Every CE requirement verified against official state nursing board sources. How RenewRN verifies the data →
Every CE requirement verified against official state nursing board sources. How RenewRN verifies the data →
Field guide · Free CE
Built by Keegan, a travel RN · verified against official board sources
20 verified free courses accepted by the Kentucky Board of Nursing. No upsells. State-specific courses (for Kentucky mandatory topics) appear first.
See full Kentucky CE requirements
Returning to nursing after a lapse? See reinstatement and re-entry in Kentucky.
Requirements verified against the Kentucky Board of Nursing · last checked · How RenewRN verifies its data
Kentucky RNs renew their license every 1 year through the Kentucky Board of Nursing, though Kentucky sets no blanket CE-hours mandate, so CE is one of several ways to demonstrate competency. Every course on this page is free and accredited, and the list below is curated to count toward Kentucky requirements.
Alternative pathway: 7 approved contact hours of CE plus a satisfactory nursing employment evaluation completed during the renewal period may be used in place of the full 14 contact hours
Kentucky RNs renew every 1 year, though Kentucky sets no blanket CE-hours mandate (CE is one of several competency options). The free, accredited courses below are tagged to satisfy 3 of the state's required or conditionally-required topics. Confirm the Kentucky Board of Nursing accepts the specific provider before you rely on one.
Pediatric Abusive Head Trauma (One-Time), 1.5 hrsConditional
Domestic Violence (One-Time), 3 hrsConditional
Free: Strategies for Addressing Domestic Violence (Kentucky)
Alzheimer's & Dementia (One-Time), 1 hrConditional
Free: Alzheimer's and Dementia Care (KBN), Blood-Based Clarity: Navigating an Alzheimer's Diagnosis with Confidence, Nurse.com Free CE Catalog
Already have a course? Check whether it counts in Kentucky →
Courses that satisfy Kentucky's state-mandatory CE topics specifically.
Kentucky Board of Nursing
Free 1-contact-hour Alzheimer's and dementia course offered directly by the Kentucky Board of Nursing (board-issued, so board-accepted). Helps meet Kentucky's dementia and Alzheimer's CE content.
Kentucky Department for Public Health (Maternal & Child Health)
Free pediatric abusive head trauma course from the Kentucky Department for Public Health, a Kentucky Board of Nursing continuing education provider, awarding 1.6 nursing contact hours and hosted on TRAIN. Meets Kentucky's one-time pediatric abusive head trauma training requirement for nurses.
Free (offered at no charge); free TRAIN account required; the certificate must be claimed within 30 days of completing the course.
Kentucky Department for Public Health / KCADV
Free 3-contact-hour domestic violence course offered at no charge by the Kentucky Department for Public Health, a Kentucky Board of Nursing continuing education provider, and hosted on TRAIN. Meets Kentucky's one-time 3-hour domestic violence CE requirement for nurses.
Free (offered at no charge); free TRAIN account required; the certificate must be claimed within 30 days of completing the course.
ANCC-accredited courses accepted by Kentucky and every other state nursing board that recognizes ANCC. A few to get you started. The full, searchable catalog lives on the main free-CE page.
Advocate Health
Free, ANCC-accredited 1-contact-hour implicit-bias awareness training for licensed healthcare professionals. A genuinely free national option for implicit-bias or cultural-competency CE; some states require 2 hours, so confirm the total against your state's requirement.
Free account required; the course page shows Cost: $0.00.
American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN)
Rotating library of free CE on acute and critical care topics: sepsis, hemodynamics, ventilation, ECG. Hour count varies by course. ANCC-accredited.
Free AACN account required (membership not required).
American Nurses Association
ANA releases free CE courses on rotating topics each month: leadership, ethics, evidence-based practice, well-being. Hour count varies.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Nurse-specific federal training on integrated, multimodal pain management and the nurse's role in safe opioid use. Free contact hours via CDC TRAIN.
Free CDC TRAIN account required (course WB4716R).
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Free federal training on screening for, diagnosing, and managing opioid use disorder, including medications for OUD. Contact hours via CDC TRAIN.
Free CDC TRAIN account required (course WB4664R).
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Self-paced immunization modules (vaccine administration, storage & handling, Vaccines for Children, and more), roughly 1 to 1.25 nursing contact hours each, free via CDC TRAIN.
Free CDC TRAIN account required; CE earned per module.
11 more free, ANCC-accredited courses are accepted in Kentucky. Browse them all, filter by topic, and search the full catalog.
RenewRN earns nothing from these courses. Sources verified by checking the provider site directly on the date shown. If a link is broken or a course is no longer free, email support@renewrn.net.
Kentucky license renewal guide
CE hours, mandatory topics, fees & deadlines
How to get your first Kentucky RN license
NCLEX application, background check, fees & permits
Can an RN inject Botox in Kentucky?
Aesthetic injector scope & rules
Returning to nursing in Kentucky
Reinstatement fees, refresher rules & timelines
Kentucky NP & APRN renewal
APRN CE, fees, prescriptive authority & cert clocks
Moving your license to Kentucky
Endorsement timeline, fees, permits & compact rules
What happens if a complaint is filed in Kentucky
The board's process, step by step, and how to respond
Kentucky renewal: step-by-step
How to renew: forms, fees & timeline