NursingCE.com

What NursingCE.com is

NursingCE.com is an online continuing education catalog for nurses who need contact hours to renew a license. The site describes itself as "a comprehensive online resource to help nurses meet continuing education (CE) and licensing requirements for all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and Guam," and its home page opens with a state picker that also lists Puerto Rico and an "Other" option. Its page description names the audience as "busy RNs, LPNs, LVNs, and NPs that need to earn their annual CE credits."

The site is a brand of Assessment Technologies Institute, LLC, which it calls ATI Nursing Education and describes as "a leading provider of assessments and other digital solutions to nursing schools that is an accredited provider for continuing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)." That last part is the credential that matters to a nurse: the hours on offer are presented as "ANCC accredited contact hours," and the footer links to a separate Accreditation page.

Three promises sit at the top of the home page: easy registration, unlimited test attempts, and ANCC accredited contact hours. Under "Why NursingCE.com?" the site adds "CE access anytime, anywhere" and "Earn all of the accredited contact hours you need at your convenience."

How a course works

The learner side is simple and self-paced. The home page sets out the steps: "Select one of our online nursing continuing education courses, take the course, view your assessment and immediately receive your completion certificate." It puts the size of the catalog at "500+ nursing continuing education hours."

The featured courses give a sense of the subjects and the unit size. Each is listed at 2 contact hours:

• Cultural Competency and Humility, which covers cultural influences on health and illness and "current evidence-based practice guidelines for culturally competent care."
• Prevention of Medical Errors, an overview of the types, causes and risks of errors and the nurse's role in "a culture of safety."
• Acute Stroke for RNs and LPNs, covering pathophysiology, risk factors, diagnosis and management.
• Acute Pharyngitis for RNs and LPNs, on throat conditions including group A Streptococcus.
• Palliative Care, aimed at "nurses of all licensure levels" and the strategies used to control distressing symptoms and improve quality of life.

Testing is built to be forgiving. The site promises "Unlimited test attempts" and puts it plainly: "Didn't pass the test? No problem! Reset and apply what you've learned to succeed." One reviewer on the home page adds a useful detail about how the tests behave: they "correct you when its the wrong answer so you learn more without having to restart the test." The FAQ says "Any certificate includes the number of CEUs earned as well as the number of contact hours," which is what a nurse needs when reporting hours to a board.

Alongside the paid catalog, the menus carry a Free CE section and a list of free nursing CE courses, and the FAQ notes that some hours "may be done for free or with minimal costs." There is also a dedicated Pharmacology CE section, which matters for advanced practice nurses who need pharmacology hours.

Packages and prices

Courses can be taken one at a time or in packages, which the site describes as a way to "take a group of courses." The pricing promise on the home page is "Every CE course, one low price," explained as "Pay once for access to certificates from all of our CE courses, even new courses released during your membership."

The package page lists these prices:

• Complete RN/LPN CE Package, $125.00. It "gives you access to all of our RN/LPN CE courses for 1 full year." The page adds a limit worth reading before buying: "APRN courses and Pharmacology hours are not included in this package."
• Professional Liability CE Package, $46.00, built around staying current on evidence-based practice.
• Cardiology Nursing CE Package for RNs and LPNs, $69.00, to "Earn 35 ANCC contact hours" with access for 1 full year.
• Mental Health-Psychiatric Nursing CE Package for RNs and LPNs, $69.00.
• Wound Care CE Package, $45.00, with access for 1 full year.
• Women's Health Nursing CE Package for RNs and LPNs, $69.00, with access for 1 full year.
• Neurology Nursing CE Package for RNs and LPNs, $69.00.
• Pediatrics Nursing CE Package for RNs and LPNs, $69.00, with access for 1 full year.
• Acute Care Nursing CE Package for APRNs, $425.00, which includes "ANCC contact hours and ANCC pharmacology contact hours."
• Acute Care Nursing CE Package for RNs and LPNs, $79.00, aimed at "CCRNs and PCCNs focused on Acute Care," with access for 1 full year.

The package list continues over further pages, and a separate "State & Specialty Packages" view groups bundles by state as well as by specialty. A Coupons page is linked from the footer.

State requirements and the FAQ

The second half of the site is reference material. A "By State" directory links to each state's nursing CE requirements, and the FAQ says "NursingCE.com provides access to your state BON's current continuing education requirements for your convenience."

The FAQ also explains the units nurses keep running into. It describes a CE hour as course time "where one hour is equal to 0.10 CEUs," a contact hour as "50-60 minutes of actual clock time," and states that "One continuing education unit (CEU) or credit is equal to 10 contact hours." It separates CME, which it says refers to credits "for physicians and others with a medical license," from CE and CEUs for other health professions. On renewal rules, it gives general figures (RNs completing "30 contact hours every 2 years," and "24 contact hours or 2.4 CEUs" for an LPN license issued for less than three years) and then tells nurses to check "for further requirements of their state nursing board." It also warns that "numerous states" do not allow CE credit for CPR, NRP, PALS and ACLS courses, because recertification is seen as a refresher rather than new practice knowledge.

What nurses say

The home page shows four reviews from registered nurses, each with a first name, initial and state. Larry B. in Kentucky wrote: "I had to get several credits in a short period of time and this program met my needs perfectly." Melissa K. in Alabama called it a "Great way to get your CEU's quickly!" and added "I will use this course for renewal every time!" Brock S. in Wyoming wrote: "This was the perfect website for me to get my CEU credits." Lacey E., an RN in Florida, said it made a painful process easy. The footer shows a Shopper Approved rating of 4.7 / 5 "based on 3377 + ratings and reviews."

Support runs through a help center, an Email Us link and a phone number printed in the footer of every page.

Who it suits

NursingCE.com suits a US nurse who wants to finish renewal hours online, at their own pace, with a certificate straight after the test. An RN or LPN with several renewals ahead gets the most from the $125 Complete RN/LPN package, since it covers every RN/LPN course for a year, including courses released during the membership. A nurse working in one field, such as cardiology, wound care or pediatrics, can buy a narrower package for less. Advanced practice nurses need to look at the APRN and pharmacology options specifically, because the all-course package leaves both out. The state requirement pages and the FAQ are useful even before buying, for anyone unsure how many hours their board wants. The format is self-study with an online test, so a nurse who wants live instruction or a classroom will need a different provider for that.