Planning
Nursing Informatics CE: Skills and Contact Hours Online
Nursing informatics CE helps nurses strengthen skills in electronic documentation, data use, privacy, clinical technology, and workflow improvement. Online courses can provide a convenient way to earn contact hours, but nurses should confirm acceptance and renewal requirements with their board of nu
Updated 2026-11-10 · Nursing CE editorial team
Every course included · Instant certificates · Renews yearly, cancel anytime before renewal
- Board-approved provider (CA, FL, NV, NY, PA, OH)
- Contact hours and accepted states listed on every course
- Certificate issued the moment you pass
Quick answer
Nursing informatics CE covers the safe, effective use of health information, electronic records, data, and clinical technology. Nurses can complete relevant contact hours online at their own pace, then download certificates for their records. Always verify required topics, contact hours, and provider acceptance with your board of nursing and facility.
What is nursing informatics CE?
Nursing informatics continuing education focuses on how nurses use information and technology to support patient care. Relevant competencies include accurate electronic documentation, data privacy, clinical decision support, information exchange, quality improvement, and safe technology use.
Informatics is not limited to nurses with a specialized job title. Bedside nurses, case managers, educators, leaders, and advanced practice nurses regularly interact with electronic health records, communication platforms, monitoring systems, and other digital tools.
CE can help nurses understand the principles behind these systems and apply them more consistently in practice. When a course discusses a workflow or technology process, nurses should also follow their facility policies, approved procedures, and role-specific responsibilities.
Which nursing informatics competencies are useful in practice?
Electronic documentation is a core informatics competency. Nurses need to enter timely, complete, and objective information, use approved terminology, correct errors according to policy, and avoid copy-forward practices that can introduce inaccurate information.
Privacy and security skills are also essential. This includes protecting login credentials, recognizing suspicious messages, using approved communication tools, accessing only information needed for assigned duties, and reporting possible privacy or security incidents through facility channels.
Other valuable competencies include interpreting clinical data, using decision-support alerts appropriately, participating in technology training, and identifying workflow problems. Nurses can also contribute practical feedback when organizations select, test, or update clinical systems.
Finish all your CE hours in one place
Unlimited online courses for $29.99 a year, with certificates the moment you pass.
Apple Pay & Google Pay on supported phones Visa · Mastercard · Amex · DiscoverSecure checkout by Stripe
What topics should an online nursing informatics course cover?
Useful nursing informatics CE topics may include electronic health records, documentation quality, confidentiality, cybersecurity awareness, clinical decision support, interoperability, telehealth, data literacy, and technology-related patient safety. The best topic depends on the nurse’s role and learning goals.
Nurses involved in education or leadership may benefit from content on system implementation, change management, staff training, quality dashboards, and workflow evaluation. Direct care nurses may prioritize documentation, secure communication, alarm or alert management, and safe use of digital patient information.
Before enrolling, review the course description, objectives, intended audience, contact hours, completion requirements, and certificate information. Confirm that the course fits any board, employer, certification, or professional development requirement you intend to meet.
Can nursing informatics CE count toward license renewal?
Nursing informatics CE may count toward general continuing education requirements when it meets the applicable rules. Requirements vary by jurisdiction, license type, renewal period, topic, and provider criteria, so there is no single contact-hour total that applies to every nurse.
Check directly with your board of nursing before relying on a course for renewal. If you hold licenses in more than one jurisdiction, review each board’s current rules separately because the requirements may differ.
Employers and certification organizations can have additional standards. Keep your completion certificates and any supporting course information for the period required by the organization reviewing your education.
How does self-paced online nursing informatics CE work?
Online CE allows nurses to study around shifts, family obligations, and other responsibilities. Courses generally include learning objectives, educational content, and a required completion activity; nurses should review the individual course page for exact details.
This site provides self-paced online learning and instant certificates after successful course completion. Save each certificate promptly and confirm that your name, course title, completion date, and awarded contact hours are correct.
For broader access, our All-Access pass costs $29.99 per year and includes every course on this site. It renews yearly, so cancel before renewal if you do not want another annual term. A free course, Improving Interprofessional Communication and Collaboration, is also available and can support communication skills used during technology changes and care coordination.
How can nurses apply informatics learning at work?
Start with a recurring issue in your practice, such as incomplete documentation, duplicate data entry, excessive alerts, or confusion about secure messaging. Use what you learn to ask focused questions and identify whether the issue involves training, workflow design, policy, or the technology itself.
Report safety concerns and system problems through approved facility channels rather than creating unofficial workarounds. Informatics improvements often require collaboration among bedside nurses, informatics staff, educators, quality teams, privacy personnel, information technology staff, and organizational leaders.
Apply course concepts within your scope of practice and your facility’s protocols. Education can strengthen judgment and awareness, but it does not replace organization-specific training for an electronic record, device, application, or downtime procedure.