Nursing CE Requirements in Wyoming 2023 – Everything You Should Know

Is your nursing license renewal season coming up soon?

Confused about the CE requirements in Wyoming?

Don’t worry, we are here to guide you.

We’ll talk about all your CE requirements, as well as other prerequisites to renew your nursing license in the state, whether you’re a CNA, LPN, RN, or APRN. 

So without further ado, let’s begin!

Wyoming Nursing CE Requirements

In a rush?

Here’s a summary of the nursing CE requirements in Wyoming:

That’s a lot to take in. 

If you want a detailed explanation, keep on reading. 

Wyoming CNA Continuing Education Requirements

For CNAs, continuing education requirements will depend on your practice hours. 

Let’s take a look at it:

• If you earn at least 400 hours of active practice in 2 years, you don’t need to take any nursing CE course. 
• If you earned 200 hours of active practice in 2 years, you are required to complete 15 hours of continuing education. 
• If you earned less than 200 hours of active practice every 2 years, you should complete 30 hours of continuing education OR retake and pass the NATCEP exam. You have a choice. 

Another important thing to note is that CNAs should renew their certification before December 31, every even-numbered year. 

Wyoming LPN Continuing Education Requirements

Just like CNAs, the continuing education requirements for LPNs depend on the number of active practice hours you earn every 2 years. 

• If you have less than 200 hours of nursing practice, you are required to take 30 hours of continuing education.
• If you have at least 200 hours of nursing practice, you are required to take 15 hours of continuing education.
• If you have 400 or more hours of nursing practice, you are NOT required to complete continuing education.

This is great because you can decide which way you want to go and start working towards it. 

Now, for those who are required to take continuing education, you have to either complete 10 hours of in-service or CE courses in IV OR complete an approved LPN IV refresher course.

Again, you have a choice here. 

LPN license renewals are done biennially in Wyoming.

Wyoming RN Continuing Education Requirements

As is usually the case, RNs have the same renewal requirements as LPNs. 

So if you hold an RN license in Wyoming, you can renew it by:

• Completing 30 nursing CE hours
• Earning 200 hours of active nursing practice and completing 15 contact hours of nursing CE.
• Earning 400 hours of active nursing practice

RN license renewals are done biennially in Wyoming.

If you fail to engage in 400 hours of active nursing practice or 200 hours of active nursing practice and 15 hours of CE during the last 5 years, you have to:

• Successfully complete a refresher course or the equivalent accepted by the board, OR
• Successfully complete a nursing education program that confers a degree beyond the applicant’s basic nursing education, OR
• Obtain or maintain certification by a nationally recognized professional accrediting agency in a specialty area of nursing that is accepted by the board, OR
• Successfully pass the NCLEX a second time

What’s different for RNs is that there are no mandatory courses. You can decide which CE topics to take, provided it is approved by the Wyoming Nursing Board. 

Wyoming APRN Continuing Education Requirements 

APRN’s CE requirements in Wyoming are a bit different compared to the other nurses. 

For APRNs who have proof of current national certification and 400 hours of active practice, they are no longer required to take continuing education.

If you hold national certification but didn’t complete 400 practice hours, you need 15 hours of continuing education.

For those who have maintained their licensure without national certification, you should submit the following to be eligible for renewal:

• Proof of completion of at least 60 hours of continuing education related to your role and population focus area
• Completion of 400 hours or more of active nursing practice for the past 24 months

What if you hold prescriptive authority?

You should provide proof of completing 3 hours of CE related to the responsible prescribing of controlled substances or treatment of substance abuse disorders.

FAQs

Got some questions? Let’s answer some of the most frequently asked ones.

Are volunteer hours considered an active nursing practice?

Yes. In Wyoming, the active nursing practice includes volunteering in nursing or health organizations wherein you will apply knowledge or clinical judgment that influences nurses, patients, systems, or organizations. 

How do I verify my nursing certification/license in Wyoming?

To verify your CNA certification, you can check here.

To verify your nursing license, you can head over to Nursys.

I renewed my multistate nursing license in another state. Do I still need to renew my Wyoming license?

If Wyoming is your primary state of residency, then you should renew your Wyoming nursing license. If not, then you are NOT required to renew your Wyoming license if you already renewed your multistate license. 

Conclusion

So that’s it – all you need to know about nursing CE requirements in Wyoming.

The great thing is that nurses have the option to choose which path they want to go. If you want to focus on practice hours alone, then you don’t need to take any CE courses. 

But if you prefer to study AND practice, then you have the option to focus on both.

Still, if you just want to study, then you have a choice for that, too. 

So if your nursing license renewal is almost approaching, you should pick which way you want to go and start working towards it. 

Good luck!

Last Updated: July 13, 2023 (Requirements taken from Wyoming BON website)