Legislature Mandates Bioterrorism CE for Nurses and Other Health Care Professionals: RN and LPN renewal requirement goes into effect January 1, 2005

Nevada RNformation, Aug 2004

The 2003 Nevada legislature passed Assembly Bill 250, which requires that several types of health care professionals, including nurses, take four hours of continuing education "relating to the medical consequences of an act of terrorism that involves the use of a weapon of mass destruction."

The bill specifies that the course of instruction must include:

a. An overview of acts of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction;

b. Personal protective equipment required for acts of terrorism;

c. Common symptoms and methods of treatment associated with exposure to, or injuries caused by, chemical, biological, radioactive and nuclear agents;

d. Syndromic surveillance and reporting procedures for acts of terrorism that involve biological agents; and

e. An overview of the information available on, and the use of, the Health Alert Network.

Completing a bioterrorism course which meets the requirements of the law is a one-time requiremenl of all RNs and LPNs with active Nevada licenses. Once the course is completed during the two-year renewal period, it doesn't have to be taken again.

Beginning January 1,2005, all nurses renewing their licenses must have completed this four-hour bioterrorism course as part of their CE renewal requirement. On that date, the Board's random CE audits will begin to include auditing for proof that renewing nurses have completed the bioterrorism course.

The four hours may be counted as part of the 30-hour CE requirement for RN and LPN renewal, and as part of the 45-hour CE requirement for APN and CRNA renewal.

When considering any continuing education course, please make sure that the CE provider is approved by the Nevada State Board of Nursing. If the course is not presented by a Board-approved provider, it won't count toward the 30-hour renewal requirement. In addition, when reviewing a potential bioterrorism course, make sure the course content covers the subject matter mandated by the Nevada legislature. Be aware - many courses entitled "Bioterrorism" only cover one or two of the mandated subjects. The courses offered by the Nevada Nurses Association and announced in this issue of the Nevada Reformation meet all requirements of AB 250 and are approved for continuing education credit through the Nevada State Board of Nursing (NSBN Provider #NV082394-1)