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As of July 1, 2023, licensing and other health and occupational licenses will become part of the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing (DIAL) as a new organizational structure for state government goes into effect. Government departments and agencies that provide related services or have similar business functions are aligning to better serve Iowans.

Iowa Board of Nursing

What Continuing Education Qualifies?

Reference: IAC 655, Chapter 5-5.2(5) 

5.2(5) Options for continuing education. The following are options to complete continuing education requirements:

a.   Informal offerings by the following entities:

  1. Board-approved providers.
  2. Other approved providers from state boards of nursing that have mandatory continuing education.
  3. American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Commission on Accreditation.
  4. National League for Nursing (NLN).
  5. National Federation of Licensed Practical Nurses Continuing Education (NFLPN) and the NFLPN Education Foundation. (Now known as the National Association of Licensed Practical Nurses, Inc. (NALPN), effective October 2018).
  6. National Association for Practical Nurse Education and Service, Inc. (NAPNES)
  7. American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP)
  8. National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP)
  9. Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME)
  10. American Medical Association (AMA) Continuing Medical Education
  11. International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET)
  12. American Psychological Association (APA)
  13. National Commission for Health Education Credentialing
  14. National Board of Public Health Examiners
  15. National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA)
  16. Commission for Case Manager Certification (CCMC)
  17. National Council for Behavioral Health.

b. National certification or recertification which is related to the practice of nursing and is current at the time of a license renewal. The national certification or recertification will be recognized as 36 contact hours of continuing education. (Case Manager Certification and Certified Clinical Research Professionals are included.)

c. Completion of a board-approved nurse refresher course. Hours of participation will be recognized as contact hours of continuing education.

d. Participation as a preceptor for a nursing student or employee transitioning into a new clinical practice area, for a minimum of 120 hours in a one-to-one relationship as part of an organized preceptorship program. A licensee will maintain documentation issued by the institution supervising the student or employee demonstrating the objectives of the preceptorship and the hours completed. A preceptorship will be recognized as 12 contact hours of continuing education. 

See the preceptor form and the preceptor Q & A list at these links: Preceptor Form and Preceptor Q & A.
 

e. Completion of a nurse residency program. A residency program will be recognized as 36 contact hours of continuing education.

f. Academic offerings provided by the following entities: (1) Community colleges. (2) Public and private colleges and universities. (3) Governmental academies. 

5.2(7) Special approval process. 

An informal offering from a nonapproved provider or an organization not specified in subrule 5.2(5) shall be accepted when the offering is specially approved by the board for an individual licensee. A licensee shall obtain special approval from the board staff, prior to the completion of the licensure period, in order to receive credit acceptable to fulfill the requirements. Special Approval requires submission of a completed application and a brochure, advertisement, or course description and a certificate of attendance for the offering. Course content shall meet the qualifications of appropriate subject matter as specified in subrule 5.2(4). The licensee shall retain the approval letter from the board staff and the certificate of attendance received from the nonapproved provider. A denial of approval may be appealed to the board within 30 days of the denial.

Last updated: 11/08/2022