Below are details about continuing education and license renewal in Ohio. You can skip to your profession by selecting it from the drop down list above.
Ohio, also known as the “Buckeye State”, is home to the Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, and is also the “Roller Coaster Capital of the World” with the famous amusement park, Cedar Point.
More recently, Ohio has also made some newsworthy appearance in the nursing industry with House Bill 144, which aims to outlaw that nurses have to work overtime as a condition of employment. By passing the law, which was introduced in March 2019, Ohio would be the 19th state to allow nurses the right to refuse overtime if they felt too fatigued or burnt out to continue their shift.
It’s no secret that shift work is demanding and that burnout is a real struggle in the workplace, and the Ohio Nurses Association (ONA) supports the bill and hopes to see it to fruition. According to the ONA, even though the research was conducted linking work fatigue to errors, it was still a common practice in the state for RN’s to work mandatory hours past their regular ones, if scheduled. This bill would come as a blessing to many nurses who have been struggling with burnout in their careers, and would be beneficial for future nurses joining the workforce.
For the period immediately following Ohio licensure by NCLEX examination, the nurse is not required to complete any contact hours of CE for the first license renewal.
Other than the first renewal immediately following licensure by exam, nurses must complete at least 24 contact hours of CE that includes at least one contact hour of Category A CE for each renewal.
A nurse who has been licensed in Ohio by reciprocity for less than or equal to one year prior to the first Ohio license renewal must complete at least 12 contact hours, rather than 24.
Occupational Therapist license expires biennially on June 30th of odd years. License holders are required to complete 20 hours of continuing education.
Occupational Therapy Assistant license expires biennially on June 30th of even years. License holders are required to complete 20 hours of continuing education, including at least one hour of ethics, jurisprudence, or cultural competence each renewal cycle.
All individuals licensed as an Athletic Trainer shall renew their license by the 30th day of September in each
even-numbered year. Licensee must complete no less than 25 hours of continuing education per renewal cycle.