As your renewal date comes nearer, you must ensure that you’ve fulfilled the various nursing requirements to keep practicing in Oregon.
But when you’re busy with so many things, it’s easy to get confused about the renewal prerequisites.
The worse that could happen is to suddenly realize that you’re running out of time and you’re not entirely sure what you should be monitoring.
We’re here to help.
To make it easy for you, we’ve simplified the nursing CE requirements in Oregon. We’ll tell you everything you need to know, whether you hold a CNA, CMA, LPN, RN, or APRN license.
So shall we?
Oregon Nursing CE Requirements
If you’re in a rush, this table provides the information you need.
| Type | Requirement |
| CNA 1 & 2(Certified Nurse Assistant) | No CE Required! Must have worked as a nurse aid for at least 400 hours in the last 24 months |
| CMA(Certified Medical Assistant) | 8 CE hours every 2 years Have 400 practice hours as a CMA in the last 24 months |
| LPN(Licensed Practical Nurse) | 3 CE hours every 2 years * 1 hour on Pain Management and must be provided by the Oregon Pain Management Commission * 2 hours on Cultural Competence One time requirement only — 6 hours on Pain Management (excluding the 1 hour from Oregon’s Pain Management Commission) 400 practice hours You may need additional continuing education if you cannot fulfill 400 practice hours: * If less than 600 practice hours in the 3 years directly preceding renewal — additional 20 CE hours * If less than 800 practice hours in the 4 years directly preceding renewal — additional 30 CE hours |
| RN(Registered Nurse) | 3 CE hours every 2 years * 1 hour on Pain Management and must be provided by the Oregon Pain Management Commission * 2 hours on Cultural Competence One time requirement only — 6 hours on Pain Management (excluding the 1 hour from Oregon’s Pain Management Commission) 400 practice hours You may need additional continuing education if you lack practice hours * If less than 600 practice hours in the 3 years directly preceding renewal — additional 20 CE hours * If less than 800 practice hours in the 4 years directly preceding renewal — additional 30 CE hours |
| APRN(Advanced Practical Registered Nurse) | 3 CE hours every 2 years * 1 hour on Pain Management and must be provided by the Oregon Pain Management Commission * 2 hours on Cultural Competence One time requirement only — 6 hours on Pain Management (excluding the 1 hour from Oregon’s Pain Management Commission) For APRNs licensed before January 1, 2011, 45 hours on population foci (instead of national certification) APRNs with prescriptive authority: – At least 150 hours of practice utilizing prescriptive authority * If unable to fulfill the required practice hours, must complete a 45-hour pharmacology course – Active national certification for your specialty role , attesting to completion of continuing education required for maintaining national certification *If you do not have an active national certification, must complete 45 contact hours of continuing education. At least 15 must be in pharmacotherapeutic content. |
It’s a lot, we know. So let’s take time to break it down in detail.
Oregon CNA and CMA Continuing Education Requirements
Regardless of whether you’re a CNA 1 or 2, you don’t need to complete any CE hours to get your certification renewed. However, it doesn’t mean that it renews automatically.
In Oregon, you must work as a CNA for at least 400 hours during the 2 years — right before your certification expires.
The only exception for this is CNAs who have been certified for less than 2 years — they don’t need to complete the required practice hours.
There is another type of assistant in Oregon — Certified Medical Assistants. Like CNAs, they also need to have worked as a CMA for at least 400 hours within the last 2 years.
However, CMAs have an additional requirement. You need to complete 8 CE hours to renew your certification.
Whether you’re a CNA or a CMA, remember that the 400 practice hours should be from paid employment. Voluntary work won’t count towards your renewal requirements.
Oregon LPN Continuing Education Requirements
The requirements for Licensed Practical Nurses have changed recently. Since July 1, 2021, LPNs in Oregon need to attend 2 hours of cultural competency education.
It is a permanent prerequisite, which means you’ll have to go through it every 2 years.
You also need to undergo 7 contact hours on pain management. 6 of these are a one-time requirement.
So once you’ve taken them, you don’t need to worry about them for succeeding renewals.
The last hour must be the module provided by the Oregon Pain Management Commission. It’s part of your biennial renewal requirements.
Once you’ve completed the one-time requirement, you only need 3 hours of continuing education every 2 years. Along with that, you must have practiced as an LPN for at least 400 hours in the last 24 months.
Now, if you can’t complete the required 400 hours, you can still apply for renewal. But it means you’ll have additional requirements:
- If you’ve practiced for less than 600 hours in the 3 years right before your license renewal, you need to take an additional 20 hours of continuing education.
- If you have less than 800 hours within the last 4 years, you need to complete 30 additional hours of continuing education.
Oregon RN Continuing Education Requirements
Registered Nurses have similar renewal requirements as LPNs. You only need 3 hours of continuing education for your biennial renewal.
The 3 hours are all mandatory courses.
2 of these must be on cultural competence, while you have to take 1 hour of pain management from the Oregon Pain Management Commission.
Don’t confuse this with the one-time requirement of 6 CE hours on pain management.
RNs also have practice hours prerequisites as part of their license renewal.
You must have worked as a Registered Nurse for at least 400 hours in the last 2 years. Although this may sound like a lot, 400 hours is only roughly 50 days.
Like LPNs, if you don’t fulfill this, you can still get your license renewed, but you’ll have to complete more CE hours.
To figure out how many hours of continuing education you need to attend, refer to the bullet points below:
- If you have less than 600 practice hours in the last 3 years, you need 20 more CE hours
- If you have less than 800 practice hours within the previous 4 years, you need 30 more CE hours
Oregon APRN Continuing Education Requirements
Like LPNs and RNs, APRNs only have 3 hours of continuing education to complete their renewal. All of these are mandatory.
2 of the 3 hours must be on cultural competence. The last hour must be on pain management. You need to ensure that you take the module provided by the Oregon Pain Management Commission.
What’s more, you must have worked as an APRN for at least 400 hours during the 2 years before renewal.
Note: you can use your APRN practice hours for your RN renewal as well. However, the hours that you practiced as an RN won’t count towards your APRN renewal. You’ll have to be mindful of that.
You should also have a current national certification.
Now, if you got your license before January 1, 2011, you can take 45 hours of continuing education on population foci instead of having a national certification.
If you’re an APRN with prescriptive authority, you need to have at least 150 hours’ worth of practice that involves prescribing medicine to patients.
If you can’t fulfill this, you have the option to take a 45-hour pharmacology course.
APRNs with prescriptive authority should also have an active national certification.
If you can’t fulfill this requirement, you must complete 45 contact hours of continuing education. At least 15 must be in pharmacotherapeutic content.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do CNAs and CMAs have the same job?
Although the skills and personalities required for CNAs and CMAs are relatively similar, their duties separate them.
CNAs work directly with patients and focus on their personal care. Their tasks typically include bathing patients, making beds, and keeping nurses updated with any observed abnormalities.
They do not administer medication. Since CNAs work directly under an LPN or an RN, they base their decisions on the latter’s direction.
In comparison, a Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) works directly with a medical provider, such as a doctor. They prepare patients for the doctor by taking their vital signs and getting medical and medication history. They also ask about allergy information and can conduct a physical exam.
They can administer medication if instructed by a doctor and assist with in-office surgeries and procedures. CMAs usually work in outpatient clinics or urgent care centers.
Why are there CNA 1s and CNA 2s in Oregon?
Oregon is one of the only two states with dual levels for Certified Nursing Assistants (North Carolina is the other). Both work to triage problems to administer proper patient care.
CNA 1s typically work in skilled nursing facilities, long-term care centers, adult day care centers, and assisted living facilities.
If you want to work in a hospital in Oregon, you must acquire CNA 2 certification. Their responsibilities require acute care and skills for crisis intervention.
Are there activities that will not count towards meeting CE requirements for CMAs?
These won’t count towards your CE requirements as a CMA:
- TV programs
- Reading articles in non-nursing magazines
- Attending CPR classes or those dealing with injectables or IV medication
- Attending job orientation
Conclusion
And that’s it for our nursing CE requirements in Oregon.
Regardless of what type of nursing license you carry, you’ll find the details for your renewal in this guide.
We hope that this article has helped answer your questions!