license renewal.
Maine APRN Continuing Education Requirements
APRNs are required to complete 50 contact hours of continuing nursing education in medicine, nursing, or allied health in the area of practice.
In addition to the CE requirements, APRNs need to maintain an approved national certification.
Since this is a requirement, you cannot renew your license if you have no certification.
Remember, CE courses must be related to your level of practice and clinical specialty. 30 contact hours of continuing nursing education must be from Category I. 20 contact hours of continuing nursing education can be from Category II.
What is Category I and Category II?
- Category I – these are activities related to your practice area that offers academic credit. These activities should be approved by agencies such as the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, the Maine State Nurses Association, and many more.
- Category II – continuing education related to health activities such as presentations, presenting at grounds, participating in clinical meetings, publishing papers in nursing journals, authoring articles in published textbooks, precepting RNs that are enrolled in APRN programs, participating in peer review, etc.
APRNs with prescriptive authority have an additional requirement of 3 contact hours in prescribing opioid medication.
If you have not prescribed in the past 2 years, then you should show proof of 15 contact hours of CE in pharmacology when you renew your license to practice.
You MUST keep documentation of continuing education for at least 2 years in case the Board selects you for an audit.
APRN license renewals are completed online and the renewal date is based on your date of birth. The renewal fee for an APRN license is $100.
When it comes to license renewals, the State of Maine Nursing Board does not have a grace period. Failure to renew your nursing license on timie results in a lapsed license.
FAQs
Is Maine considered a compact nursing state?
Yes, Maine is a member of the eNLC! For the last 17 years, Maine allows nurses to have mobility across multiple state borders to increase access to health care without having to obtain another license.
How to check the current status of my APRN license?
Anyone who has your information can check the expiration and status of your license online.
Your APRN license will expire along with your RN license every 2 years. A notification will be sent by the Maine State Board of Nursing before your license expiration.
How to submit continuing nursing education if selected for an audit?
If you’re selected for an audit, there is an option to upload relevant documents in the online APRN license renewal. Certificates of completion of continuing education for Category I and Category II should be provided.
DO NOT:
- Generalize Category II activities
- Provide any continuing education under your general professional development education
- Provide any continuing education that is not related to your Board-approved clinical specialty
- Provide less than 30 contact hours for Category I
- Provide credit that is not within the 24-month renewal license period
Conclusion
That’s it!
Most states require CEs for each nursing type. But in Maine, CEs are not required for CNAs, LPNs, and RNs — making license renewal EASIER.
If you’re about to renew your nursing license in Maine, hopefully, this article helped you out!
Last updated: April 5, 2023 (Requirements taken from Maine BON website)