Free Online Nursing Courses

Free online nursing courses build your skillset without the tuition. Many cover the same material as traditional college courses and award the same continuing education units (CEUs), so they can help you meet licensing requirements, move your career forward, and keep current. The courses below span infection control, mental health, trauma care, and workplace violence prevention, and most are self-paced.

How CEUs Work

Continuing education (CE) keeps your license active. In nursing, CE is measured in CEUs and contact hours, where one contact hour is one hour of organized learning. Ten contact hours equal one CEU. CE can come from in-person and online courses, webinars, video recordings, and podcasts. State nursing boards set the amount you need, so check your state's requirements directly.

The Nursing Workplace

NIOSH Training for Nurses on Shift Work and Long Work Hours. CDC, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Built for nurses working long shifts, this course covers the health and safety risks of extended hours and strategies to reduce them. Twelve modules in two parts, self-paced. Offers 2.5 contact hours and 0.2 CEUs.

Creating and Sustaining Healthy Work Environments (HWEs). American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) Covers the six work-environment standards and gives you assessment tools to improve your setting. One contact hour. Costs $10 for non-AACN members.

See You Now: Rooting Out Racism in Health Care. American Nurses Association (ANA) Four podcasts from nurses and researchers on racism and equity in healthcare, plus current strategies to address them. Four contact hours.

Structural Racism in Healthcare. Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) Examines the link between race and medicine and how racism affects care. One contact hour. Free for ENA members, $35 for non-members.

Nursing

The Concept of Infection Control. American Nurses Association (ANA) Developed with Project Firstline, the CDC's infection-management collaborative. Covers the core strategies and goals of infection control. Offers 0.5 contact hours; expires summer 2028.

Nursing Studies – Diet Therapy. Alison, US Army Medical Center of Excellence Covers how diet affects disease treatment and prevention, with a focus on gastrointestinal conditions. A learning module and an assessment module, 1.5 to 3 hours, with a certificate on completion.

Identifying and Responding to Developmental Delay in Young Children. edX, Stanford University Gives primary care clinicians the tools to flag children at risk of developmental delay and to use screening tools in practice. Self-paced, 2 to 3 hours, qualifies for CE credit.

Key Concepts for Trauma Care in the ICU and PCU, Part 1. American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) A three-part series on trauma care and resuscitation, including mass casualty events, plus assessment and management techniques. One contact hour. Free for AACN members, $10 for non-members.

Violence and Violence Prevention

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV): Interprofessional Strategies for Prevention and Response. edX, University of Michigan, University System of Maryland, University of Maryland, Baltimore Helps clinical and social work professionals recognize signs of IPV and build support and safety plans. Five weeks, 2 to 3 hours per week, with a certificate on completion.

Clinicians and Firearms 2.0: A Curriculum on Firearm Injury Prevention in Medical Practice. Stanford University Teaches how to discuss firearm injury prevention with patients and reduce patient risk. Self-paced, up to two contact hours.

Workplace Violence Prevention for Nurses. CDC, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Covers the risk factors and warning signs of workplace violence, victim support, and the components of a prevention program. Six modules, self-paced. Offers 0.3 CEUs or three contact hours.

Science and Medicine

An Evidence-Based Approach to the Diagnosis and Management of Migraines in Adults. edX, Stanford University Helps clinicians diagnose and treat migraines without opioids and distinguish them from other headaches. Self-paced, 1.5 contact hours.

How Do Viruses Cause Infection?. American Nurses Association (ANA) An ANA and Project Firstline collaboration on the science of viral infection and how to control and treat it. Offers 0.75 contact hours.