Continuing Education In Nursing Education
Whats is Continuing Education
Continuing education is an
instructional program for adults, consisting of nursing courses in a particular
area of knowledge and expertise to increase the learner’s knowledge and skills
in order to provide competent patient care. The purpose of continuing education
in nursing is to enhance knowledge, skills, and confidence of professional
nurses to provide high quality, competent, and safe patient care (Tame, 2013).
The complexities of health care necessitate the professional nurse to
continually obtain education
Implementation of Continuing Education In Nursing
Continuing education can be
provided by academic and health care institutions for the professional
registered nurse (RN) to achieve the necessary education to fulfill current or
prospective positions in nursing, Hospitals may require completion of a certain
number of continuing education credits within a particular time frame .
Continuing education may be a
requirement for state licensure and/or specialty certification. These
requirements may be yearly or over the duration of the licensing and
certification periods. Regional, state, and national nursing organizations may
offer continuing education courses to members and nonmembers as a means to
fulfill the specified requirements. The individual is given a choice of topics
and scheduling options. Specialty organizations may also offer courses in
specific areas to provide the individual with expertise, knowledge, and skill
in the specialty domain that may not be found from other sources.
Continuing education programs and
courses can be offered using various methods and media. Nurses can attend live
sessions offered at conferences, workshops, and short-term courses offered
through colleges/universities, professional organizations, continuing education
companies, and health care organizations. Some benefits of live in person
sessions are asking real time questions, getting immediate feedback, and
networking. Another benefit with live in person sessions is that a recording
can be made of the session for review at another time. Some barriers to this
method of instruction include lack of technology, time requirements, travel,
and cost.
Some nurses may choose to use
written ten methods of continuing education. This is accomplished through
journal and magazine articles as well as information sent via postal mail by an
organization or company, Completing the offering in a timely manner convenient
to the learner is a benefit of written methods. Journal clubs have been used by
health care institutions to encourage reading and synthesis of material.
This form
of continuing education has been reported by Nesbitt as beneficial in
establishing community, encouraging, confidence, and making an impact on
practice. The written form of continuing education allows colleagues to network
outside of the work environment and promote reflection on practice.e-Learning is one of the fastest
growing methods of providing continuing nursing education.
The possibilities
are endless and allow for flexibility and cost-effective ways to provide the
educational materials, Participants can choose from a wide variety of
educational offerings including, but not limited to, live and recorded
webinars, video and audio conferencing, round table discussions, Articles
posted on websites, and virtual classrooms, e-Learning can be combined with live
in person sessions for those who are unable to attend the live session.
Continuing education, regardless of
the method of delivery, further develops the knowledge and confidence of
nurses. It also facilitates collaboration with colleagues and a healthy
questioning of practice by nurses, physicians, and other health care
professionals (Tame, 2013). Because of the multitude of delivery methods for
continuing education, nurses are able to obtain the education necessary to be
current in practice.
Impact of Continuing Education
Technological Advancements,
Increasing Number of Pharmaceuticals, and Increased Patient Complexity Have
presented nursing and Other Healthcare Professionals With Profession ssion of
revelopment. The need for competent and safe care has also led to the
requirements and mandates for continuing education for licensure,
certification, and credentialing at institutions.
The state nurse practice act guides
the professional nurse to provide safe, competent care by fulfilling the
requirements of the state board of nursing. It also encourages familiarity with
the guidelines and requirements necessary for professional practice. Such
motivators are one of the impetuses to obtain continued education in nursing
(Pawlyn, 2012; Russell, 2013).
Motivators to complete continuing
education can be intrinsic or extrinsic. Regulatory requirements are key
motivators. Schweitzer and Krassa (2010) reported extrinsic factors as weak
motivators for completion of continuing education. The personal and
professional benefits of continuing education were identified as key factors
for success. Motivators related to success were remaining current with
knowledge and skills, providing immediate practice benefits, advancing in a new
position, interacting with colleagues, and applying research and evidence to
practice (Nalle, Wyatt, & Myers, 2010; Schweitzer & Krassa, 2010) .
Nalle et al. (2010) reported personal and professional interests as being the
primary reason for participation in continuing education.
A combination of intrinsic
and extrinsic motivators is considered to be most ideal for providing
continuing education. As there are motivators for attending courses there are
also barriers. Time constraints and conflicts, family obligations, finances,
fatigue, difficulty getting off work, and the interiority of the course are
some of the main barriers (Baxter et al, 2013; Nalle et al. 2010; Schweitzer
& Krassa, 2010). Ways to help nurses overcome barriers are imperative to
successful course attendance. Flexibility through combination of offerings
helps to accomplish overcoming barriers. Courses that are readily accessible,
affordable, and take into consideration time constraints of individuals promote
successful course completion (Baxter et al, 2013).
Continuing education leads to
increased job satisfaction and decreased levels of burnout while updating
professional skills (Schweitzer & Krassa. 2010). In addition, continuing
education leads to increased empowerment and decreased intent to leave a
current position. Higher levels of perceived empowerment among critical care
and emergency nurses as well as fewer reports of intent to leave a current
position among these certified nurses were reported. Continuing education is a
major component of the requirements for initial and continued certification and
may be a reason for these findings (Fitzpatrick, Campo, & Gacki-Smith,
2013; Fitzpatrick, Campo, Graham, & Lavendaro, 2010).
Outcomes of Continuing Education
Fulfillment of mandatory
requirements and patient needs, as well as meeting the personal and professional
demands of practice while supporting the learner, is the goal of continuing
education. Innovative methods to deliver high-quality continuing education
courses need to be a priority of educators, clinicians, and professional
organizations to maintain the ever-changing and expanding standards of patient
care.
Financial considerations can significantly impact the delivery of such
programs and requires careful consideration. Interprofessional continuing
educational offerings with shared resources can help to minimize financial
burdens of providing courses. Sharing of simulation labs, integration of
eLearning methodologies, and multisite offerings can also help reduce the cost
of educational programs.