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State Cert Guide

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What continuing education does a nurse need to renew in Rhode Island?

Every Rhode Island nurse renewing a license needs ten continuing education hours from the preceding two years. You sign at renewal that you finished them and keep the course records. Check that your courses come from an accepted source before you pay.

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The rule, fact by fact

Course hours
Ten continuing education hours in the preceding two yearsYou give the Department satisfactory evidence that you finished them.
Verified. rules.sos.ri.gov (opens state website) · checked Nov 13, 2026
Valid for
Licenses expire on March 1st every other yearThe cycle counts from the date your original license was issued.
Same source and date as above
Agency
Rhode Island Department of HealthThe rule uses the word Department to mean this agency.
Same source and date as above
Rule
216-RICR-40-05-3This rule covers the licensing of nurses and the approval of basic nursing education programs.
Same source and date as above

How to get it done

  1. Step 1. Look at the two years before your renewal date. The Department wants evidence of ten hours from that window.

  2. Step 2. Pick coursework related to nursing practice. The rule accepts courses that the American Nurses Credentialing Center or its local chapter, other recognized professional nursing groups, or a nursing school or department a board of nursing has approved presented, accepted or approved. The Board can approve other sources too. Check this yourself before you pay.

  3. Step 3. Finish the hours and ask the sponsor for proof of attendance or a course description. The rule makes getting it your job.

  4. Step 4. At renewal you sign a statement saying you finished the hours. Keep your records for no less than four years; the Department can audit them at random.

Before you pay

We haven't confirmed a course price. The rule accepts coursework from several kinds of sources, so check that yours qualifies before you pay.

Questions

Can I get more time if I have a hardship?

The Department may give you one six-month extension on the hours if it is satisfied that a hardship kept you from meeting them.

What if my license is on the inactive list?

When you resume practice, you notify the Department, pay the renewal fee, and either sign a statement that you completed CE for the inactive period, five hours per year, or complete a re-entry program the Board approves. The license is reinstated once the Board approves.

Is a CEU the same as an hour?

No. The rule counts one continuing education hour as one contact hour, and one continuing education unit as ten hours.

What to do next

Read the Rhode Island rule on licensing of nurses before you start. It covers the hours, the records and the extension.

rules.sos.ri.gov

Sources we read