You can complete Florida’s required HIV/AIDS course online for free through providers approved by the Florida Department of Health, and the fastest way to find one is to search CE Broker, the state’s official continuing education tracking system. A free HIV certification course online in Florida only counts toward your license if the provider carries Florida board approval and reports your completion to CE Broker, so verify that before you enroll. Most licensees need the course before their first biennial renewal, and the hours count toward the total CE required for that cycle.
How to Find a Free Approved Course
CE Broker is the continuing education tracking vendor for the Florida Department of Health, and every approved provider is listed there.1CE Broker. Department of Health Continuing Education Report Create a free Basic Account, search for pre-approved HIV/AIDS courses, and filter by your profession. Any provider that shows up in that search will submit your completion electronically to your compliance record.
Free options exist because HIV/AIDS education carries a public-health interest, and some providers offer the course as a loss leader or run it on grant funding. A course that sounds relevant but lacks Florida approval will not count, no matter how good the content is. When you look at a free course, check for:
- A Florida board approval number displayed by the provider. National accreditation alone is not the same thing; confirm the specific accreditation applies to your board.
- The correct hour count for your profession. A one-hour course does not satisfy a three-hour requirement.
- CE Broker reporting. Approved Florida providers submit completions electronically. If a provider tells you to self-report, that often signals they lack direct Florida approval.
- A downloadable certificate of completion. Save it even when the provider reports electronically, in case of audit or a reporting delay.
Hours and Content Your Course Must Cover
Florida law does not set a single hour count. The parent statute leaves that to each professional board, so the minimum depends on your license. The Board of Medicine, for example, requires a three-hour course for a physician’s first renewal.2Legal Information Institute. Florida Administrative Code R. 64B8-45.006 – Continuing Education on HIV/AIDS Other boards set the floor lower. Check your board’s rule before enrolling. A course approved by any board within the Division of Medical Quality Assurance satisfies the requirement across boards, which matters if you hold more than one license.
Whatever the length, every approved course covers the same topics: modes of HIV transmission, infection control procedures, clinical management, and prevention strategies.3FindLaw. Florida Statutes Title XXXII – Section 456.033 The course must also address current Florida law on HIV/AIDS, including testing, confidentiality of test results, patient treatment, reporting obligations, offering HIV testing to pregnant women, and partner notification.
Which Professionals Need the Course
The mandate under Florida Statute 456.033 covers a long list of licensed health professionals, including physicians, osteopathic physicians, chiropractors, podiatrists, optometrists, registered nurses, pharmacists, dentists, physical therapists, and acupuncturists.3FindLaw. Florida Statutes Title XXXII – Section 456.033 They must complete a board-approved HIV/AIDS course no later than their first biennial renewal.
Midwives and clinical laboratory personnel fall under Section 381.0034 and have the same obligation as a condition of biennial relicensure. Initial applicants under that statute complete the course before receiving a license, with a six-month grace period available on a showing of good cause.4Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes Section 381.0034 – Requirement for Instruction on HIV and AIDS
Cosmetology is different. The Board of Cosmetology requires a four-hour HIV/AIDS course for initial licensure, reinstatement of a void license, or endorsement from another state.5Legal Information Institute. Florida Administrative Code R. 61G5-18.011 – Initial Licensure or Registration Requirement for Instruction on HIV and AIDS It’s a one-time requirement tied to the license itself, not an ongoing renewal item.
Confirming Completion Posts to Your Record
After you finish, log into CE Broker and check that the completion appears. Provider-reported completions usually post quickly. If you took a course from a provider that does not report automatically, self-report it yourself: enter the course details, upload your certificate, and answer the board-specific questions the system asks. Self-reporting is free and gives you the same official credit as a provider-reported completion.1CE Broker. Department of Health Continuing Education Report
The Basic Account is free for every Florida licensee. Paid tiers exist but only add convenience features; you are never required to pay to meet a reporting obligation.6CE Broker. CE Broker Basic Account If you are newly licensed, allow up to two weeks for the Department of Health to transmit your license data to CE Broker before you try to create the account.
What Happens If You Skip It
The Department of Health runs an electronic CE audit at renewal. If the system shows you did not complete the required HIV/AIDS course, the board issues a citation and assesses a fine on a first-time failure. The board can also require you to make up the deficit by completing an additional hour of CE for every hour you missed or completed late.7Florida Senate. Florida Statutes Section 456.072 – Grounds for Discipline, Penalties, Enforcement A three-hour requirement missed can turn into six hours owed.
Failing to renew at all pushes your license into delinquent status, with a fee that can reach the full biennial renewal amount, and continued inaction voids the license entirely.8Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes Section 456.036 – Licensure Renewal, Inactive Status, Delinquency Under Section 381.0034, failure to complete the HIV/AIDS course is separately listed as grounds for disciplinary action against your license.4Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes Section 381.0034 – Requirement for Instruction on HIV and AIDS
OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Training Is Separate
If you work in a clinical setting, your employer likely runs an annual bloodborne pathogens training under OSHA’s standard at 29 CFR 1910.1030. That training must happen before an employee performs any at-risk task and be repeated at least annually.9Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Annual Training Required by the Occupational Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogen Standard The content overlaps with the Florida course, but the OSHA training is an employer obligation, not a personal licensing one. Completing your employer’s annual training does not satisfy the Florida board-approved HIV/AIDS CE requirement, and the Florida course does not satisfy OSHA. Two separate boxes.