Renewing your RN License

Majority of RNs renew their license every year. In fact, it’s a good move to renew your RN license whether you’re active or not in the nursing profession. There was a survey in Iowa which reported that nurses decide to renew their licenses because they want to keep the option to return to a licensed job. The licenses represent skills and training attached to their names, even if it’s not mandatory for them to retain it in their jobs.

Before you can renew, you need to attain a certain number of continuing education unit (CEU) hours. There are different requirements for different states to make sure that you find out the number from your own State Boards of Nursing. For example, a minimum of 20 hours CEU is required every year for Texas RNs. Some good clinics and hospitals provide free training for their nurses anyway – this would ensure that they can provide a better quality care for their patients. So if you’re thinking about renewing your RN license, here are some steps you need to follow:

• Find the "online renewal code" mail from Department of Health – you need it to renew your RN license.
• Enter the web address of your State Boards of Nursing since you can renew your license online. For example, Alabama Board of Nursing can be found in http://www.abn.state.al.us. If you want to get the entire list of State Board websites, go here: http://www.nursingcenter.com and find the state-by-state guide RN license renewal requirements.
• As you enter your online renewal code, there are some sites that require you to answer a few survey questions before proceeding to the renewal page.
• In the renewal page, you need to fill-in all required information as well as your credit card info (there are different fees for different states).
• After approval, you will usually be brought to the verification page – it’s essential for you to print it out or at least copy and paste the information into your hard drive file.
• You might also find a list of upcoming CEU requirements that you should complete for future renewals.
• Finally, wait for your renewed license to arrive in the mail.