District Of Columbia Continuing Education Requirements

• Please check with your facility/employer to ensure your continuing education courses are accepted.

• Two (2) of the required twenty-four (24) hours shall be in cultural competency or specialized clinical training focusing on patients or clients who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer.
• Ten percent (10%) of the total shall be in subjects determined by the Director as public health priorities of the District

1. Responsible opioid prescribing and effective pain management
2. Nutrition and obesity prevention
3. Identifying and reporting abuse (child and adult), neglect (child and adult), human trafficking, and domestic violence
4. Sexual health (including taking sexual history, discussing sexual experiences with patients, sexually transmitted diseases (including HIV/AIDS), HPV vaccines, connections to cancer, latent tuberculosis, safe sex, and birth control)
5. Ethics and appropriate patient interactions (i.e. boundaries, patient privacy, and communications including telehealth)
6. Smoking, vaping, and tobacco (including dangers, smoking cessation, and non-smoke tobacco products)
7. Preparing your patients for an emergency and handling vulnerable populations in an emergency
8. Identifying impairment (physical or mental) in patients and providers (including complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Act)
9. Vaccinations (including legal requirements and appropriate exemptions)
10. Implicit bias, cultural competence and Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) in health and health care

HHAs shall earn twenty-four (24) contact hours of continuing education every two years for licensure renewal.

• Continuing education shall be in the area of health or nursing needs of an assigned client population
• HHAs shall obtain eight (8) hours of employment under the supervision of a RN or other licensed health professional within the last 24 months
• Contact hours shall include:
  • Two (2) hours for LGBTQ
  • Three (3) hours for HIV/AIDS

• Two (2) of those hours shall be on the topic of LGBTQ or Cultural Awareness
• Three (3) of those hours shall be in HIV/AIDS or in the Director’s public health priority topics

1. Responsible opioid prescribing and effective pain management
2. Nutrition and obesity prevention
3. Identifying and reporting abuse (child and adult), neglect (child and adult), human trafficking, and domestic violence
4. Sexual health (including taking sexual history, discussing sexual experiences with patients, sexually transmitted diseases (including HIV/AIDS), HPV vaccines, connections to cancer, latent tuberculosis, safe sex, and birth control)
5. Ethics and appropriate patient interactions (i.e. boundaries, patient privacy, and communications including telehealth)
6. Smoking, vaping, and tobacco (including dangers, smoking cessation, and non-smoke tobacco products)
7. Preparing your patients for an emergency and handling vulnerable populations in an emergency
8. Identifying impairment (physical or mental) in patients and providers (including complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Act)
9. Vaccinations (including legal requirements and appropriate exemptions)
10. Implicit bias, cultural competence and Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) in health and health care

• Two (2) of those hours shall be on the topic of LGBTQ or Cultural Awareness
• Three (3) of those hours shall be in HIV/AIDS or in the Director’s public health priority topics
• Fifteen (15) of the required twenty-four 24 hours shall be in pharmacology.

• All Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) who are licensed in the District of Columbia must register for the PDMP (this includes CNS, CNMW, CRNA). APRNs in the District have the authority and, hence, the regulatory duty to register. If you do not have a DEA number (nor prescribe), you still must register. For those without a DEA number, you will register as a “prescriber without DEA”. Additional information can be found here.

1. Responsible opioid prescribing and effective pain management
2. Nutrition and obesity prevention
3. Identifying and reporting abuse (child and adult), neglect (child and adult), human trafficking, and domestic violence
4. Sexual health (including taking sexual history, discussing sexual experiences with patients, sexually transmitted diseases (including HIV/AIDS), HPV vaccines, connections to cancer, latent tuberculosis, safe sex, and birth control)
5. Ethics and appropriate patient interactions (i.e. boundaries, patient privacy, and communications including telehealth)
6. Smoking, vaping, and tobacco (including dangers, smoking cessation, and non-smoke tobacco products)
7. Preparing your patients for an emergency and handling vulnerable populations in an emergency
8. Identifying impairment (physical or mental) in patients and providers (including complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Act)
9. Vaccinations (including legal requirements and appropriate exemptions)
10. Implicit bias, cultural competence and Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) in health and health care

LPNs shall earn eighteen (18) contact hours of continuing education every two years for licensure renewal.

• CEU topics required by law for license renewal:
  • Two (2) hours in LGTBQ or Cultural Awareness
  • Additional relevant topics may be found here. 

1. Responsible opioid prescribing and effective pain management
2. Nutrition and obesity prevention
3. Identifying and reporting abuse (child and adult), neglect (child and adult), human trafficking, and domestic violence
4. Sexual health (including taking sexual history, discussing sexual experiences with patients, sexually transmitted diseases (including HIV/AIDS), HPV vaccines, connections to cancer, latent tuberculosis, safe sex, and birth control)
5. Ethics and appropriate patient interactions (i.e. boundaries, patient privacy, and communications including telehealth)
6. Smoking, vaping, and tobacco (including dangers, smoking cessation, and non-smoke tobacco products)
7. Preparing your patients for an emergency and handling vulnerable populations in an emergency
8. Identifying impairment (physical or mental) in patients and providers (including complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Act)
9. Vaccinations (including legal requirements and appropriate exemptions)
10. Implicit bias, cultural competence and Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) in health and health care

Medication Aides shall earn twenty-four (24) contact hours of continuing education every two years for licensure renewal.

• Continuing education shall be relevant to the functions of medication aides and meet the following requirements:
  • Twelve (12) hours shall be in pharmacology or administration of drugs, provided that the applicant shall complete six (6) of the required hours during each year of the certification;
  • Two (2) hours shall be in cultural competency or specialized clinical training focusing on patients or clients who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer and
  • Ten percent (10%) of the total shall be in subjects determined by the Director as public health priorities of the District, which shall be duly published every five (5) years or as deemed necessary

• Responsible opioid prescribing and effective pain management
• Nutrition and obesity prevention
• Identifying and reporting abuse (child and adult), neglect (child and adult), human trafficking, and domestic violence
• Sexual health (including taking sexual history, discussing sexual experiences with patients, sexually transmitted diseases (including HIV/AIDS), HPV vaccines, connections to cancer, latent tuberculosis, safe sex, and birth control)
• Ethics and appropriate patient interactions (i.e. boundaries, patient privacy, and communications including telehealth)
• Smoking, vaping, and tobacco (including dangers, smoking cessation, and non-smoke tobacco products)
• Preparing your patients for an emergency and handling vulnerable populations in an emergency
• Identifying impairment (physical or mental) in patients and providers (including complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Act)
• Vaccinations (including legal requirements and appropriate exemptions)
• Implicit bias, cultural competence and Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) in health and health care