While nursing licensure regulations may vary from state to state, almost every nurse is required to complete additional education courses throughout their career. These courses are referred to as continuing education units (CEUs). Typically, the state board of nursing where the nurse practices will determine how many CEUs are required for a nurse to renew her license. For example, a registered nurse may have to renew her license in her state every three years. During that time, she will be expected to accrue at least six CEUs. This means that she has to earn six units of educational credits before going to renew her nursing license. Furthermore, she will have to provide proof to the state board of nursing that she completed these courses.
What types of courses are available for nurses who need to complete their CEUs? Depending on where the nurse lives, there may be several courses available at nearby schools and health care facilities. Additionally, many nurses are able to take some CEUs online. For either option, nurses should always check with their state board of nursing to ensure that those courses will count for CEUs in their state. In most cases, nurses are able to find a wide variety of courses to meet their interests. Their employer may also suggest certain courses depending on the needs for their health care facility. In either case, here are some of the available CEU classes which nurses may elect to take either in-person or online.
Chronic Disease: Nurses learn all about chronic diseases and how these conditions are managed. Some of the many types of chronic diseases may be covered in the class, including hypertension, lupus, Parkinson's, fibromyalgia, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and diabetes.
Pain Management: Since nurses are often responsible for helping to keep sick patients comfortable, pain management is an excellent CEU course choice. During the course, nurses learn about the pharmacologic approach to pain management as well as non-pharmacological approaches which may help ease a patient’s discomfort or pain during an illness.
Genetics: This course will give the nurse a full refresher on genetics and how it affects certain conditions and illnesses. Explore how some individuals are predisposed to conditions based on their genetic makeup. Genetic testing is often discussed at length in this class.
Nutrition: Nurses can benefit from learning how to keep patients healthy through their diet. This class explores common nutrition principles as well as the special dietary needs associated with certain conditions, such as diabetes.
Youth Illness: When a young person becomes sick, they may handle it very differently than an adult. The youth illness CEU class will deal with the specific challenges to treating a child or teen with a serious illness or condition, such as cancer, diabetes, or cystic fibrosis.
Sexuality: Several types of diseases and conditions can result from sexual activity. Nurses learn all about these conditions in the sexuality CEU course, as well as how to educate their patients about safe sex practices and treatment for these conditions.
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