CE must be relevant to nursing practice if possible, within the nurses’ particular field of nursing. Nursing practice is defined as any activity, assignment, or task performed by the nurse that utilizes nursing knowledge, judgment, or skills. CEs should augment basic nursing knowledge and content must be beyond the basic educational level for entry into practice.
Some states do not recognize Basic life Support (BLS) as an augment to a nurse’s basic knowledge and will not meet the definition of continuing nursing education. However, in some states, Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) may be used for CEs when initially obtained, but ACLS for re-certification may not be used.
