Free CE for Nurses / Massachusetts
Massachusetts RNs must complete 15 contact hours every 2 years, renewing on their birthday in even-numbered years — with no CE required for their very first renewal.
✓ Verified against the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing on July 30, 2026
| Topic | Hours | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive impairment, including Alzheimer's disease and dementia | — | one-time; counts within the 15. Applies to RNs who serve adult populations. No set number of hours. |
| Domestic violence and sexual violence training | — | one-time, as a condition of renewal. No set number of hours, and the board has not stated whether it counts within the 15. |
RN licenses expire at 11:59 PM on your birthday in even-numbered years (LPNs renew in odd-numbered years), and the 15 contact hours must fall in the two years immediately preceding renewal under 244 CMR 5.02. Nurses renewing for the first time after initial licensure are exempt — the board states plainly that you do not have to complete any CE requirements for your first renewal — and nurses in active military service within 90 days of a renewal deadline are excused for that cycle. Beyond the 15 hours, Massachusetts imposes two one-time trainings. A course on the diagnosis, treatment and care of patients with cognitive impairments including Alzheimer's disease and dementia is required by M.G.L. c. 112 § 74 for RNs who serve adult populations, and the statute folds it into the CE requirement rather than adding it on top. A domestic violence and sexual violence course is separately required as a condition of licensure and renewal under 244 CMR 8.07; once completed you need not repeat it, and the board has not published an hour value or said whether it offsets the 15. Neither training has a board-specified number of hours. Massachusetts has no CE mandate in implicit bias, cultural competency, human trafficking or end-of-life care, and the opioid training under M.G.L. c. 94C § 18(e) applies only to nurses who prescribe controlled substances. Keep authenticated completion records for two consecutive registration periods — four years — and produce them if the board audits you.
Yes — Massachusetts accepts continuing education from nationally accredited providers, so courses from an accredited provider like the ones on Pulse count toward your renewal.
One caveat: Massachusetts runs no CE provider-approval program at all. The board does not maintain a list of approved CE programs and makes each nurse responsible for choosing one that meets the criteria in 244 CMR 5.04, so nationally accredited coursework needs no separate Massachusetts approval. Employer in-services, new-employee orientation, agency policy training and CPR recertification never count.
Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing
https://www.mass.gov/info-details/mandatory-continuing-education-for-nurses
Requirements change. Confirm all figures on the board site above before relying on them.
Pulse offers free, accredited CE for RNs and LPNs. Local healthcare organizations cover the cost — you pay nothing, and the hours apply toward your Massachusetts requirement (subject to the board rules above).
Arizona · Florida · Georgia · Illinois · Kansas · Louisiana · Michigan · North Carolina · Ohio · Pennsylvania · Texas · Virginia · Washington