Nursing CE by state · District of Columbia
District of Columbia nursing CE: what the board asks for
DC registered nurses complete 24 hours every two years, and DC's RN rules accept continuing education approved by a state board of nursing. Practical nurses should read the note below first.
Who may approve your CE
What the District of Columbia’s rule says
“(2) It is approved by a state board of nursing, the American Nurses Credentialing Center, Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education, or any other national accrediting body recognized by the Board.”
17 DCMR §§ 5406.1, 5406.4, 5410.1-5410.6 (RN, as published 9-2-2022); DC Health 'LPN Renewal 2023 Continuing Education Requirements' (4/10/2023); DC Health FAQ RN/APRN 2024 Renewal · Read the rule at the source
Read this before you count our hours
What to know in the District of Columbia
- This page is written for registered nurses. DC's practical-nurse rules list different approval sources, so LPNs should ask the DC Board of Nursing before enrolling.
- Of the 24 hours, 2 must be in LGBTQ cultural competency and 10% must be in the Director's public-health priority topics.
- Certificates are uploaded at renewal, not only on audit, and must show the hours, the date and the provider's approval status. Your first renewal is exempt.
A topic the District of Columbia names
Public-health priority topics — 10% of your hours
DC’s current priority list includes violence prevention and substance use. We do not offer a course written to the Director’s list at the moment, so confirm with the DC Board of Nursing what counts toward your 10%.
Before you buy anything
What we will not tell you
We will not tell you that a course satisfies your DC requirement. Your board decides that, and an audit lands on your license, not on us.
What we can do is show you the rule, quoted or cited, and linked, and tell you plainly where our courses stand. Each of our RN & LPN course pages states the continuing-education approval that course carries, and that statement applies only to the course it appears on.
If anything here is unclear for your situation, ask your board before you enroll. Keep every certificate and the course description; the description is what shows an auditor what the course covered.
Read the rule yourself
17 DCMR §§ 5406.1, 5406.4, 5410.1-5410.6 (RN, as published 9-2-2022)
DC Board of Nursing (DC Health)
When we read it
We read the rule on 29 September 2026. Rules change; the board’s current text governs.
Ready to look at courses?
Read each course page against what your board asks for, then choose.