Iowa Nurses CE Requirements, Accreditations & Approvals

Iowa Nurses

In support of improving patient care, NetCE is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

The Iowa Board of Nursing accepts courses from any provider who is ANCC accredited.

Continuing Education Requirement

License Renewals and Continuing Education. Governor Reynolds previously suspended rules relating to continuing education and license renewal deadlines. These Proclamation provisions expired on July 23, 2021. If your license expired on or before July 23 and you chose not to renew, you must submit your completed renewal application within sixty (60) days of the Proclamation ending, which is September 21, 2021. Failure to submit renewal application by September 21, 2021, will result in license deactivation. If your license expires after July 23, 2021, you must submit your renewal materials as normal pursuant to rule 655--3.7. If you anticipate experiencing undue hardship in complying with the terms of rule 3.7, you should contact the Board for assistance. For more information, please visit: https://nursing.iowa.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2021/07/2021_07_29_memo_re_proclamation_guidance_update.pdf.

The Iowa Board of Nursing accepts NetCE courses.

RNs and LPNs are required 36 contact hours every three years.

ARNPs are required to maintain national certification.

ARNPs who supervise the use of fluoroscopic x-ray equipment must complete a one-time requirement on Safe Clinical Use of Fluoroscopy.

Effective July 1, 2019, all licensees who are mandatory reporters are required 2 contact hours in identifying and reporting abuse in children and 2 contact hours in identifying and reporting abuse in dependent adults, unless exempt. For all subsequent renewals, licensees are required 1 hour of recertification training (for each course) every three years.

The initial 2 hours must be completed within the first six months of employment/self-employment and the 1-hour recertification course will be available in 2022. All mandatory reporter training may only be completed through the Iowa Department of Human Services. See training here: https://dhs.iowa.gov/child-welfare/mandatoryreporter

View RN and LPN Special Offers
View ARNP Special Offers
View Course List

All Accreditations and Approvals
License Renewal Instructions

For More Information

Please contact the Iowa Board of Nursing at (515) 281-3255, or visit their website at https://nursing.iowa.gov/.

Additional information regarding your continuing education requirements may be found at:
https://nursing.iowa.gov/continuing-education/ce-licensees/basic-requirements - All Licensees.
https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/iac/rule/04-27-2016.655.5.2.pdf - IAC Rule 655.5.2 for RNs and LPNs.
https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/iac/rule/04-27-2016.655.7.2.pdf - IAC Rule 655.7.2 for ARNPs.