You must go through several years of schooling to become a nurse. Some students choose to follow the two-year academic plan, which results in an Associate’s credential in nursing and makes you eligible to become a registered nurse (RN).
Many other students follow a bachelor’s degree program in nursing, which takes about four years to complete. However, it is possible to finish some four-year programs in as little as 36 months. For an advanced degree in nursing, you’ll have to extend your studies beyond a bachelor’s program.
Regardless of the degree that you earn to become a nurse, you must continue your education to keep your nursing license active. Part of the requirements to renew your license includes completing continuing education units (CEUs).
Wyoming RN and LPN Nurse CEU Requirements
As of Jan. 31, 2021, 8,106 people held an active registered nurse (RN) license in Wyoming. Of those, 726 had a licensed practical nurse (LPN) license and 1,042 an APRN license.
All RNs and LPNs in Wyoming must complete 20 hours of continuing education every two years to keep a nursing license active. However, there is an exception to this requirement, and it applies to RNs and LPNs who work full time. Nurses achieve full-time status when they work at least 1,600 hours within the last five years or a minimum of 500 hours in the past two years.
Wyoming APRN CEU Requirements
To keep an APRN license active, a nurse must complete 60 CEU hours every two years, and these CEUs must be in a specialty area. APRNs must have 400 practice hours. They must earn those hours within the immediate two prior years of applying for the license renewal.
CEU Requirements for APRNs With Prescriptive Authority
An additional 15 CEUs must be completed in the clinical management of drug therapy and pharmacology if an APRN can prescribe medications.
And as of July 1 2019, an additional three hours of CEUs relating to either prescribing controlled substances or the treatment methods used to treat those with substance abuse disorders must be completed by nurses with prescriptive authority.
How to Find the Best CEUs for Nurses
Staying on top of CEU requirements is simple, thanks to the availability of courses. Nurses can complete the classes from the comfort of their own homes if preferred. And there’s no need to stress about the cost of the CEUs because many courses can be taken free of charge.
Finding free CEUs for nurses becomes comfortable with the internet. A quick search on Google for “CEU courses in Wyoming for nurses” will give nurses a vast list of places and sites to take CEUs.
The most important thing to consider when searching for CEU courses is to make sure to look for ones offered by an approved agency. If the state’s Board of Nursing doesn’t support the CEU course, then the hours earned don’t count toward a nurse’s license renewal requirement.
In addition to the internet, fellow nurses are an excellent resource for finding the best CEUs for nurses in Wyoming. Many colleges and universities have resources available to help nurses find approved CEU courses, as well.
How to Check Current CEU Status
All nurses in Wyoming must keep up with the CEU hours they earn and the dates of when they completed them. The state’s Board of Nursing does not keep up with each nurse’s current CEU status. The only time the Board of Nursing checks CEU status is when a nurse applies for license renewal or during an audit of a nurse.
CEU status is verified according to the documentation submitted by the nurse during the renewal process. This documentation must show when and through which entity the CEU was completed.
During an audit, a nurse may be asked to show proof of CEU completion for the past several years. This is yet another reason for nurses to always keep their CEU paperwork in a safe and secure location.
Final Thoughts
Want to learn more about free CEUs you can use to renew a Wyoming nursing license? Check out these free nurse CEUs now, and don’t forget to use the free nurse salary estimator to see how your salary compares to the salaries of nurses in other states.
