1. The Board shall not renew any license issued under this chapter until the licensee has submitted proof satisfactory to the Board of completion, during the 2-year period before renewal of the license, of 30 hours in a program of continuing education approved by the Board in accordance with regulations adopted by the Board. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 3, the licensee is exempt from this provision for the first biennial period after graduation from:

(a) An accredited school of professional nursing;

(b) An accredited school of practical nursing;

(c) An approved school of professional nursing in the process of obtaining accreditation; or

(d) An approved school of practical nursing in the process of obtaining accreditation.

2. The Board shall review all courses offered to nurses for the completion of the requirement set forth in subsection 1. The Board may approve nursing and other courses which are directly related to the practice of nursing as well as others which bear a reasonable relationship to current developments in the field of nursing or any special area of practice in which a licensee engages. These may include academic studies, workshops, extension studies, home study and other courses.

3. The program of continuing education required by subsection 1 must include:

(a) For a person licensed as an advanced practice registered nurse, a course of instruction to be completed within 2 years after initial licensure that provides at least 2 hours of instruction on suicide prevention and awareness as described in subsection 5.

(b) For each person licensed pursuant to this chapter, a course of instruction, to be completed within 2 years after initial licensure, relating to the medical consequences of an act of terrorism that involves the use of a weapon of mass destruction. The course must provide at least 4 hours of instruction that includes instruction in the following subjects:

(1) An overview of acts of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction;

(2) Personal protective equipment required for acts of terrorism;

(3) Common symptoms and methods of treatment associated with exposure to, or injuries caused by, chemical, biological, radioactive and nuclear agents;

(4) Syndromic surveillance and reporting procedures for acts of terrorism that involve biological agents; and

(5) An overview of the information available on, and the use of, the Health Alert Network.

The Board may thereafter determine whether to include in a program of continuing education additional courses of instruction relating to the medical consequences of an act of terrorism that involves the use of a weapon of mass destruction.

4. The Board shall encourage each licensee who treats or cares for persons who are more than 60 years of age to receive, as a portion of their continuing education, education in geriatrics and gerontology, including such topics as:

(a) The skills and knowledge that the licensee needs to address aging issues;

(b) Approaches to providing health care to older persons, including both didactic and clinical approaches;

(c) The biological, behavioral, social and emotional aspects of the aging process; and

(d) The importance of maintenance of function and independence for older persons.

5. The Board shall require each person licensed as an advanced practice registered nurse to receive as a portion of his or her continuing education at least 2 hours of instruction every 4 years on evidence-based suicide prevention and awareness or another course of instruction on suicide prevention and awareness that is approved by the Board which the Board has determined to be effective and appropriate.

6. The Board shall encourage each person licensed as an advanced practice registered nurse to receive, as a portion of his or her continuing education, training and education in the diagnosis of rare diseases, including, without limitation:

(a) Recognizing the symptoms of pediatric cancer; and

(b) Interpreting family history to determine whether such symptoms indicate a normal childhood illness or a condition that requires additional examination.

7. As used in this section:

(a) “Act of terrorism” has the meaning ascribed to it in NRS 202.4415.

(b) “Biological agent” has the meaning ascribed to it in NRS 202.442.

(c) “Chemical agent” has the meaning ascribed to it in NRS 202.4425.

(d) “Radioactive agent” has the meaning ascribed to it in NRS 202.4437.

(e) “Weapon of mass destruction” has the meaning ascribed to it in NRS 202.4445.

(Added to NRS by 1979, 719; A 1981, 25; 2003, 337, 648, 2956; 2015, 2283; 2017, 942; 2019, 1491, effective January 1, 2020)