Navigating Continuing Education Requirements in Maryland
Continuing education is a cornerstone of professional development, ensuring practitioners stay updated with the latest advancements, regulations, and best practices in their respective fields. In Maryland, various professions mandate continuing education to maintain licensure and certification. This article provides a comprehensive overview of continuing education requirements across different sectors in Maryland, drawing upon specific regulations and guidelines.
Continuing Education for Nurses
Maryland offers multiple options for nurses to renew their licenses, emphasizing the importance of ongoing education. Nurses can submit relevant college coursework in place of contact hours to meet continuing education requirements. Each semester hour counts for fifteen (15) contact hours, provided the course is nursing-related and the applicant earns a grade of “C” or higher.
Implicit Bias and Racism Training: Starting October 1, 2025, a significant update requires implicit bias training to be modified to "Implicit Bias and Racism Training." It's important to note that CEUfast is not currently an approved provider for this specific training.
Nurse Practitioners: A nurse practitioner shall maintain an active certification while practicing. A certification as a nurse practitioner expires at the same time as the nurse practitioner's registered nursing license.
Prescribers: Practitioners authorized to prescribe Controlled Dangerous Substances (CDS) in Maryland must be registered with the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP).
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It is advisable to check with your facility/employer to ensure CEUfast courses are accepted.
Requirements for Certified Medication Technicians (CMT)
Certified Medication Technicians (CMT) must have 100 hours of practice as a CMT in the two (2) years immediately preceding the CMT renewal.
Physical Therapists (PTs) and Physical Therapist Assistants (PTAs)
CEUfast is currently NOT approved as a CEU provider for PTs and PTAs in the state of Maryland.
Occupational Therapists
Maryland recognizes the maintenance of current NBCOT certification as fulfilling the requirements of competency activities for occupational therapists.
Cosmetologists
Cosmetologists in Maryland have specific continuing education requirements to maintain their licenses. For information about the Continuing Education requirements see COMAR 09.22.04.03,COMAR 09.22.04.02 (6), and Statute §5-205. You must complete the following continuing education hours within your renewal term. Continuing education is to be completed during the term of the license and at least 30 days prior to submitting a renewal application.
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The continuing education hours are divided between required and elective topics. The Maryland Board of Cosmetologists webpage is a valuable resource for additional information.
Required Topics: 2 hours total. Must cover Health, Safety, Welfare, Sanitation, and/or Board Laws/Regulations.
Elective Topics: 4 hours total. The elective topics should fall within the scope of practice for your license type and may include topics such as hair, skin, and nail techniques, and Product Knowledge.
Only courses taken with the Milady Training provider should be submitted by the licensee. Certificates from any other provider will not be accepted. All other providers are responsible for submitting course hours for licensees directly to the Board, and must upload course information within 14 days of course completion.
Licensees must provide their registration number, in addition to completing every field marked with an asterisk*. For the “Select Type of Document” field, licensees should select OTHER.
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Real Estate Professionals
Real estate professionals, including brokers and branch office managers, also have continuing education obligations. You must complete CE and renew to remain inactive! Legislative topic (A), Ethics topic (D), and Principles of Brokerage Relationships and Disclosure/MREC Commercial Agency (H) are required Maryland courses for all licensees and may not be substituted. The ethics course must include MD Code of Ethics, flipping and predatory lending and professionalism.
Once a licensee assumes a supervisory role as a broker, branch office manager (BOM), or team leader, he or she will have 90 days to complete 1.5 clock hours of the MREC Required Supervision Course, if not already completed during the previous renewal.
If you hold a license in another state, hours may be considered toward your Maryland ELECTIVES. If recognized, the hours credited will be entered into your licensing record.
Educators
MSDE-approved Continuing Professional Development (CPD) courses and experiences are an integral part of professional learning for educators in Maryland. A CPD is a recognized professional learning experience that signals the acquisition of deeper learning to improve professional practice and student learning outcomes. In most instances, a CPD may be used to renew a professional Maryland Educator License.
Certified Public Accountants (CPAs)
An active CPA must earn a minimum of 80 qualifying hours of continuing education each license period to be eligible to renew the license. A licensee can complete continuing education in technical and non-technical subject. Licensees report continuing education hours earned at the time of license renewal. The license renewal application prompts the licensee to indicate the number of continuing education the licensee has earned since the previous renewal application date.
“Licensees may only report credit hours earned up to the date the renewal application is filed.” A licensee may not report any CE hours that are expected to be completed after the date the renewal application is filed. Any credit hours a licensee earns after the date the renewal application is filed can only be reported at the time of the subsequent license renewal.
Individuals who file license reinstatement applications may only report continuing education hours earned within two years of date of filing the application. Continuing education credit hours reported to reinstate a license cannot be applied to the 80 hours required to subsequently renew the license.
Licensees may amend the continuing education hours reported within thirty days of the date an application is filed. The request must be made in writing. Documentation to support the original credit hours reported and any additional hours must be submitted with the request.
Up to 80 CE hours in addition to the first 80 hours that a licensee reports are eligible to be credited for use the next time the licensee renews the license. Continuing education hours in ethics, in excess of the required four hours each license period, can be used as ordinary CE. Four hours of ethics CE must be earned in the license period immediately preceding the next renewal term.
Continuing education hours that are reported are subject to audit by the Board. Licensees chosen for audit are required to submit an audit inventory sheet and documentation to support the number of credit hours reported in an application. Continuing education courses earned through sponsors who belong to the NASBA CPE Registry need only to submit the course completion certification that is issued by the sponsor.
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