What Are Continuing Education Credits in Nursing?

The field of nursing isn't static — pandemics, evolving patient needs and advances in medical technology make sure of that. To stay current, nurses need to continually develop their knowledge and skills.

"In a field where new evidence, technologies and standards emerge regularly, lifelong learning through continuing education (CE) is vital," said Dr. Lyndsay Goss, a director of continuing professional development in nursing at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) with experience working in nursing and public health education, community health and ambulatory care. "It also helps nurses meet licensure and certification requirements and can assist with career advancement through new skill acquisition."

Continuing education credits are used by regulatory bodies to measure professional development in nursing, Goss said.

How Do Continuing Education Credits Work?

Continuing education is officially measured in Continuing Education Units (CEUs), an educational measurement system based on criteria established by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET), Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and Clinics noted (Dartmouth Hitchcock PDF source).

The building blocks of each CEU are called contact hours.

What Are Contact Hours in Nursing?

In the nursing profession, contact hours refer to continuing education credits that meet the profession's accreditation standards, according to Dartmouth Hitchcock, with one CEU equivalent to 10 contact hours.

"A contact hour is defined as 60 minutes of structured continuing education," Goss said. "Accredited contact hours must meet a clear set of criteria to ensure they are planned by qualified professionals, relevant to nursing practice and have measurable learning outcomes."

Contact hours are awarded for continuing education activities that are accredited by regulatory bodies. For example, SNHU offers accredited CE opportunities through digital badges where learners can also earn contact hours.

Some include:

• Advanced Healthcare Leadership Skills Badge
• Healthcare Quality Improvement Badge
• Nursing and Healthcare Preceptor Badge

The number of contact hours that you'll need to earn to maintain your nursing license depends on your location, and certain states have stricter standards than others regarding what can be counted as contact hours. Reach out to your state licensure board to confirm that any given CE opportunity will be accepted in your location before you get started.

Explore SNHU's ANCC-accredited CE offerings.

Do Academic Credits Count as Contact Hours?

Earning a degree can be a way to level up your career as a nurse and develop new expertise, but whether your coursework will be considered contact hours depends on the approval of a credentialing body, according to Goss.

"Graduate-level courses, like those in an MSN (Master of Science in Nursing) program, may be accepted as equivalent to contact hours. However, this is not automatic," she said. "Most licensing or credentialing bodies will require documentation such as course syllabi, transcripts or learning outcomes to evaluate whether academic coursework meets continuing education criteria."

But even if a degree can't be counted as contact hours in your location, it could still be well worth it for your career growth.

Learn more about nursing professional development.

Why Should You Pursue Professional Development Beyond Required Contact Hours?

Maintaining your nursing license is one thing. Advancing in your career is another.

If you're trying to climb to a higher role, you may need to do more than fulfill the minimum requirements to maintain your nursing license. That's when you might consider furthering your education with an advanced degree or certificate.

For example, if you want to become a nurse educator, you could pursue a Nurse Educator MSN degree. If you already have an MSN degree, you could also consider a nursing education post-master's graduate certificate.

"SNHU’s post-master’s certificate in nursing education prepares MSN-prepared nurses to become educators in academic, clinical or professional development settings," said Goss.

She noted that the program teaches:

• Best teaching practices to develop and evaluate high-quality education
• Communication and advocacy strategy development
• Evidence-based practice and healthcare technology applications
• Leadership and collaboration skills
• Strategies to advance equitable health policies

Keep reading about how to become a nurse educator.

You could also consider a Nurse Executive Leadership MSN to prepare for a career as a healthcare manager or a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) MSN if you'd like to work as a nurse practitioner. Think about where you want to take your nursing career and what you need to do to get there.

"Professional development does more than meet regulatory or certification requirements," Goss said. "It strengthens professional identity and positions nurses to lead with purpose and impact."

Mars Girolimon '21 '23G is a staff writer at Southern New Hampshire University where they earned their bachelor's and master's, both in English and creative writing. In addition to their work in higher education, Girolimon's short fiction is published in the North American Review, So It Goes by The Kurt Vonnegut Museum & Library, X-R-A-Y and more. Connect with them on LinkedIn.