ICEA contact hours are offered by workshops or programs that have been reviewed and approved by ICEA. Contact hours are approved for traditional face-to-face learning situations and are reviewed on the basis of program content and faculty qualifications.  Each program will verify the attendance of participants.  All ICEA conventions, conferences, and Professional Training Workshops will award contact hours.

An ICEA contact hour is a specific amount of time spent participating in an educational program.  Contact hours are computed as sixty minutes of education equals one contact hour and resemble nursing continuing education credits (CEUs).

Organizations related to childbirth education can apply for contact hours for face-to-face instruction programs. ICEA accepts and automatically honors contact hours obtained by attending any of the following programs from the approved providers and sponsors listed below that grant continuing education credits and hours.  Those approved organizations include but are not limited to:

• ICEA
• American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM)
• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)
• American Dietetic Association (ADA)
• American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)
• American Psychological Association (APA)
• American Public Health Association (APHA)
• Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN)
• DONA International (DONA)
• International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA)
• Hug Your Baby
• Gold Online Conferences
• Lamaze International
• National Association of Social Workers (NASW)
• Additionally, any educational offerings granting CERPS or Nursing Contact hours are transferable and can be used toward ICEA recertification, as long as they are birth-related and apply to the field of childbirth education, breastfeeding, or newborn care.

It is the responsibility of the candidate or certified member to confirm whether ICEA contact hours have been granted prior to attending a program or event.

Alternate Contact Hours

Alternate contact hours may be approved for learning formats such as correspondence courses, video or audio tapes. Alternate contact hours must be applied for by the program sponsor, and approval must be awarded prior to use by the candidate or certified member. Candidates and certified members may use alternate contact hours for one-half (12.0) of the required hours for recertification.

Independent Study Contact Hours

If someone is unable to obtain enough contact hours required for recertification through any related opportunities listed above, alternate contact hours may be obtained through independent study.

Independent Study opportunities include:

• Read and take posttest for positions papers – 1 contact hour for each completed position paper and exam.
• Read and write a book review on a childbirth or breastfeeding book, published within one year – 5 contact hours.
• Write an ICEA Blog – 8 contact hours if accepted by ICEA’s blog editor.
  • 300-500 words
  • Use 5 current, evidenced based references that are under five years old
• If the member is a CLC or IBCLC, they may use 8 contact hours obtained for maintaining their CLC or IBCLC, for ICEA certification renewal. Proof of these contact hours must be provided.

Submit the information above with your recertification applications or email info@icea.org for additional details.

Reviewing each application may take up to one month. At the completion of the renewal process applicant will be notified in writing of the decision. If the event has been approved to offer ICEA Contact Hours it will be assigned a program number to include on the completion certificates.