Nursing

If you have never been licensed, apply. Make sure that you have completed the requirements and submit all the necessary paperwork. more

Continuing Education/Training

Nurses seeking to renew a nursing license must complete 10 continuing education hours during every two year licensing cycle, two of those hours must be about substance abuse.

Continuing education courses must be approved by the Rhode Island Board of Registration and Nursing Education. Approved training includes: courses approved by the American Nurses Credentialing Center or its local chapter, other recognized professional nursing organizations, any department or school of nursing approved by a board of nursing; or such other professional, labor organization, or accrediting agency approved by the Board. At renewal, nurses must sign a statement attesting to completion of the continuing education requirements.

A six-month extension for the continuing education requirement may be granted by the Board if the nurse has suffered a hardship. Documentation of course completions should be retained for four years.

Required Alzheimer's Disease Training

Effective August 1, 2019, every nurse has to complete one hour (per career) of CEU training regarding Alzheimer’s disease. RI Law

Trainings for Treating or Managing Care for Patients with Opioid Use Disorder

The Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) reminds Rhode Island prescribers of the US Congress’ new one-time requirement that went into effect on June 27, 2023, requiring any new or renewing Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)-registered practitioners, with the exception of veterinarians, to complete at least eight hours of education on the treatment or management of patients with opioid or other substance use disorder. Any new or renewing DEA registrants, upon submission of their application, are required to fulfill at least one of the following:

• A total of eight hours of training from certain organizations* on opioid or other substance use disorders for practitioners renewing or newly applying for a registration from the DEA to prescribe any Schedule II-V controlled medications; or
• Board certification in addiction medicine or addiction psychiatry from the American Board of Medical Specialties, American Board of Addiction Medicine, or the American Osteopathic Association; or
• Graduation within five years and status in good standing from a medical, advanced practice nursing, or physician assistant school in the US that included successful completion of an opioid or other substance use disorder curriculum of at least eight hours.

Prescribers can fulfill the requirement with the completion of a single, eight-hour course or multiple courses or activities totaling eight hours.

DEA-registered and new medical practitioners must fulfill this new training requirement before starting the process of renewing or completing an initial DEA registration.

National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) Annual Pass Rates

The NCLEX is a national licensure examination that graduates take in order to become registered as a licensed practical nurse or a registered nurse. The NCLEX pass rate is the percentage of graduates who successfully passed the examination for the first time over the number of graduates who applied to take the examination. The Board of Nursing evaluates the nursing programs based on the annual pass rates of the nursing program. The data is collected from January 1 to December 31.

	2016-2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022
Licensed Practical Nurse
CCRI	90.00%	90.63%	90.00 %	83.02%	95.38%	93.75%
Lincoln Technical Institute	81.51%	84.09%	86.36%	81.66%	71.92%	77.43%
Registered Nurse
CCRI	82.27%	89.22%	84.58%	82.52%	86.63%	83.68%
New England Institute of Technology	100.00%	94.87%	93.02%	83.19%	80.18%	75.21%
Rhode Island College	96.27%	97.69%	98.39%	96.15%	90.41%	82.31%
Salve Regina	84.06%	87.14%	85.14%	95.52%	79.69%	69.62%
St. Joseph's School of Nursing	94.94%	75.29%	closed 7/2019
University of Rhode Island	90.78%	89.31%	91.48%	90.29%	85.89%	81.41%