Nursing CE Cruises: Contact Hours at Sea
Nursing CE cruises offer continuing-education contact hours on a cruise ship. For registered nurses and nurse practitioners, the question to settle first is whether the provider’s contact hours will count for your license. In the United States, the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation accredits providers of nursing continuing professional development, and many state boards also recognize approval through state bodies.
What to Check on a Nursing CE Cruise
- The provider’s accreditation statement: who accredited it, and for nursing continuing professional development specifically.
- The total contact hours, and how many are designated as pharmacology if you need them.
- Whether your state has topic requirements (for example, specific mandatory subjects) and whether the course meets them.
- For nurse practitioners: what your certifying body accepts, since some accept physician CME credit as well.
Details are on ANCC accreditation.
Timing a Nursing CE Cruise Around Renewal
Many nurses look for a CE cruise when a renewal deadline is approaching. Leave margin: certificates may arrive a few weeks after the voyage, and a schedule change at sea can shorten a session. Booking a sailing several months before your deadline is safer than one in the final weeks.
Shift work makes it hard to take a week off, so seven-night sailings from a drive-to port are popular, as are shorter cruises paired with online courses before or after. Groups of nurses from the same unit or hospital sometimes travel together; ask us about group space if that applies.
Making the Most of the Voyage
- Pick a program with sessions on sea days so you can enjoy ports.
- Bring your license number and any CE tracking login so you can record hours promptly.
- Consider travel insurance; registration fees are often non-refundable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do nursing CE cruises count toward license renewal?
They can, if the contact hours come from a provider your board accepts, typically one accredited through ANCC or an approved state body, and the topics meet your state’s requirements. Confirm with your board before you go.
Can a nurse practitioner use a CME cruise?
Sometimes. Some nursing credentialing rules accept AMA PRA Category 1 Credit, and some programs offer both kinds of credit. Check your certifying body and board requirements.
Are pharmacology hours available on cruises?
Some programs designate part of their contact hours as pharmacology. If you need them for renewal or advanced-practice requirements, ask the provider for the breakdown in writing.
Questions Nurses Ask Us Most
Can I bring my family? Yes; companions sail in your cabin or their own and simply skip the sessions. Will I have time ashore? On most programs, yes, because sessions are concentrated on sea days and mornings. What if I get called back to work? Travel insurance with trip-interruption cover is worth considering, since registration fees and cruise fares are usually paid separately and may not be refunded. Our cruise advisors at Mister Cruise can explain the options when you book.
Booking a Nursing CE Cruise?
Our cruise advisors at Mister Cruise will arrange your cabin, travel companions and flights around your course, with free quotes.
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