With housing, utilities, transportation, and healthcare costs lower than the national average, Nebraska is an excellent place to live and work. Combined with good overall public health and high life expectancy, it is not surprising many nurses are exploring work opportunities there.
While Nebraska is doing better than many other states, it is facing a staffing shortage among nurses. According to the Nebraska Center for Nursing, the state will experience a shortage of over 5,000 nurses by 2025. Considering these factors, it is a great time to pursue a nursing career in Nebraska. If you are working as a registered nurse (RN)in Nebraska, you must remember the importance of renewing your registered nurse license on time.
To maintain the highest care delivery standards, nursing boards throughout the US require nurses across all specializations to renew their credentials. If nurses fail to renew their licenses, it can result in their licensure lapsing, prohibiting them from working as nurses until they complete the renewal process.
Each state’s nursing board sets its own requirements regarding license renewals. In Nebraska, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is responsible for issuing and renewing RN licenses. Nurses cannot practice without an active nursing license. If your license expires and you continue practicing without an active license, you can face substantial consequences.
If you are unsure or unaware of the process to renew your registered nurse license in Nebraska, Fast CE For Less can help. With this guide, we will explain the license renewal process to follow in Nebraska so you can continue helping others in your community.
How to Renew Your Registered Nurse License in Nebraska
While all states require nurses to renew their licenses, the renewal period differs from state to state. In Nebraska, nursing licenses expire every two years. To get the Nebraska DHHS to renew your license, you must complete and submit a license renewal application to the board. In addition to submitting the application by the renewal deadline, you must fulfill nursing continuing education requirements set by the DHHS.
This section of our guide will cover the steps for renewing a registered nurse license in Nebraska.
Step 1: Identify the Deadline to Submit Applications for Registered Nurse License Renewal
To ensure you can renew your credentials without incurring penalties for practicing without an active license, you must know the deadline to submit your application. Registered nurse licenses expire every two years in Nebraska. However, it is important to note that the expiration date is not contingent on the date you received your license. Instead, RN licenses expire on October 31 of every even number-ending year.
It can take the Nebraska DHHS up to seven working days to process applications. Whether you submit your renewal application online or via email, your license renewal application must be processed by the board by October 31 of even number-ending years. If your application is postmarked after the deadline, it will lapse. In this case, you must apply to the Nebraska DHHS to reinstate your license.
Step 2: Complete Your Nursing Continuing Education Requirements for License Renewal
Each state’s nursing board sets its own requirements for continuing education so nurses can qualify for license renewal. While many nursing boards highlight specific courses that nurses must complete, the Nebraska DHHS does not define such requirements.
You must complete at least 20 contact hours of nursing continuing education courses to fulfill your continuing education requirements in Nebraska. To be considered eligible for renewal, you must take on courses from a resource accepted by the Nebraska DHHS.
While the Nebraska DHHS does not require you to provide proof of your practice hours or continuing education completion, you must hold onto the documents if you are ever part of an audit.
Step 3: Complete the Application to Renew Your RN License
In Nebraska, you can renew your registered nurse license online or submit an application via mail. Regardless of the method you choose, there is a $123 fee you must pay for license renewal.
To renew your license online, you must visit the license renewal portal at the Nebraska DHHS’ official website by visiting www.nebraska.mylicense.com. After logging into your account, you must click on the option for license renewal. Next, you must answer all the questions the portal asks regarding your license renewal, including submitting information regarding your continuing education requirements and practice hours. While the board may not request documents proving your competency, you must keep the documents safe and accessible in case you ever need them.
For renewal via traditional mail, you can download the license renewal application form here. Once you download the form, you must print and fill it out with all the requested information. When applying for renewal via mail, you can complete the payment by check. Once you complete your application, you must send it to the following address to submit it to the Nebraska DHHS:
Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
Licensure Unit
P.O. Box 94986
Lincoln, NE 68509-4986
After you submit the application, it will take the Nebraska DHHS about a week to process your application and issue your renewed RN license.
Understanding Nursing Continuing Education Requirements for License Renewal
If you received your license two years ago and this is the first time you are applying for renewal, you do not need to complete 20 contact hours of nursing continuing education courses. You can simply leave that section on the application empty. However, you must have practiced at least 500 hours as a nurse during the renewal period to be eligible for license renewal. To learn more details about continuing education requirements to renew your registered nurse license in Nebraska, visit www.fastceforless.com/nursing-ce-nebraska.
For registered nurses renewing their licenses after their first renewal, we can help you fulfill your continuing education requirements. Online nursing CEUs like those offered by Fast CE For Less at www.fastceforless.com are affordable, convenient, and effective in fulfilling your requirements.
