For each licensure renewal, Board Rule 216.3 requires every nurse to:
complete 20 contact hours of continuing nursing education (CNE) in the nurse’s area of practice within the licensing period OR
demonstrate the achievement, maintenance, or renewal of a Board-approved national nursing certification in the nurse’s area of practice within the licensing period.
First renewal information: A nurse’s initial license is valid for a period of 6 to 29 months, depending on his/her birth month and year and when the initial license is issued. Nurses are exempt from most continuing competency requirements for the first renewal following initial licensure as long as the initial renewal is timely. The only exception is the Forensic Evidence Collection [Board Rule 216.3(d)] targeted continuing education requirement, if it applies based on the nurse’s practice. After the initial licensing period, subsequent licensing periods will be 2 years in length. And, following the initial renewal/very first renewal, nurses need 20 contact hours of Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) in their area of practice or a Board-approved national nursing certification in their area of practice to renew their license each 2-year licensing period.
Nursing Jurisprudence and Nursing Ethics. All nurses must complete at least 2 contact hours of CNE relating to nursing jurisprudence and nursing ethics before the end of every third two-year licensing period (applicable to licensing periods that began on or after January 1, 2014).
The CNE course(s) must contain information related to:
• the Texas Nursing Practice Act,
• the Board's rules (including §217.11, Standards of Nursing Practice),
• the Board's position statements,
• principles of nursing ethics, and
• professional boundaries.
Contact hours completed for this requirement do count towards completion of the 20 contact hours of CNE required for all nurses.
Certification may not be used to fulfill this requirement.
Older Adult or Geriatric Care. Any nurse whose practice includes the older adult or geriatric population is required to complete at least two contact hours in every licensing cycle. The content must include information relating to
elder abuse,
age-related memory changes and disease processes, including chronic conditions,
end-of-life issues, health maintenance, and health promotion. A nurse may choose to complete more than one course in order to cover all content required in the rule.
Forensic Evidence Collection. Any nurse who is employed in an emergency room (ER) setting, including any nurse who could float to an ER or have shifts scheduled in an ER, as well as any nurse employed under contractual, temporary, per diem, agency, traveling, or another employment relationship whose duties include working in an ER must complete at least 2 contact hours of CNE relevant to forensic evidence collection and age- or population-specific nursing interventions that may be required by other laws and/or are necessary in order to assure evidence collection that meets requirements under the Government Code §420.031 regarding use of an Attorney General-approved evidence collection kit and protocol. This is a one-time requirement. (Maintain record of course completion indefinitely, even if you change employment.)
Human Trafficking Prevention. Any nurse who provides direct patient care must complete a human trafficking prevention course that is approved by the Executive Director of Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) that covers identifying and assisting victims of human trafficking before the end of every licensing period (applicable to licensure renewals on or after September 1, 2020). Our course, Human Trafficking, has been approved by Texas Health and Human Services in accordance with House Bill 2059 (2019).
