Free Online Continuing Education Units (CEU) for Nurse Practitioners

Overview of Free Continuing Education Units (CEU) for Nurse Practitioners

Nurse practitioners are required to obtain a certain number of continuing education units in order to renew their license. These credits can be dependent upon their accreditation or specialty, but nurse practitioners should always be on the lookout for different options that supply them with further knowledge that relates to their career. Many of these courses charge a fee to nurses who intend to take their program, but some of these courses are free.

There are several options for nurse practitioners to earn free continuing education units. These courses provide them with credit as well as information and materials pertinent to improving their ability to treat and care for patients. They cover a wide variety of areas, but they are all certified to give credit to nurse practitioners in particular. Keep reading to learn what each of these courses has to offer nurse practitioners.

Nurse.com

Nurse.com offers a free course called 'Pain Management and Ethics: What's the Right Thing To Do?' and it is provided free of charge by Johnson & Johnson. This course provides one contact hour of continuing education units and was created for nurses, nurse practitioners, and nursing assistants. The format of this course is a webinar and participants are required to pass the exam before they are able to download their certificate to prove they completed the course. In order to access this course, nurse practitioners are required to create a free account.

Reflecting on the increasing opioid crisis and more and more legal restrictions for painkillers, the webinar focuses on several topics including the following:

• Uniqueness of pain management
• Principles of pain management ethics
• Decision making based on values
• Coordination of a healthcare team in pain management situations

Practicing Clinicians Exchange

Practicing Clinicians Exchange has a free course called 'When the Patient Doesn't Respond: Strategies for Improving the Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder.' It was created for nurse practitioners and physician assistants and is formatted as a practice-building initiative. When the final exam has been completed, students will earn six continuing education units and three of those can count as pharmacology credit hours.

There are several topics discussed within the course, such as:

• MDD symptom management and identification
• Care strategies based on measurement
• Patient education of potential side effects

NurseCE4less

NurseCE4less has a free course called 'Preventative Health Care' and is formatted as a home study. The course was created for nurse practitioners and registered nurses. It provides students with four hours of continuing education credit as well as half a credit toward pharmacology. Students will receive a certificate of completion after they read the required material and successfully pass the evaluation.

There are multiple subjects covered within this course, including:

• Alcohol and Tobacco misuse
• Preventative screenings for disease
• Collaboration with other health professionals
• Several types of cancer and prevention strategies
• Conducting screenings for all ages
• Violence and abuse of the elderly and domestic partners
• Counseling for patients