Continuing Education and Continuing Education Providers

Welcome to the continuing education and continuing education provider page. Within California, vocational nurses (VNs) and psychiatric technicians (PTs) will need to complete 30 hours of continuing education (CE) every two years beginning after their first renewal if they wish to retain an active license.

The links below lead to pages outlining the processes for finding a continuing education course to maintain an active California license as well as the process to become a continuing education provider. Within each page, you will be directed to tools and notes which will make renewal easier to get a grasp on.

Helpful Links

• BreEZe – California’s central application for managing licenses.
• DCA License Search – California’s website for the tracking of public information on all licensees.
• Fee Schedule – The BVNPT’s webpage to track the fees associated with our applications and licenses.
• 16 CCR, Chapter 1, Article 7. The regulations governing continuing education for vocational nurses.
• 16 CCR, Chapter 2, Article 7. The regulations governing continuing education for psychiatric technicians.

Finding Continuing Education Courses for Licensees

Below are the steps to finding a continuing education course, which you will need to renew your license. After that, is a small clarification on the ramifications of not completing all continuing education (CE) hours.

License Search

The Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) manages a publicly available database of every licensee in California. It is referred to as the DCA License Search. On that web page, look under the heading “License Type.” Scrolling to the very bottom, you will find a California “Vocational Nurse Continuing Education Provider” or “Psychiatric Technician Continuing Education Provider” as befits your needs. Choosing “search” with just that selection will bring up every provider in the state under that license. If you choose to perform an advanced search, you’ll be able to narrow down the choices to better suit your needs. Make sure that the provider’s license status states “current” because we also keep records of programs that have closed.

Approved Courses

The Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians (BVNPT) accepts theory and clinical hours at a one for one basis. This holds for both vocational nurses and psychiatric technicians. The BVNPT does accept continuing education accredited from other states’ nursing boards if otherwise compliant with regulations. Caveat: Please be aware that our review of materials from out of state takes longer and is likely to delay approval. Regardless, there are two different kinds of programs which the Board can accept for continuing education course, both are discussed next. Psychiatric technicians (PTs) often have more choices available to them. Where this is true, that additional information is submitted at the end of a subsection.

CE Providers

Continuing Education Providers are those licensed by the state to give a narrow, focused selection of classes. Each of these courses is measured in the hours of the course. This is the most expedient way to accumulate the 30 hours of credits required for keeping your license active. You may take courses from any provider accredited with nursing program from any state, but keep in mind the caveat above. Psychiatric technicians may also use any courses accredited specifically as CEs for PTs.

Extended Education

The Board also accepts course units from registered nursing programs and college/university credits. The courses must be related to your scope of practice. Each unit in the course qualifies as eighteen hours towards your requirement. However, these hours only count after the course is completed with a passing grade when submitted as a transcript. PTs may apply units from an accredited vocational nursing program towards CEs as well.

Exemptions

The BVNPT does provide exemptions to the requirement for continuing education. At the time of renewal, you will need to request the exemption. They are as follows:

1. The licensee has been residing in another country for a period of one year or longer reasonably preventing the completion of CE requirements; or
2. The licensee has been absent from California because of military or missionary service for a period of one year or longer reasonably preventing the completion of CE requirements; or
3. Reasons of health or good cause, including (A), total physical and/or mental disability for one year or more and the ability to return to work, as verified by a licensed physician and surgeon or a licensed clinical psychologist, and (B), total physical and/or mental disability for one year or more of an immediate family member for whom the licensee has total responsibility, as verified by a licensed physician and surgeon or licensed clinical psychologist.

Incomplete CEs

You may still renew your license if you don’t have your CE hours completed. However, your license will renew as current-inactive, which means you cannot practice under your license. You may at any time become active again by logging onto BreEZe and submitting the “Set to Active from Inactive” application, which will require the 30 hours of certificates or a copy of your unofficial transcript demonstrating sufficient passing credits from an appropriate registered nursing programs or college/university. Under normal conditions, the Set to Active from Inactive form takes approximately two to four weeks to process.

Delinquent Licenses

If you have not maintained your license, it becomes delinquent. After 30 days, a late fee appears added to the cumulative cost of your renewal periods. If you wish to become active or inactive, you will need to pay the sum of your cumulative renewal and delinquency costs as posted under the fee schedule. You have four years to make your license current- active or current-inactive before your license is cancelled. There is no further penalty for having a delinquent license.

Canceled Licenses

After a license has been cancelled, you may no longer act with that license. To practice within California again, you will need to apply for an entirely new license, which will require taking the NCLEX or CAPTLE again if you do not have an active license fit for endorsement from within the United States or its territories.

Retiring Your License

We are often asked if we have a method for “retiring” your license. We do not have an official means of doing so other than cancellation.

Renewal

Remember that to file your renewal, you will need to log into BreEZe. When you log into BreEZe from six to eight weeks before your renewal deadline, you shall find a new message stating, “It’s Time to Renew!” If you select the button next to that message and read the directions carefully then renewal should be easy.

Continuing Education Providers

If you are looking to provide courses for continuing education for vocational nurses and psychiatric nurses, you shall find aid here. Below we discuss the requirements of course providers. The rules and regulations do differ between courses for vocational nurses (VNs) and psychiatric technicians (PTs). We will discuss them in that order.

Vocational Nurses

Vocational nurses are such vital infrastructure throughout the United States. Because of this, the BVNPT has been trying to create a clearer path to the creation of programs to reinforce new waves of vocational nurses, especially considering the strain on nursing caused by COVID-19. The BVNPT thanks you for your interest in helping develop vocational nurses for their continuing career.

The requirement for Continuing Education (CE) Providers are broken down into the Approval Process, Instructor Qualifications, Course Completion Certificates, and Continued Requirements and Caveats. We will discuss them below.

Approval Process

Your first task will be to submit the form 55A-40. The team recommends that you have a copy to refer to while you go further on this page, but that won’t be necessary. The fee schedule shall have the most up-to-date information on the associated fees.

All courses of your program must be relevant to the practice of nursing, and they are expected to enhance the knowledge of vocational nurses beyond the level required for the VN license itself. Furthermore, it must either relate to the scientific knowledge and/or technical, manual skills required for the practice of vocational nursing or be related to direct and/or indirect patient/client care.

You will have to submit one course to the Board for review before you can gain approval. This submission must include the name, location, and contact information for the provider. Include a course title and the description of the subject matter of the course as it relates to recent developments in the vocational nursing field or in any special area of vocational nursing practice. We need to see your course objectives, the method of instruction, the total number of hours in the course (and at the location). We need to know your methods of evaluation for the course, including how the instructor will evaluate the student achievements of the course objectives and a student evaluation of the course content and the course instructor. Of course, we will also need to see the instructor’s qualifications as specified within regulations, which we shall discuss in the next section.

One last note before we address instruction, it is important to remember that approval for a program lasts only two years. After that, you shall need to file renewals for your program. Once more, the fee schedule will have the current record of the costs associated with your license.

Instructor Qualifications

Any proposed instructor shall need to qualify in two of five criteria:

1. Within the last two years, the individual must have completed specialized training within the subject matter of the course.
2. Within the last two years, the individual must have completed academic studies in the subject matter of the course.
3. Within the last two years, the individual needs experience teaching subject matter similar to the subject matter of the course.
4. Within the last three years, the individual needs six months of work experience in the subject matter of the course.
5. Within the last two years, the individual needs experience developing academic courses.

Course Completion Certificates

Any approved continuing education providers have legal obligations to the State and to the VNs they train. The first obligation regards completion certificates. The provider is required to give each licensee a certificate of completion, which shall include the date the course was completed, the provider or course number, the course title, and the total hours of the course. Be prepared to answer, each licensee must maintain every certificate of completion for the last four years.

Continued Requirements and Caveats

Each provider is obligated to maintain standards for document retention and publication once their license is approved.

1. The provider shall maintain a written and published policy, available on request, providing information for refunds for non-attendance, the time period for returning fees, and notifications for canceled classes.
2. The provider is required to accept full responsibility for each and every course, including but not limited to, recordkeeping, advertising course content, issuance of certificates and instructor qualifications.
3. The provider will keep records for four years regarding course outlines of each course given, records of dates and places each course is given, instructor curriculum vitae or resumes, and names and license numbers of licensed vocational nurses and/or psychiatric technicians who take any course offered by the approved provider and a record of any certificate issued to them.
4. Providers must notify the BVNPT within 30 days of any changes in information that was submitted on the most recent approved application to the BVNPT.

Furthermore, there are two additional regulations that the BVNPT binds providers to follow.

1. The approval of a provider is non-transferable.
2. Approval of a Provider may be withdrawn if the BVNPT later discovers misrepresentation in an advertisement or in any information required by the BVNPT in accordance with its governing regulation.

Psychiatric Technicians

Psychiatric Technicians hold a special place within California. We are one of few states with the profession, but the service has proven invaluable. Services such as you intend to provide will help build the trust and respect on the national level. To this end, the BVNPT has been trying to create a clearer path to the creation of programs to train new psychiatric technicians, and we thank you for taking up this charge as well.

The requirement for Continuing Education (CE) Providers are broken down into the Approval Process, Instructor Qualifications, Course Completion Certificates, and Continued Requirements and Caveats. We will discuss them below.

Approval Process

Your first task will be to submit the form 56A-40. It is recommended that you have a copy to refer to while you go further on this page, but that won’t be necessary. The fee schedule shall have the most up-to-date information on the associated fees.

All courses of your program must be relevant to the practice of psychiatric technicians and are expected to enhance the knowledge of psychiatric technicians to a level beyond that required for the license. In addition, the courses must either be related to the scientific knowledge and/or technical, manual skills required for the practice of psychiatric technicians, or be related to direct and/or indirect patient care.

You will have to submit one course to the Board for review before you can gain approval. This submission must include the name, location, and contact information for the provider. Include a course title and the description of the subject matter of the course as it relates to recent developments in the psychiatric technician field or in any special area of psychiatric technician practice. We need to see your course objectives, the method of instruction, the total number of hours in the course (and at the location). We need to know your methods of evaluation for the course, including how the instructor will evaluate the student achievements of the course objectives and a student evaluation of the course content and the course instructor. Of course, we will also need to see the instructor’s qualifications as specified within regulations, which we shall discuss in the next section.

One last note before we address instruction, it is important to remember that approval for a program lasts only two years. You shall need to file renewals for your program. Once more, the fee schedule will have the current record of the costs associated with your license.

Instructor Qualifications

Any proposed instructor shall need to qualify in two of five criteria:

1. Within the last two years, the individual must have completed specialized training within the subject matter of the course.
2. Within the last two years, the individual must have completed academic studies in the subject matter of the course.
3. Within the last two years, the individual needs experience teaching in an area similar to the subject matter of the course.
4. Within the last three years, the individual needs six months of work experience in the subject matter of the course.
5. Within the last two years, the individual needs experience developing academic courses.

Course Completion Certificates

Any approved continuing education providers have legal obligations to the State and to the VNs they train. The first obligation regards completion certificates. The provider is required to give each licensee a certificate of completion, which shall include the date the course was completed, the provider or course number, the course title, and the total hours of the course. Be prepared to answer, each licensee must maintain every certificate of completion for the last four years.

Continued Requirements and Caveats

As mentioned before, each provider is obligated to maintain standards once their license is approved.

1. The provider shall maintain a written and published policy, available on request, providing information for refunds for non-attendance, the time period for returning fees, and notifications for canceled classes.
2. The provider is required to accept full responsibility for each and every course, including but not limited to, recordkeeping, advertising course content, issuance of certificates and instructor qualifications.
3. The provider will keep records for four years regarding course outlines of each course given, records of dates and places each course is given, instructor curriculum vitae or resumes, and names and license numbers of licensed vocational nurses and/or psychiatric technicians who take any course offered by the approved provider and a record of any certificate issued to them.
4. Providers must notify the BVNPT within 30 days of any changes in information that was submitted on the most recent approved application to the BVNPT.

Furthermore, there are two additional regulations that the BVNPT binds providers to follow.

1. The approval of a provider is non-transferable.
2. Approval of a Provider may be withdrawn if the BVNPT later discovers misrepresentation in an advertisement or in any information required by the BVNPT in accordance with its governing regulation.