Continuing Education Reporting Procedures Questions and Answers

Who must comply?

Each New York State licensed Nursing Home Administrator must comply with these procedures to earn Continuing Education (CE) credit for attending approved CE programs or completing approved CE activities during the registration period, for the purpose of fulfilling the CE requirements for registration renewal or license reactivation.

Who keeps track of the licensee's accumulation of approved CE credit for purposes of renewing a NYS NHA registration or reactivating a NYS NHA inactive license?

The licensee is responsible for tracking progress toward fulfillment of the CE requirement and, at the Board's request, for providing copies of sponsor-issued certificates of attendance/completion.

Who approves Continuing Education (CE) programs?

CE programs relevant to the practice of nursing home administration and approved in advance of presentation by one of the following designated reviewers, are eligible for purposes of fulfilling the CE requirement for renewal or reactivation of the licensee's NHA registration:

Designated Continuing Education Program Reviewers

National Continuing Education Review Service (NCERS) of the National Association of Boards of Examiners of Long Term Care Administrators (NAB);

Other states within the United States, provided that the state licensing agency or state board of nursing home administrators applies written criteria to approve CE programs and assign CE credit for nursing home administrators' attendance at such programs; and

NYS Department of Health or the Board of Examiners of Nursing Home Administrators,only for programs presented by NYS governmental agencies or presented by the federal government in New York State.

Are other categories of CE activities still eligible for CE credit?

Yes, the same categories described in recent CE Guidelines issued by the Board remain eligible for approval and individual licensee credit. Those categories are:

  • preceptorship (NYS Board-approved Administrator-In-Training programs);
  • teaching relevant to the field of NHA;
  • satisfactory completion of credit bearing college course work relevant to NHA (at an accredited educational institution); and
  • publishing in the field of NHA.

Each of the above auxiliary categories of CE activity continue to be reviewed and approved only by the NYS Department of Health or the NYS Board of Examiners of Nursing Home Administrators.

Home study course work will be credited as specified in the Continuing Education Program Guidelines, under "Categories of Continuing Education Credit – Home Study Courses".

How will the licensee know, before attending a program, whether a program is approved for CE credit?

All programs, including home study coursework, taken for CE credit toward NYS NHA registration renewal or reactivation should be approved in advance, and have a program approval or identification number issued by one of the aforementioned designated CE program reviewers. The sponsor of the program is the source for information as to whether a specific program you may be interested in attending has received approval and the number of approved credits it has been assigned. It is the licensee's responsibility to ensure that the program has been approved if that is a factor in selecting a program.

How will the NYS Board know that a licensee has earned sufficient CE credits to renew or reactivate registration?

Each licensee must keep an accurate written record of approved CE programs and activities they have attended/completed using the form "NYS Nursing Home Administrator Continuing Education Credits Report", and submit the report to the Board only as part of the registration renewal/reactivation application. The NYS Board no longer records individual licensee's accumulation of approved CE credit.)

How will the NYS Board ensure the accuracy of the CE Credit Report?

Licensees will certify that the information they report pertaining to attendance at approved CE programs and completion of approved CE activities, is true and accurate. Submitted CE Credit Reports (and all signed information pertaining to application for licensure and/or registration) are subject to audit, and licensees who make false statements are subject to penalties under law.

If you have questions pertaining to CE requirements and procedures, please call 518-408-1297, send e-mail to: profcred@health.ny.gov or send written questions to:

NYS Department of Health
Board of Examiners of Nursing Home Administrators
Bureau of Credentialing
875 Central Avenue
Albany, NY 12206