Board of Nursing committee debates KAR 60-9-106 language on accepted continuing-education providers

Board of Nursing committee members reviewed proposed revisions to KAR 60-9-106 concerning which continuing-education offerings the board will accept for license renewal, and asked staff to send the draft to the APRN committee for further review.

The discussion mattered because the language in the draft would clarify whether courses approved by national APRN certifying bodies are accepted automatically as approved continuing nursing education (CNE) for renewal, or whether the acceptance would be limited to APRNs only — potentially requiring other nurses to submit an individual approval application (IOA).

Staff explained the proposed change would streamline the regulation by removing a long list of named course providers and instead refer to “standardized recertification courses” and certifying boards. During discussion, a staff speaker said, “We do not accept ELS. We do not give CNE or ELS,” describing how certain offerings are not eligible for board‑approved CNE under the proposal. Committee members noted that, as drafted, the language referencing “APRN certifying bodies” could be read to mean only APRNs would receive automatic acceptance of CNE; other nurses, such as RNs or LPNs, would still need to submit IOAs unless the language was broadened.

Staff clarified the historical practice: the board has accepted offerings from APRN certifying bodies without an IOA since the board began requiring national certification for APRNs in 2022. For other nursing certifications, staff said the board currently expects IOAs unless the regulation language is changed. Members discussed alternatives, including explicitly listing a broader set of certifying bodies (which the committee had sought to avoid because lists become outdated) or adopting a sentence similar to language on some state board websites that accepts any provider approved by other state boards of nursing or national nursing credentials.

Committee members asked for clearer guidance for providers and for the board’s education staff about how to verify certificates when specific provider names are no longer listed in regulation. Staff said routinely accepted providers such as UpToDate and Lippincott indicate ANCC accreditation on their certificates, making verification straightforward in many cases. The committee agreed the draft should be reviewed by the APRN committee and returned to this committee with any APRN feedback before starting the formal approval process.

Next steps: staff will take the draft KAR 60-9-106 revision to the APRN committee for review and will return the regulation language to this committee for further direction before initiating the approval process.