Should Continuing Education for Nurses be mandatory in all states?

cocutza · Aug 11, 2008

OK Joke Nurse. LoL congratulation for your French.

lrhicp · Aug 11, 2008

I personally feel that as we progress towards other professions vewing nursing as a profession, not mandating continuing education would only be to our detriment.

TopazLover, BSN, RN · Aug 19, 2008

I really come down hard on fence on this. OH, that hurts. I do think some things really need to be mandatory and supplied by the facility.

These things are updating on CDC/state Infection Control issues. I see lots of questions about this here at the website.

Hands on, perhaps group or team approach to Ethics related to facility issues. I don't deal with tissue harvesting so it would not interest me, but there are issues that I deal with lots. Small groups could develop some things to assist all of us. Perhaps end of life issues and the cross cultural aspects of the area.

Drug and Alcohol issues since Many of our patients have these issues and we need to have our minds straight about the disease of addiction.

I agree that the nurses who are motivated will do these things anyway but with proper in-service, perhaps we can drag some others into the fold. I work in a state that demands cont. ed. Most of the staff looks forward to the in-services as the staff really works to include everyone so there are no nappers or chatters. There are real tests, easy but demand more than signing name and checking boxes about the comfort of the surroundings.

Seems to me the problem is not the issue of mandatory but the fact that continued education is sometimes delivered in a factory-like manner. Shovel it in, push them out.

We also have mandatory education requirements for CNAs in this state. :twocents:

Pedi-Gree, BSN, RN · Aug 19, 2008

Where I work, there are a lot of lazy people who can't even be bothered to read their emails. A lot of practice and plocy changes are communicated that way, but months after the emails come out there are many nurses who ares till doing it the old way. If I say something to them like, "We're doing it this way now", I often hear, "Since when? I didn't know that". A number of changes that have been made that people aren't following make more work for the nurse who takes over for them because it has to be redone the correct way. I spent more than an hour today going through a patient's chart making sure that the med orders were all up-to-date because the patient had a bin full of meds that were no longer being given. I think I have better uses for my time.

When I think of these same people keeping current with their nursing knowledge base, I have serious doubts. I'm always reading journals, discussing issues with others, attending conferences and researching diseases and disorders I've never encountered before. Not them. They're sitting around on nights reading Harry Potter.

lpnflorida · Sep 5, 2008

For those who have expressed the concern over the high cost of obtaining CEU's yes the cost of attending can be costly. Fortunately as CEU's are mandatory in our state our employer pays to attend the ones we apply for in most cases. For those who's employers do not or are retired, There are many CEU'S which can be obtained online some are free, some web sites are a one time nominal fee to obtain as many as you want within a one year time frame.

love.a.nurse · Sep 12, 2008

I was surprised when I learned that nurses were not required to complete continuing education requirements in order to stay licensed. As a medic I was required to complete mandtory hours of continuing ed in order to keep my certification, it would only seem logical that nurses have the same requirement. Without continuing ed, how do our nurses keep up to date, and how do healthcare facilities ensure that the nurses they are hiring are accurately trained and current with new procedures, policies, meds, etc.....?

lpnflorida · Sep 12, 2008

I was surprised when I learned that nurses were not required to complete continuing education requirements in order to stay licensed. As a medic I was required to complete mandtory hours of continuing ed in order to keep my certification, it would only seem logical that nurses have the same requirement. Without continuing ed, how do our nurses keep up to date, and how do healthcare facilities ensure that the nurses they are hiring are accurately trained and current with new procedures, policies, meds, etc.....?

Nurses have always done CEU's whether they are mandated by State Board of Nursing or not. Some states madate how many have to be completed each licensure period for renewal and some states do not.

Saturnalia · Sep 17, 2008

I think Continuing Education is good for ANY field!

cocutza · Sep 18, 2008

Yes, it's true, Continuing Education it's necessary for being a good nurse. But.....mandatory!!!??? for keeping our licensure?? I don't know...I'm working in a geriatric universitary institut and my employer gave us manny formations classes for free but isn't mandatory.If you are a good nurse and you want keep you up-date, you like to learn .if not....you will sleep during the classes. For this nurses :madface: ...is necessary to be mandatory Continuing Education. I hope that are not manny nurses like that.By By :nurse:

nurse430+yrs · Oct 1, 2008

Thank you Brian!

I think continuing education should be mandatory in ALL states. I feel and believe strongly in evidenced based continuing education. Education that truly demonstrates LEARNING; not simply passing a test.

(For example: a nurse could pass a test with a 75% C level but yet miss 25% of the questions. Yes, he/she has demonstrated competency based on "passing the test"; however what if the 25% of questions missed where crucial to the life of a patient?

Making continuing education a requirement also keeps nurses in the "lifelong learning mode". :typing

:nurse:nurse430+yrs

nurse430+yrs · Oct 1, 2008

I hope you re-think letting the certification go-
try the on-line ceu's- like with MedScape.

Sounds good; Medscape does provides a wonderful array of Continuing Education programs;that meet the need for CE's...but not necessarily specific to the specialty the nurse may be practicing.

When was the last time you took at continuing education class that was SPECIFIC to your field of practice? Most nurses simply take continuing education classes for the sake of accumulating the required CE units; and not in relation to their direct practice. Thereby, the DO meet the re-licensure requirements---but may not have gained knowledge in line with their specific specialty. I like ANA's Certification process and their built in CE requirements. :nurse:

nurse430+yrs · Oct 1, 2008

It should never be manadated as there is too much big business out there to make money off it. Professional responsibility yes, but the concept of MANDATORY gives me the shivers.

Professional reponsibility--gives me the shivers...it sounds like you want to leave it up to the individual????

So then, how do you get people (nurses) to take continuing education programs to keep up with their profession UNLESS you make it a mandatory requirement for re-licensure?

One of the definitions of a professional in the M-W dictionary is: a skilled practitioner; an expert. HOW does one stay an expert if the continuing education requirements are voluntary???

Wikipedia: comments: A 'true' professional must be proficient in all criteria for the field of work they are practicing professionally in. Criteria include following: Academic qualifications - i.e., university college/institute /Expert and specialized knowledge in field which one is practicing professionally.

The fact of the matter is: MOST people given the option will not reinvest in their profession; so the profession then must mandate requirements for CE.

So, a question for you: YOU are an ICU patient and you have the choice of choosing your nurse.Choose your nurse: no other factors consider except the ones described here:

Nurse #1: Has kept up on Continuing Education in the ICU field he/she has 30 continuing education hours plus an excellent work and performance record. He/she serves as a mentor for new nurses.

Nurse #2. Has NOT kept up on his/her Continuing Education in his/her field; he/she does have continuing education in other areas of nursing. He/she is consider a "good nurse: and has an excellent work and performance record. He/she seems to have lots of experience.

Nurse #3. Is a nurse from a temp agency---her past work performance is not known, but you do know she has NO continuing education in the ICU area.

WHICH nurse would YOU want to care for you?

nurse430+yrs:nurse: