You should be well aware at this stage that in order to continue being an LPN you must complete regular continuing education units, or CEUs. This may seem daunting, but there are several resources offering free CEUs for LPNs.

What Is A CEU?

A CEU is a continuing education unit. As a nurse you will, in many states, be required to achieve CEUs in order to have your LPN license renewed. These CEUs are aimed at ensuring that you have the level of knowledge required to treat your patients effectively. In addition you will be properly equipped through these CEUs to cope with any major changes in the medical profession. They are also great tools for improving your confidence in yourself as well as in your ability to do your job well, which is why CEUs are also recommended for nurses in states that do not require the completion of continuing education units in order to receive re-licensure.

Online LPN CEUS Topics

There are two broad categories of topics that you could do your continuing education in:

• The first category involves enhancing the basic knowledge that you already have and need for performing basic nursing tasks on a daily basis
• The second category is for nurses who would like to specialize in a specific area of nursing and become a specialist

Some states require you to complete specific continuing education units, while others allow you to choose what continuing education units you do. Because of the nature of the continuing education courses and how they are presented to students you will find that there are many CEUs that can, in fact, be completed entirely online and at your own ace and convenience. It is important that you ensure that these programs are recognized.

What Type Of CEUS Courses Should An LPN Take?

LPNs need to take CEUs that will:

• Ensure that they keep up with new trends within the medical profession
• Ensure that they keep up with new research within the medical profession
• Ensure that they keep up with new treatments within the medical profession
• Provide them with new development and training opportunities

When you have the opportunity to select CEUs, these are the kind you should select. In addition you must consider:

• Your career development
• New research
• Your weak areas
• Your interest level

There are several specific areas in which free CEUs for LPNs can help you become an expert if you are interested in specializing. Apart from those listed here there are also many other focuses that free CEU courses will have.

Treating Antibiotic-resistant Bacterial Infections CEUS

This is a useful free CEU to keep in mind as some states, such as New York, require LPNs to do CEUs specifically in infections control. A big problem in this area of the medical field is that certain bacteria are becoming resistant to the medications that we have to treat them. If you choose to do free CEUs in this subject you will be able to learn how to ensure that patients take the correct dosage of antibiotics, as well as which antibiotics will be more effective for which infections. If patients do take the medication correctly their bodies may build up a resistance to the medication and it may be entirely ineffectual the very next time they are faced with similar infection or biological illness.

Cancer Treatment And Prevention CEUS

When trying to decide which free CEUs you are interested in, it is well worth looking into the ones related to cancer and oncology. There are many new and exciting developments occurring in this field of the health care profession, and it will be in your best interests to be ahead of the game. If you know what the new developments are you will be able to discuss them with your patients and give them new hope. Being on the front line of cancer treatment developments can mean that you will serve a valuable role in the near future, especially in the oncology field. This is a free CEU opportunity that you should not neglect to take advantage of. Cancer is an area of the health care profession that always needs experts.

Stress Reduction For The Nurse And Patient CEUS

Being a nurse can be stressful, but so can being a patient. It is important that you know how to handle your own stress as well as help your patients handle theirs. With this in mind there are many organizations offering free CEUs in stress management. It is important to earn stress management techniques in order to:

• Take care of yourself so that you will be able to take care of your patient or patients with a higher degree of efficiency
• Help your patients recover more effectively and quickly be teaching them to reduce their stress (stress has been related to many health problems)

This is one of the lesser known but in many ways most useful free CEUS for LPNs that you could consider completing.

Obesity: Genetics vs Lifestyle CEUS

An example of new research that free CEUs can keep you up to date with is in the field of genetics. It has recently been determined that genetics plays a role in obesity and that some people simply cannot help getting fat even if they control their intake of food. Other people can eat as much as they like and they will, generally speaking, stay at an “acceptable” weight. Understanding this can make a big difference to the way in which you deal with obese patients and it represents an opportunity to become an expert in an emerging field and be on the frontline in the development for treatment procedures or community programs related to the situation. However free CEUs in specific topics such as this may be difficult to find.

Holistic Treatment CEUS

Although it is not an aspect of health care that has been taken seriously by western medicine, it is becoming increasingly obvious that your emotional 3well being can affect your physical well being, and it is therefore necessary for nurses to have a clear idea of how to promote both of these aspects of a person’s holistic health. CEUs on this topic are not all that common and you may also struggle to find ones that are offered for free, but it is extremely important that you develop an understanding of this link between mind and body and that you are able to implement your understanding in a nursing context on a daily basis. The best way to do this is through a CEU, but there are also other methods that you can pursue in your own time.

State By State CEU Requirements For LPNs

Free CEUs for LPNs will differ from state to state, as will the requirements that your state board of nursing looks for in order to allow you to renew your LPN license. In Arkansas for example must have 15 contact hours every two years in a CEU program. In Virginia, on the other hand, no CEUs are required in order to renew your LPN license, and in New York LPNs are required to complete 3 contact hours of infection control every 4 years through a program from an approved provider. In some states the rules are changing. In Illinois, for example, LPNs from January 31, 2013 renewal must complete 20 hours of approved continuing education per 2 year license renewal cycle within the 24 months preceding expiration of the license. When looking into free CEUs for LPNs your state’s requirements must be taken into account.

Internet Resources Offering Free CEUs For LPNs

There are a number of resources that you can turn to when looking for free CEUs for LPNs. nurseceu.com, for example, has a long list of CEU programs that you can do for free, many of which focus rather heavily on oncology, making it a great resource for nurses who are interested in pursuing specialization in that area. Ce.nurse.com has a number of options, several of which focus on childbirth and midwifery as well as the problems related to that area of nursing. This is a good resource for nurses interested in focusing in nurse midwifery, but it must be noted that the site offers free CEUs in other topics as well. In addition ceusforfree.com has a comprehensive list of free CEUs for LPNs that include topics such as trauma and diabetes.

There are a number of options when it comes to free CEUs for LPNs, but you need to make sure that the units you choose to complete are in fact going to earn you the credits that you need. The program or organizations through which you do your units must be recognized by your state board of nursing. If it is not, you may be unable to renew your LPN license when the time comes because you will have not met the requirements of your state for that purpose.

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