Florida Board of Nursing
Florida Nursing CE Requirements
Florida RNs need 24 contact hours of continuing education every 2 years (or another option the board accepts). 6 state-mandated topics may apply, depending on the license and practice.
At a glance
Florida nursing license renewal
| Licenses covered | Registered nurse (RN) [1] |
|---|---|
| CE required for renewal | Yes [1] |
| Hours per renewal | 24 contact hours [1] |
| CE period | Every 2 years [1] |
| Renewal deadline | RN licenses are renewed by the Department of Health in three renewal groups, each on a two-year biennium; CE must be reported to CE Broker before the license is renewed. [1] |
| State-mandated topics | Prevention of medical errors; Florida laws and rules; Recognizing impairment in the workplace; Human trafficking; Domestic violence; HIV/AIDS [1] |
| What CE counts | General hours must be approved by a state or national organization empowered to accredit nursing continuing education. All mandatory courses except human trafficking must be offered by a Florida Board of Nursing approved provider. Courses can be live or home study. [1] |
State-mandated topics
- Prevention of medical errors — 2 hours [1]
Required for renewal; must be a Board-approved course (approved courses are listed at CE Broker).
- Florida laws and rules — 2 hours [1]
Required for renewal; must be a Board-approved course (approved courses are listed at CE Broker).
- Recognizing impairment in the workplace — 2 hours [1]
Every other renewal; must be a Board-approved course.
- Human trafficking — 2 hours [1]
Every renewal/biennium. The course does not have to be Board-approved but must meet the criteria in s. 464.013, F.S. The certification exemption does not apply to this course.
- Domestic violence — 2 hours [1]
Every third biennium; these hours are in addition to the 24 hours required for renewal. Must be a Board-approved course.
- HIV/AIDS — 1 hour [1]
Once, before the first renewal. Must be a Board-approved course.
Other ways to meet the requirement
- A nurse certified by a health care specialty program accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies or the Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification is exempt from the CE requirements, except the 2-hour human trafficking course; the certification must be reported to CE Broker. [1]
Good to know
- RNs first licensed by examination during the current biennium are exempt from the general hours at their first renewal but must complete 2 hours each of medical errors, Florida laws and rules, recognizing impairment and human trafficking, plus 1 hour of HIV/AIDS. [1]
- If a first license was not issued for the full two-year biennium, the nurse must complete 1 hour of CE for each month the license was held. [1]
Rules change, and your own license record decides your deadline. Confirm with the Florida Board of Nursing ↗ before you renew.
Free continuing education
Free nursing CE
The Florida Board of Nursing pages we checked do not name an accreditor we track, so we do not mark individual courses as accepted here. Check a course's approval against the board's rule before relying on it.
Questions
Florida nursing CE, answered
How many CE hours do Florida nurses need?
Florida RNs need 24 contact hours of continuing education every 2 years (or another option the board accepts). 6 state-mandated topics may apply, depending on the license and practice. RN licenses are renewed by the Department of Health in three renewal groups, each on a two-year biennium; CE must be reported to CE Broker before the license is renewed.
Does Florida require specific CE topics for nurses?
Prevention of medical errors (2 hours): Required for renewal; must be a Board-approved course (approved courses are listed at CE Broker). Florida laws and rules (2 hours): Required for renewal; must be a Board-approved course (approved courses are listed at CE Broker). Recognizing impairment in the workplace (2 hours): Every other renewal; must be a Board-approved course. Human trafficking (2 hours): Every renewal/biennium. The course does not have to be Board-approved but must meet the criteria in s. 464.013, F.S. The certification exemption does not apply to this course. Domestic violence (2 hours): Every third biennium; these hours are in addition to the 24 hours required for renewal. Must be a Board-approved course. HIV/AIDS (1 hours): Once, before the first renewal. Must be a Board-approved course.
Do free online CE courses count in Florida?
General hours must be approved by a state or national organization empowered to accredit nursing continuing education. All mandatory courses except human trafficking must be offered by a Florida Board of Nursing approved provider. Courses can be live or home study. Check that a free course meets this rule before relying on it.
Sources & verification
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.
- Florida Board of Nursing — Registered Nurse (RN) Renewal ↗floridasnursing.gov · HTML · Retrieved Oct 12, 2026
Quoted wording (20)
“Registered Nurses (RN) are renewed by the department in three groups:”
“The department will renew your license upon receipt of: Completed CE requirements – reported into CEBroker.com”
“Domestic Violence is required every third biennium and the hours are in addition to the 24 hours required for renewal.”
“If your Florida license was not issued for the full two year biennium you must complete 1 hour of CE for each month that you hold the license.”
“Registered Nurses (RN) are renewed by the department in three groups:”
“Prior to renewing your license, you must report your continuing education (CE) hours to the Department of Health’s tracking system.”
“Prevention of Medical Errors 2 Must be board approved. Approved courses are listed at cebroker.com.”
“Florida Laws & Rules 2 Must be board approved. Approved courses are listed at cebroker.com.”
“Recognizing Impairment in the Workplace 2 Must be board approved. Approved courses are listed at cebroker.com. 2 hour course completion is required every other renewal.”
“Human Trafficking 2 This course does not have to be a Florida Board of Nursing approved course. The course must meet criteria outlined in S. 464.013, F. S. (Became effective October 1, 2017, licensees expiring after January 1, 2019 are required to complete the Human Trafficking course every renewal/biennium).”
“The CE exemption based on certification does not apply to the 2 hr Human Trafficking course requirement.”
“Domestic Violence 2 Must be board approved. Approved courses are listed at cebroker.com. Domestic Violence is required every third biennium and the hours are in addition to the 24 hours required for renewal.”
“HIV/AIDS 1 Must be board approved. Approved courses are listed at cebroker.com. HIV/AIDS is a one-time requirement prior to the first renewal.”
“General Hours 16 Must be approved by a state or national organization empowered to accredit nursing continuing education.”
“All mandatory courses must be offered by a Florida Board of Nursing approved provider, with the exception of the 2 hour Human Trafficking course.”
“All courses can be live or home study.”
“A nurse who is certified by a health care specialty program accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies or the Accreditation Board for Specialty Nursing Certification is exempt from continuing education requirements. This must be reported to the Department’s tracking system powered by CE Broker.”
“The CE exemption based on certification does not apply to the 2 hr Human Trafficking course requirement.”
“First Biennium Renewal: LPNs and RNs initially licensed by examination during the current biennium are exempt from the general CEU requirements for the first renewal. Those licensees must complete 2 hours of Medical Error, 2 hours in Florida laws and rules, 2 hours of Recognizing Impairment in the Workplace, 2 hours of Human Trafficking, and 1 hour of HIV/AIDS.”
“First licenses are not generally valid for a full two years. If your Florida license was not issued for the full two year biennium you must complete 1 hour of CE for each month that you hold the license.”