Delaware Nursing Continuing Education Requirements for RNs, LPNs and CNAs
Delaware registered nurses and licensed practical nurses must complete continuing education during each full license renewal period. RNs generally need 30 contact hours, while LPNs need 24 contact hours. These totals must include at least three hours related to substance abuse and one hour addressing the recognition, response, or reporting of abuse, exploitation, trafficking, or domestic violence involving vulnerable persons. First-renewal requirements may be reduced or waived depending on when and how the Delaware license was issued.
C-E-U.com offers convenient online nursing continuing education courses that may help Delaware RNs and LPNs complete applicable renewal requirements. Delaware nurses remain responsible for selecting qualifying courses, entering each completed course into the DELPROS Continuing Education Tracker, retaining their completion certificates, and meeting any separate practice or employment requirements. Delaware CNA recertification and in-service education requirements are administered separately and should not be confused with the RN and LPN continuing education rules.
Delaware CE Requirements at a Glance
| Registered Nurse (RN) | Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) | Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) | Home Health Aide (HHA) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continuing Education or Training Requirement | 30 contact hours during each full two-year renewal period, including 3 hours in substance abuse education and 1 hour addressing abuse, exploitation, trafficking, domestic violence, or related reporting obligations involving vulnerable persons. The remaining 26 hours may be qualifying general nursing CE. | 24 contact hours during each full two-year renewal period, including the same 3-hour substance abuse and 1-hour vulnerable-person abuse and reporting requirements. The remaining 20 hours may be qualifying general nursing CE. | 24 hours of Department-approved education during each 24-month certification period, including 6 hours of dementia training and 2 hours of resident or patient abuse, neglect, and mistreatment-prevention training. CNAs must also complete 64 hours of paid nursing-related work under a nurse’s supervision. | At least 12 hours of staff-development activities annually, consisting of in-service programs, workshops, or conferences related to home health care or patients’ needs. |
| Governing Authority | Delaware Board of Nursing | Delaware Board of Nursing | Delaware Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Health Care Quality | Delaware Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Health Care Quality |
Delaware RN and LPN Continuing Education Requirements
Delaware registered nurses must complete 30 contact hours of approved continuing education during each full two-year renewal period. Delaware licensed practical nurses must complete 24 contact hours during each full two-year renewal period. The number of hours required for a nurse’s first renewal may be reduced to 15 hours for certain RNs, 12 hours for certain LPNs, or waived entirely, depending on the license type, issuance date, and point within the renewal cycle.
Within the required total, both RNs and LPNs must complete at least three contact hours related to substance abuse. They must also complete at least one contact hour covering the recognition of and response to suspected or known sexual abuse, physical abuse, exploitation, trafficking, or domestic violence involving vulnerable persons, or applicable reporting obligations involving suspected abuse or neglect.
Delaware also requires active nurses to demonstrate recent nursing practice. A nurse generally satisfies this requirement by completing at least 1,000 hours of nursing practice during the preceding five years or 400 hours during the preceding two years. A qualifying nursing refresher course may be used when the practice-hour requirement has not been met.
Delaware General Nursing Continuing Education Hours
After completing Delaware’s mandatory topic requirements, RNs may use the remaining 26 contact hours and LPNs may use the remaining 20 contact hours for qualifying nursing-related continuing education topics. C-E-U.com offers a wide selection of online nursing courses that may be used to complete these general elective hours. Nurses should select courses relevant to nursing practice and ensure that separately required topic hours are satisfied.
Substance Abuse Education for Delaware Nurses
This three-contact-hour course prepares Delaware nurses to recognize substance misuse, understand treatment and safety considerations, and respond appropriately within the scope of nursing practice.
Recognition and Reporting of Abuse, Exploitation, Trafficking, and Domestic Violence
Delaware CNA Continuing Education Requirements
Delaware certified nursing assistants must renew their certification every 24 months. During each certification period, CNAs must complete 24 hours of Delaware Department-approved continuing education, including at least six hours of dementia training and two hours of resident or patient abuse, neglect, and mistreatment-prevention training. CNAs must also perform at least 64 hours of paid nursing-related services under the supervision of a nurse. (Delaware Regulations)
Delaware administers CNA recertification through the Delaware Health and Social Services Relias system. CNAs complete the required courses, post-tests, and 64-hour employment attestation through the state’s renewal package. Once the education and employment information are submitted, the Division of Health Care Quality receives the information electronically for verification. (Delaware Health and Social Services)
Because Delaware requires Department-approved CNA education and uses a state-specific recertification system, C-E-U.com courses should currently be described as supplemental professional education for Delaware CNAs, not as replacements for the required Relias renewal package, unless the Division of Health Care Quality confirms that a particular course may be accepted as external training.
24 Hours of Approved Continuing Education
Delaware CNAs must complete 24 hours of Department-approved continuing education during each 24-month certification period. At least six of the required 24 hours must address dementia care, including communication, the needs of individuals living with dementia, and appropriate safety measures.
6 Hours of Dementia Training
At least six of the required 24 hours must address dementia care, including communication, the needs of individuals living with dementia, and appropriate safety measures.
2 Hours of Abuse-Prevention Training
At least two hours must cover resident or patient abuse, neglect, and mistreatment prevention, including warning signs, reporting obligations, and prevention strategies.
Delaware Home Health Aide and Direct-Care Worker Training Requirements
Delaware home health aides working for licensed skilled home health agencies or aide-only home health agencies must complete at least 12 hours of staff-development activities each year. Training may consist of in-service programs, workshops, or conferences related to home health care and the aide’s responsibilities.
C-E-U.com offers online courses in infection prevention, client safety, dementia care, communication, documentation, and other topics relevant to home health aide practice. These courses may be used toward an employer’s annual in-service requirement when accepted and documented by the employing home health agency.
Personal Assistance Services Agency Direct-Care Workers
Direct-care workers employed, contracted, or referred by a Delaware personal assistance services agency must complete agency-provided orientation before serving consumers and pass a competency test before providing care and annually thereafter. The required competencies include infection control, communication, activities of daily living, nutrition, body mechanics, documentation, consumer rights, confidentiality, and other areas of safe personal assistance.
When a personal assistance services agency serves individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia, it must also provide annual dementia-specific training to its direct-care workers. The training must address communication, psychological, social and physical needs, and appropriate safety measures.
General Elective Training for Delaware Home Health Aides and Direct-Care Workers
Using C-E-U.com for Deleware Continuing Education and Caregiver Training
C-E-U.com is an approved continuing education provider through the Florida Board of Nursing, Provider #50-47308. Delaware recognizes organizations approved as continuing education providers by another U.S. Board of Nursing that is a member of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. Therefore, qualifying C-E-U.com nursing courses may be used by Delaware RNs and LPNs toward applicable continuing education requirements when the course content meets Delaware’s subject-matter and contact-hour requirements.
Delaware CNA recertification requires Department-approved education, including state-specific dementia and abuse-prevention training. C-E-U.com courses should therefore be described as supplemental education for Delaware CNAs unless specifically accepted by the Delaware Division of Health Care Quality. Home health aides and other direct-care professionals may use relevant C-E-U.com courses for employer-approved in-service or professional-development training when accepted by their employer.
Delaware Continuing Education and Training References and Resources
Delaware Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Health Care Quality. (n.d.). 16 DE Administrative Code 3220: Training and qualifications for nursing assistants and certified nursing assistants. (Delaware Regulations)
Delaware Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Health Care Quality. (n.d.). 16 DE Administrative Code 3345: Personal assistance services agencies. (Delaware Regulations)
Delaware Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Health Care Quality. (n.d.). 16 DE Administrative Code 3350: Skilled home health agencies—licensure. (Delaware Regulations)
Delaware Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Health Care Quality. (2025). Delaware CNA recertification/renewal procedure. (Delaware Health and Social Services)
Delaware Department of State, Division of Professional Regulation. (n.d.). Continuing education and audit information: Board of Nursing. (dpr.delaware.gov)
Delaware Department of State, Division of Professional Regulation. (n.d.). 24 DE Administrative Code 1900: Board of Nursing. (Delaware Regulations)
Frequently Asked Questions: Florida Nursing CE
Delaware RNs must complete 30 contact hours of continuing education during each full two-year renewal period. The 30 hours must include at least three hours in substance abuse education and one hour addressing the recognition and response to abuse, exploitation, trafficking, domestic violence, or related reporting obligations involving vulnerable persons. The remaining 26 hours may consist of qualifying general nursing continuing education. First-renewal requirements may be reduced or waived depending on when the license was issued.
Yes. Delaware nurses may complete all required continuing education hours online, provided the courses are offered through an approved provider or approved method and include Delaware’s mandatory subject areas. Delaware does not specify an in-person CE minimum. Qualifying online courses from C-E-U.com may therefore be used toward the RN or LPN requirement. Nurses must record each course individually in the DELPROS Continuing Education Tracker and retain the completion certificate in case of an audit. (dpr.delaware.gov)
Yes. Delaware CNAs have separate recertification requirements from RNs and LPNs. CNAs must complete 24 hours of Department-approved continuing education during each 24-month certification period, including six hours of dementia training and two hours of patient-abuse prevention training. They must also complete at least 64 hours of paid nursing-related services under the supervision of a nurse. (Delaware Regulations)
These requirements are administered separately from the Delaware Board of Nursing’s RN and LPN continuing education rules. C-E-U.com courses should be presented as supplemental CNA education unless specifically accepted for Delaware CNA recertification.
If a Delaware nurse does not complete the required continuing education and renew the license before its expiration date, the license will expire, and the nurse may not practice until it is returned to active status. Delaware allows a late renewal within two months after expiration, but the nurse must complete the requirements, submit the renewal through DELPROS, and pay both the renewal and late fees. This two-month period is not a grace period, so the nurse cannot continue working while the license is expired.
After the two-month late-renewal period, the license terminates and the nurse must apply for reinstatement. Reinstatement generally requires proof of 30 recent CE hours for an RN or 24 hours for an LPN, along with the application, fees, and any other required documentation.
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