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Psychiatric nursing continuing education courses focus on best practices for psychiatric nurses. Psychiatric nursing CEU topics range from substance abuse and medication control to anxiety disorders.

Popular Psychiatric Courses

Identifying and Treating Anxiety Disorders

The goal of this course is to provide an overview of anxiety disorders, treatments, and recent advances in understanding anxiety in adults. 

1.50 Contact Hours

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$25.00

Free with Standard Membership
Pharmacology of Antipsychotics
To provide the healthcare team in an acute care setting with up-to-date information about commonly used antipsychotic medications used for psychosis.

1.00 Contact Hours

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$20.00

Free with Standard Membership
Restraints: Risks and Alternatives for Patients
The purpose of this course is to inform nurses about the potential dangers of restraints and ways to reduce their use in the acute care setting. The course includes an overview of regulations and standards of care for the use of restraints but emphasizes alternatives.

 

1.00 Contact Hours

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$43.00

Free with Standard Membership
Pharmacological Management of Bipolar Disorder
The goal of this course is to assist the healthcare team in keeping up to date with medications used in the management of BD.

1.00 Contact Hours

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$20.00

Free with Standard Membership
Management of Bulimia Nervosa

Bulimia nervosa (BN) is an eating disorder that can lead to serious complications if left untreated (Jain & Yilanili, 2022). Healthcare providers (HCPs), including athletic training and fitness professionals who work with people with BN, should recognize behavioral, psychological, and physical effects it has on the person and their body.

1.00 Contact Hours

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$25.00

Free with Standard Membership
Supporting Parents of Children with Special Healthcare Needs

Approximately 20% of all children in the U.S. have a qualifying condition classified as a special healthcare need (Young & Crankshaw, 2021). The term “special healthcare needs” is often interchanged with the term “disabilities.” This course will interchange the terms. Caring for a child with special healthcare needs is a full-time job for the parents and continues throughout the child’s life. Nurses and social workers are in a unique position to facilitate family coping, navigating complex medical care access and barriers, and being the conduit between the professional healthcare and outside community. 

1.00 Contact Hours

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$25.00

Free with Standard Membership
Pharmacology of Anxiety Disorders
An overview of pharmacological options for those members of the healthcare team that may treat anxiety disorders.

1.00 Contact Hours

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$25.00

Free with Standard Membership
A Review of Irritable Bowel Syndrome
The goal of this course is to educate the healthcare team in the acute care setting on irritable bowel syndrome.

1.00 Contact Hours

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$20.00

Free with Standard Membership
Seasonal Affective Disorder
The goal of this course is to educate nurses on seasonal affective disorder and implications for nurses.

1.00 Contact Hours

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$25.00

Free with Standard Membership
An Overview of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
The goal of this course is to inform behavioral health counselors and nursing professionals about the care of patients with post-traumatic stress disorder.

0.50 Contact Hours

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$25.00

Free with Standard Membership
Approaches to Community-Based Suicide Prevention
The goal of this course is to provide information about community-based, upstream suicide prevention approaches.

2.00 Contact Hours

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$20.00

Free with Premium Membership
Managing Psychiatric Emergencies in the ED
The goal of this course is to educate healthcare professionals on how to manage psychiatric emergencies in the ED.

0.50 Contact Hours

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$25.00

Free with Standard Membership
Delirium: Identification and Management

This course will cover risk factors and prevention of delirium, evaluation of suspected delirium, as well as characteristics and management actions for active delirium.

1.00 Contact Hours

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$25.00

Free with Standard Membership
Mental Health and Older Adults
Discusses the interaction of psychological and physical aspects of aging in the absence of disease.

1.00 Contact Hours

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$25.00

Free with Standard Membership
Suicide Prevention in Acute Settings

In 2020, suicide was the 12th leading cause of death in the U.S. (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 2022). Inpatient medical units are not designed to manage patients who are at risk for suicide. Further, healthcare professionals working in acute care settings often lack the specialized training to appropriately intervene with patients in serious psychological distress. Patients who die by suicide in hospital settings often have no previously documented psychiatric history. 

1.00 Contact Hours

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$25.00

Free with Standard Membership
Cancer Patients and Psychological Needs
The goal is to provide the healthcare team with information to identify distress and interventions to address the needs of patients with cancer.

1.00 Contact Hours

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$25.00

Free with Standard Membership
Screening and Treatment of Depression

Clinical or major depression is a significant chronic disease worldwide. Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide, with approximately 280 million people who suffer from depression and over 700,000 who die from suicide each year (WHO, 2021). This course will focus on depression, particularly on screening, mental health and physical health commodities, and treatment. The goal of this course is to provide nursing in acute care settings with information on identifying and screening for depression, its co-morbidities, and treatments.

1.00 Contact Hours

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$25.00

Free with Standard Membership
Tourette Syndrome: Care Considerations

The goal of this course is to equip nursing professionals in the acute care setting with the essential knowledge to care for patients with immunodeficiency diseases.

After taking this course, you should be able to:

  • Identify the description, etiology, diagnosis, and prognosis of Tourette syndrome.
  • Recall the management of Tourette syndrome.
  • Recognize the mental, emotional, and educational impacts of Tourette syndrome.

1.00 Contact Hours

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$25.00

Free with Standard Membership
Prescribing Practices for Controlled Substances
This course educates healthcare providers on methods to safely and responsibly prescribe controlled substances to patients.

1.00 Contact Hours

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$25.00

Free with Standard Membership
Screening and Treatment of Anxiety Disorders
This course provides healthcare professionals with information about screening for, identifying, and treating common anxiety disorders.

1.25 Contact Hours

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$25.00

Free with Standard Membership
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25-hours Advanced Practice Pharmacology course ($259 value)

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More Details

Continuing education for psychiatric nurses is intended for nurses who work directly in mental health facilities as well as nurses who provide various forms of psychiatric care in facilities like hospitals or community clinics:

  • Registered Nurses
  • Nurse Practitioners
  • LPNs/LVNs
  • Advanced Practice Nurses

Psychiatric nurses work in unique environments that offer a distinct subset of challenges and patient needs. Continuing education courses for psychiatric nurses are offered in a variety of topics designed to best prepare nurses for the situations they face:

  • Substance abuse
  • Anxiety disorders
  • Dementia
  • Depression and suicide
  • Psychiatric emergencies

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked QuestionsFrequently Asked Questions
Do college courses count as CEUs for nurses?

Yes, college courses can count as CEUs for nurses, but specific conditions must be met. College courses can be accepted if they are relevant to nursing practice and offered by an accredited institution. The nursing licensing board in the state where the nurse practices typically determines the acceptability of these courses.

College courses usually translate into CEUs through contact hours. For instance, one CEU is equivalent to 10 contact hours of participation in an accredited program. This standardized method is used to quantify continuing education activities across different institutions and professions.

It's essential for nurses to verify with their state licensing board to ensure that the specific college courses they plan to take will be recognized as CEUs. Different states may have varying requirements regarding what counts as acceptable continuing education.

How many contact hours are needed to become an RN?

The number of contact hours required to become and remain a Registered Nurse (RN) varies by state and specific licensing boards. Find the CE requirements for your state here: Nurse CE Requirements by State

Conversion and Definition:

Contact hours are a measure of actual time spent in educational activities, where one contact hour typically equals 60 minutes of instruction​.

Verification and Compliance:

Many states allow nurses to choose from a variety of educational activities to earn contact hours, including online courses, seminars, and workshops. It's essential to ensure that these courses are accredited and recognized by the state's nursing board.

Are contact hours the same as CEUs?

Contact hours refer to the actual time a nurse spends participating in a structured educational activity. Typically, one contact hour equals 60 minutes of instructional time. Contact hours are often used to measure participation in courses, workshops, seminars, and other educational activities that contribute to professional development in nursing​.

CEUs are a standardized unit of measurement used to quantify participation in continuing education programs. One CEU is equivalent to 10 contact hours of participation. CEUs provide a uniform method for recording and reporting continuing education activities across different institutions and professions​​.

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A free account lets you manage your nurse life in one place. We’ll track your licenses and credentials, remind you when CE is due, and keep your resume and job profile in one place. Search and save jobs, access career resources, take free CE courses, enter monthly giveaways, get exclusive discounts from top brands, and connect with peers in our supportive community.

What is the difference between a membership and a registered user account?

A registered user account on Nurse.com is free and allows you to track your licenses, credentials and CE, store your resume and profile information, plus more.

CE memberships help you meet your continuing education needs and advance your clinical knowledge. The Standard Membership, available for $49.95 per year, gives you access to all online courses 1.5 contact hours or less, a 50% discount on courses over 1.5 contact hours, and a 50% discount on state renewal packages. The Premium Membership, priced at $149.95 per year, includes all the benefits of the Standard Membership plus free access to all state renewal packages, premium courses over 1.5 contact hours, and the Advanced Practice Pharmacology course.

Will all my history remain intact within my profile?

Yes, all your course history and transcripts will remain intact within your profile. This allows you to easily access your continuing education records and certificates anytime you need them.

Who do I contact if I need support?

For support, contact our Support center here or by clicking on the question mark icon in the blue circle in the lower right corner of your screen.

What if I’m not able to complete an entire course?

If you are not able to complete a course you can bookmark your place and return to it later.

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