District of Columbia Board of Nursing
District of Columbia RNs need 24 hours of continuing education every 2 years. 2 state-mandated topics may apply, depending on the license and practice.
At a glance
| Licenses covered | Registered nurse (RN) [4] |
|---|---|
| CE required for renewal | Yes [3] |
| Hours per renewal | 24 hours [3] |
| CE period | Every 2 years [1] |
| Renewal deadline | DC Health is moving all licenses to a birth-month cycle: licenses expire on the last day of the holder's birth month, with renewals in odd or even years matching the holder's birth year. [1] |
| State-mandated topics | LGBTQ cultural competency; DC public health priorities [3] |
| What CE counts | Programs approved by the Board: administered and approved by a registered nurse, nursing organization or health services organization recognized by the Board, or approved by a state board of nursing, the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education or another national accrediting body recognized by the Board. [4] |
Every renewal, as part of the 24 hours: cultural competency or specialized clinical training focusing on patients or clients who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer.
Every renewal, at least 10% of the total CE must be in public health priority subjects published by the DC Health Director. The current domains are sexual and reproductive health, chronic disease management, One Health, healthcare professional retention and capacity building, and community and patient safety.
Rules change, and your own license record decides your deadline. Confirm with the District of Columbia Board of Nursing ↗ before you renew.
Free courses that count toward the hours
The board accepts continuing education accredited by ANCC [4]. These current free courses state that accreditation. State-mandated topics can require a specific approved course, so check those separately.
Learn what contributes to feeding tube migration in critically ill adults and how evidence-based verification practices may reduce aspiration risk.
Going beyond de-escalation, this article explores overlooked aspects of workplace violence prevention and proactive mitigation for nurses in nonpsychiatric settings.
Demystify common cardiac stress tests and imaging studies, including echocardiography, PET, CT and MRI, and learn when and how each is used.
Explore the rise and risks of anesthesia outside the OR, including nursing priorities for airway obstruction and malignant hyperthermia. Includes 30% pharm content.
Learn how high-risk rounding identified vulnerable PICU patients and reduced hospital-acquired conditions by 46.5% through targeted interventions
Exploring the Therapeutic Potential of Emerging Therapies in Pulmonary Fibrosis. A free accredited ACHL enduring CME/CE activity.
A no-cost enduring CDC module about ALS, the National ALS Registry, diagnosis, treatment, management, and referral strategies.
Faculty Accreditations Register OverviewAccreditation and Compliance is one of the six Clinical Quality Management (CQM) programs that work together to improve quality of care received by MHS beneficiaries. This interactive course introduces key knowledge and skills all entry-level CQM Accreditation and Compliance professionals must have to effectively maintain a continuous state of readiness for accrediting organization (AO) assessment through The Joint Commission (TJC) surveys. Participants will discover how their Accreditation and Compliance roles support the mitigation or elimination of ha
Faculty Accreditations Register OverviewJMESI Virtual Intermediate Executive Skills CourseDay 1: 0800-1530 Day 2: 0730-1615Day 3: 0730-1545
Questions
District of Columbia RNs need 24 hours of continuing education every 2 years. 2 state-mandated topics may apply, depending on the license and practice. DC Health is moving all licenses to a birth-month cycle: licenses expire on the last day of the holder's birth month, with renewals in odd or even years matching the holder's birth year.
LGBTQ cultural competency (2 hours): Every renewal, as part of the 24 hours: cultural competency or specialized clinical training focusing on patients or clients who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer. DC public health priorities: Every renewal, at least 10% of the total CE must be in public health priority subjects published by the DC Health Director. The current domains are sexual and reproductive health, chronic disease management, One Health, healthcare professional retention and capacity building, and community and patient safety.
Programs approved by the Board: administered and approved by a registered nurse, nursing organization or health services organization recognized by the Board, or approved by a state board of nursing, the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education or another national accrediting body recognized by the Board. Free courses accredited by ANCC are listed on this page; a state-mandated topic may need a specific approved course.
Every fact above links to the official page it comes from. We fetched each page on the date shown and confirmed the exact wording below appears on it.
“Because CEU requirements are based on a two-year renewal cycle”
“DC Health is transitioning all professional licenses, certificates, and registrations to a birth-month renewal cycle. All credentials issued on or after June 16, 2024, will expire on the last day of the holder’s birth month.”
“If your birthday is in an odd year, your future renewals will occur in odd years (and the same for even years).”
“licensees whose renewal cycles were shorted due to the transition to the birth/month year schedule are required to complete 50% of the standard CEU hours, including all mandatory topics”
“The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) or Continuing Medical Education (CME) certified by the American Medical Association”
“an applicant for renewal of a license shall have completed, during the two (2) years before the expiration of the license, twenty-four (24) hours of continuing education meeting the requirements of”
“an applicant for renewal of a license shall have completed, during the two (2) years before the expiration of the license, twenty-four (24) hours of continuing education meeting the requirements of”
“Two (2) hours shall be in cultural competency or specialized clinical training focusing on patients or clients who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer in accordance with D.C. Official Code”
“Ten percent (10%) of the total shall be in subjects determined by the Director as public health priorities of the District, which shall be duly published every five (5) years or as deemed necessary.”
“An applicant seeking renewal of the license for the first time after the initial grant of the license shall not be required to complete continuing education. A reinstatement or reactivation of a license shall not constitute an initial grant of a license.”
“contribute to the professional growth and competence of the licensee in the practice of registered nursing”
“Continuing education credit may be granted only for programs or activities approved by the Board.”
“It is administered and approved by a registered nurse, nursing organization, or health services organization that is recognized by the Board; or”
“It is approved by a state board of nursing, the American Nurses Credentialing Center, Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education, or any other national accrediting body recognized by the Board.”
“The Director has identified five (5) public health domains and provided content examples that would align with each domain.”
“1. Sexual and Reproductive Health”
“2. Chronic Disease Management”
“3. One Health (https://www.cdc.gov/one-health/about/index.html)”
“4. Healthcare Professional Retention and Capacity Building”
“5. Community and Patient Safety”
