Navigating Continuing Education Requirements in Florida: A Comprehensive Guide

Continuing education (CE) is a crucial aspect of maintaining professional licensure in Florida. The Florida Department of Health, Division of Medical Quality Assurance, monitors CE records electronically to ensure compliance at the time of renewal. This article provides a detailed overview of CE requirements for various professions in Florida, drawing upon the latest information and statutory guidelines.

Understanding CE Broker

CE Broker is an essential tool for Florida-licensed professionals. It offers both free and paid subscription options to manage continuing education requirements.

FREE Basic Account: This account provides access to view your course history, including course names, provider details, completion dates, and reported hours. It also allows you to search for board-accepted CE courses and instantly report completions. It is crucial to review all reported courses to ensure fulfillment of specific CE requirements.
Professional Account (Paid Subscription - Optional): This premium account offers dynamic CE compliance transcripts, which automatically calculate met and outstanding requirements.

General Information and Resources

To find profession-specific CE requirements, visit the Renewals section on the relevant department's website and select your profession from the list. Then, click on the “CE” tab.

Specific Professions and Their CE Requirements

Nursing (RNs and LPNs)

Both Registered Nurses (RNs) and Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) in Florida must earn at least 24 contact hours every two-year renewal period. CEUfast is an approved provider that meets all requirements.

General Requirements: 24 contact hours every two years.
Domestic Violence: Two (2) hours of Domestic Violence education are required every third renewal (every six years).
Exemptions: RNs and LPNs initially licensed by examination or endorsement during the current biennium, who took the exam in another state during the same period, are exempt from the full general CEU requirements for their first renewal.
Prorated Requirements: If a Florida license was not issued for the full two-year biennium, one (1) hour of CE is required for each month the license is held.
Mandatory Topics: Regardless of exemptions or prorated requirements, specific hours must be completed in the following areas:
- Two (2) hours of Medical Error prevention.
- Two (2) hours in Florida laws and rules.
- Two (2) hours of Human Trafficking awareness.
- Two (2) hours of Recognizing Impairment in the Workplace.
- One (1) hour of HIV/AIDS.
Required Courses:
- AIDS/HIV One Hour, Current Evidence Based Practice
- Domestic Violence Laws and Rules: Florida Board of Nursing
- Human Trafficking
- Impairment in the Workplace: Substance Abuse
- Medical Errors

Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners (ARNPs)

Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners certified under specific Florida statutes must complete two (2) hours of Domestic Violence education every third renewal. These hours are required each renewal, even if the ARNP is exempt from other CE requirements due to national certification.

Occupational Therapists

Occupational Therapists have specific CE requirements, including courses in:

AIDS/HIV One Hour, Current Evidence Based Practice
Florida Laws and Rules of Occupational Therapy
Medical Errors
Human Trafficking

A minimum of fourteen (14) "live" CE hours are required. CEUfast offers some courses, but does not provide "live" courses.

Athletic Trainers

Athletic Trainers must complete 24 hours of continuing education in courses approved by the Board. This includes up to three (3) hours towards current certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of an automated external defibrillator at the professional rescue level.

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Professional Engineers (PEs)

Professional Engineers are required to complete 18 hours of continuing education during each biennium.

Mandatory Topics:
- One hour must relate to the Florida Laws and Rules of Professional Engineers from a Board-approved provider.
- One hour must relate to professional ethics.
- Four hours must relate to the area of practice.
Additional Information: Up to four hours of the continuing education course hours may be obtained by serving as an officer for a Board-recognized professional or technical engineering society.
Reporting: Beginning with the 2023-2025 biennium, Board-approved providers of Florida Laws and Rules courses must report the results of Professional Engineers completing the course. CE completions for the current biennium must be reported by providers by midnight Feb. 28.
Florida Building Code: An Advanced Building Code course must be completed prior to participating in the design of engineering works or systems covered by the Florida Building Code.
Documentation: Failure to produce documentation of compliance with continuing education requirements during an audit will result in disciplinary action.
Credit Transfer: With the exception of the one-hour Florida Laws & Rules requirement, continuing education credit earned for another state’s engineering license may be applied to the 18 hours, assuming it meets the criteria set forth in 471.017, F.S., Renewal of License, and Rule 61G15-22.001, F.A.C., Continuing Education Requirements.
Non-creditable CE: CE courses that the Board orders you to take is not creditable.
Carry Over: Unused or extra CE credits do not carry over to the next biennium.

To renew your license, you will be responsible for completing and reporting your continuing education hours and paying the renewal fee by Feb. 28.

Medical Assistants

Refer to Section 458.3485, Florida Statute (F.S.), for more information regarding medical assistants. Advanced and registry-level credential holders must complete thirty (30) cardiovascular-related CEUs. The remaining 6 or fewer CEUs can be on any topic.

Home Health Aides (HHAs)

Home Health Aides are not governed or regulated by the State of Florida at this time. Contact your employer or licensing agency for all information regarding renewal of certification. HHAs employed by home health agencies and nurse registries must complete an HIV/AIDS training course.

Legislative Updates and Requirements

Recent legislative changes have impacted various healthcare professions, including:

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Designated Health Care Professionals: Professionals licensed under chapters 458, 459, 460, or 461, Florida Statutes, must provide specified information upon initial licensure or renewal, including medical school details, hospital privileges, primary practice address, specialty board certifications, practice start year, faculty appointments, professional qualifications, criminal convictions, and disciplinary actions.
Chiropractic Medicine: The bill clarifies the minimum licensure requirements for chiropractic medicine.
Midwifery: The bill clarifies the definitions for “approved midwifery program”, “preceptor”, and “prelicensure course”. The bill clarifies approved midwifery program education standards and clinical training requirements and aligns midwifery program approval standards with accreditation and licensing standards for direct entry midwifery programs.
Orthotists and Prosthetists: The bill clarifies the method for the collection and processing of applicant fingerprint records for background screening.
Psychology: The bill clarifies the definitions and educational requirements for psychologists applying for licensure by examination or provisional licensure. The bill defines a “doctoral degree from an APA accredited program” as a Psy.D., an Ed.D. in psychology, or a Ph.D. Department of Education or was recognized as a member in good standing with the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, and had programmatic accreditation from the American Psychological Association (APA). The bill further defines “doctoral degree in psychology” as a Psy.D., an Ed.D. in psychology, or a Ph.D. Department of Education or was recognized as a member in good standing with the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada. The bill requires psychologists applying for licensure to have obtained a doctoral degree from an APA accredited program or the equivalent of a degree from an APA-accredited program from a school or university located outside the United States which was officially recognized by the government of the country in which it is located as an institution or program to train students to practice professional psychology.
Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling: The bill clarifies the method for registration, payment of fees, and completion of the national examination. Department of Education, all accreditation references in this section were changed from “regionally” to “institutionally” accredited college or university. The bill also updates the education requirements for marriage and family therapists by correcting an obsolete reference to accreditation by Commission on Recognition of Postsecondary Accreditation (CORPA), which was dissolved in 1997. The bill replaces the CORPA with the CHEA or its successors. Existing statutory language requires that beginning July 1, 2025, mental health therapy licensure by examination applicants must graduate from a CACREP-accredited program.
Florida Birth-Related Neurological Injury Compensation Association (NICA): The bill changes references from the “Department of Business and Professional Regulation” to the “Department of Health” as it relates to the payment of the Florida Birth-Related Neurological Injury Compensation by applicants and licensees. The bill makes the Florida Birth-Related Neurological Injury Compensation Association (“Association”) responsible for making all assessments required by the Florida Birth-Related Neurological Injury Compensation Plan except for initial assessments of physicians licensed by the Department of Health and certain casualty insurers. The bill modifies the frequency for the Department of Health to provide the Association electronic reports of all physicians licensed under Chapters 458 and 459, Florida Statutes, to monthly.

Key Considerations for License Renewal

Timely Completion: Ensure all CE requirements are completed within the biennium.
Accurate Reporting: Report CE completions promptly and accurately through CE Broker or the relevant reporting portal.
Documentation: Maintain thorough records of all completed CE courses.
Stay Informed: Keep abreast of any legislative changes or updates to CE requirements for your profession.

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