CEUs

Activity Professionals

• Skilled Nursing Facility
  • Must be qualified on day one of employment.
  • Minimum of 10 hours of continuing education per year required to maintain qualification.
  • Find more information on state requirements here and federal requirements here.
• Assisted Living
  • Qualification not required, though highly encouraged.
• Residential Care Facility
  • Must be qualified within six months of being hired.
  • Find more information here.

Assisted Living Managers

• Certification required within six months of being hired.
  • IHCA Assisted Living Management Certification In-Person Course (see events calendar for next course offering)
  • IHCA Assisted Living Management Certification On-Demand Course
• Minimum of 20 hours of continuing education every two years is required to maintain certification through ICAL.

Department Heads (NF and RCF)

• Annually participate in a minimum of 10 contact hours of educational programing.
• Program content should reflect the educational needs of the department head.

Director of Food and Nutrition Services

• Skilled Nursing Facility
  • Must be a certified dietary manager OR
  • A certified food service manager OR
  • Have similar national certification for food service management and safety from a national certifying body OR
  • Have an associates or higher degree in food service management or in hospitality (if the course of study includes food service or restaurant management) OR
  • Have two or more years of experience in the position of director of food and nutrition services in a nursing facility setting and completed a course of study in food safety and management
  • Find more information here.
• Assisted Living
  • Must be certified dietary manager OR
  • A certified food protection professional OR
  • Complete an ANSI-accredited certified food protection manager program meeting the requirements for a food protection program
  • Find more information here.
• Residential Care Facility
  • Successfully complete a course meeting the requirements for a food protection program
  • Find more information here.
• IHCA Iowa Food Manager Certification Course

Nurses

• RNs and LPNs are required to complete 36 contact hours of educational programing every three years.
• LPNs in a supervisory role in a long-term care facility are required to complete an LPN Supervisory Course within 90 days of employment unless they are enrolled in a full-time RN training program.
• Nurses licensed by the Iowa Board of Nursing are required to maintain current mandatory reporting training applicable to the population served (dependent adults/children)
  • Find more information here.
  • Dependent Adult Abuse Mandatory Reporter On-Demand Course
  • Dependent Adult Abuse Mandatory Reporter Recertification Course
  • Child Abuse Mandatory Reporter On-Demand Course
  • Child Abuse Mandatory Reporter Recertification Course
• Program content must include appropriate subject matter that applies to nursing practice.

Nursing Facility Administrators

• Nursing facility administrators are required to complete 40 hours of continuing education every two years. The two-year period begins on January 1 of each even-numbered year and ends on December 31 of the next odd-numbered year.
• Program content should pertain to subject matters which integrally relates to the practice of a nursing facility administrator.

Physical/Occupational/Speech Therapists and Assistants

• Physical/Occupational Therapists
  • Physical therapists are required to complete a minimum of 40 hours of continuing education every two years.
  • The biennial continuing education compliance period is a two-year period that begins on the sixteenth day of the birth month and ends two years later, on the fifteenth day of the birth month.
  • A minimum of 30 hours shall be directly and primarily related to the clinical application of physical therapy.
  • Find more information here.
• Physical/Occupational Therapy Assistants
  • Physical/occupational therapy assistants are required to complete a minimum of 15 hours of continuing education every two years.
  • A minimum of 10 hours shall be directly and primarily related to the clinical application of physical/occupational therapy.
  • Find more information here.
• Speech Therapists/Pathologists
  • Speech pathology or audiology licensees are required to complete a minimum of 30 hours of continuing education every two years.
  • The biennial continuing education compliance period is a two-year period between January 1 of each even-numbered year and December 31 of each odd-numbered year.
  • A person holding licensure in both speech pathology and audiology must meet the requirements for each profession.
  • Find more information here.

Licensed Social Workers

• Social workers must complete 27 hours of continuing education opportunities during the two-year licensure period. Three of the 27 hours are required to be social work ethics training.
• The biennial continuing education compliance period shall extend for a two-year period beginning on January 1 of each odd-numbered year and ending on December 31 of the next even-numbered year.
• Program content must reflect subject matter that applies to social services practice.

Mandatory Reporter Training

Employees of nursing facilities, assisted living programs, residential care facilities and home health agencies who examine, treat, attend or counsel patients/residents/tenants are required maintain current mandatory reporter training as it applies to the population served. If only dependent adults or children are served, only the associated training is required. If both populations are served, both training modules are required.

Mandatory reporter training must be completed using the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services modules, which are provided free of charge on the IHCA on-demand platform.

• Dependent Adult Abuse Mandatory Reporter On-Demand Course
• Child Abuse Mandatory Reporter On-Demand Course

Certificates of completion will be maintained and readily accessible in IHCA’s database.

After completing the original certification training, mandatory reporters are required by law to renew their certification every three years by retaking the course. As of July 1, 2024, recertification courses are no longer offered.

Completion of each course counts as two contact hours for continuing education. Please note, continuing education credits may not be eligible to contribute to licensure renewal requirements.