A word to the wise about CEU's

LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN · Jun 2, 2013

I don't know girls..........I feel like it's so important to keep up with changes in our industry. If we want to be taken seriously as a "profession", we really need to continue to educate ourselves. Now, some of us do this regardless of "board expectations"; however, there are some nurses who never pick up a journal, or educate themselves past nursing school. The most important thing in nursing is EVIDENCE BASED PRACTICE. We dont' know everything coming out of nursing school, and even after years of practice, there's always more to learn.
I live in NC, where we are required to obtain CEU's to continue to practice. I don't mind it. I've always loved learning anything related to nursing. I want to be the BEST nurse, and with that comes continuous education. I prefer to be surrounded by nurses who share the same philosophy. We should always be reading, learning, and perfecting our skills. I do believe a lot of the credits are overpriced, and there are several companies who are trying to take advantage of nurses who are just trying to further their knowledge. It shouldn't cost hundreds of dollars every couple of years for education related to our careers. There are some, though few, places which offer free ceu's; however, in our state our ceu's must all be related to a particular goal or subject. So, it's impossible to find free education geared toward a particular topic.

^I whole heartedly agree! :yes:

When I was an LPN, in my state, they're were no CEUs required, however, I took it upon myself to invest in broadening my knowledge. I acquired CEUs on trach/vent patients, to the point I used that to have the privilege to educate nurses on taking care of trach/vent patients.

I am sure there are tons and tons of nurses who do this already, and there are orgs who provide education sessions out there, at least in my neck of the woods.

I think a great approach is to keep up with your practice. One of my semi-retirement plans is to be an educator in some capacity to nurses..

I may want to present at a seminar one day, making sure one get's their CEUs...trust me, I won't be giving out answers! :)

carolinapooh, BSN, RN · Jun 2, 2013

It's all about the money....

Not in every state, though - NC 'requires' a certain number of CEUs every two years (I don't know the number because the USAF requires even more, so I don't sweat it), but they're checked only if you get audited. Freebies from, say, OCN or AACN are perfectly fine.

And @NC29mom, they're not hard to find, really. I haven't paid for a CEU yet.

SpEdtacular, MSN, RN, EMT-P · Jun 3, 2013

I was actually kind of shocked to learn that some states didn't require CEs for nurses. I had to get them when I was a medic so I figured at least a refresher or something?

NC29mom, ASN, LPN, RN · Jun 3, 2013

Not in every state, though - NC 'requires' a certain number of CEUs every two years (I don't know the number because the USAF requires even more, so I don't sweat it), but they're checked only if you get audited. Freebies from, say, OCN or AACN are perfectly fine.
And @NC29mom, they're not hard to find, really. I haven't paid for a CEU yet.

My comment referred to finding free ceu's all geared toward a particular topic. For examples, wounds. As I am sure you know, if from NC, all of our ceu's must be r/t a particular topic/goal. You cant have 2 respiratory, 3 cardiac, 1 wound ceu because they arent related. Maybe if you have a broad goal, its easy. But, personally I have found it difficult to find FREE, TOPIC ORIENTATED, and ACCREDITED ceu's. Maybe you could suggest some sites where the ceu's are free......

allnurses Guide · Jun 3, 2013

I remember when they started requiring CEUs in my state. It was so obviously a plan pushed through by the companies who stood to make big bucks as evidenced by the avalanche of postcards, catalogs and glossy brochures that arrived in my mailbox before the ink was dry on the law.

The thing is that it was considered that a professional would keep their knowledge current as a matter of course, and I feel quite confident that most did. We were also allowed to use our own judgement as to what words should be used to communicate with our patient (scripting would have been laughed at then).

I suppose you can buy into the notion that completing your CEUs = currently educated nurse but just as it was before mandatory CEUs you have your responsible professionals and your people who just barely skate through. You can easily take a course in the Psychosocial Aspects of Basketweaving, or any number of silly fluff courses and finish it in half the time the course is worth.

carolinapooh, BSN, RN · Jun 3, 2013

My comment referred to finding free ceu's all geared toward a particular topic. For examples, wounds. As I am sure you know, if from NC, all of our ceu's must be r/t a particular topic/goal. You cant have 2 respiratory, 3 cardiac, 1 wound ceu because they arent related. Maybe if you have a broad goal, its easy. But, personally I have found it difficult to find FREE, TOPIC ORIENTATED, and ACCREDITED ceu's. Maybe you could suggest some sites where the ceu's are free......

Well, for one, ONS has tons. And you don't have to be a member, either. Medscape has them as well. Google 'Free CEUs nursing' and you get tons of sites to weed through.

You most certainly can submit to the state that those are related. If you have a cardiac patient with a severe decubitus, you'd better know what's up with all three systems and how they interact. I'd bet the state's lost more times on that one than not.

I also think the state is setting themselves up for challenge with the statement below, because a 'specific practice setting' isn't a specialty per se - but hospital-related (hospital is a practice setting), or SNF-related, or home health related, or whatever.

Continuing Competence is the ongoing application of knowledge and the decision-making, psychomotor, and interpersonal skills expected of the licensed nurse within a specific practice setting resulting in nursing care that contributes to the health and welfare of clients served.

I just checked the submission form you send to NCBON when audited. 7.5 CEUs a year and 320 hours of active practice (15 CEUs and 640 hours for each renewal period)? That's a joke IMHO. I have to track and submit 30 hours every 3 years for the military, plus all the other crap they make me do, and training and extra duties and Lord knows what all. I have a filing cabinet at home for copies of all the crap I keep up with for Uncle Sam. Literally.

As far as NCBON is concerned, I can find 15 wound care this time, 15 cardiac next time, 15 pulmonary next time. They're all relevant.

This requirement by the state is a joke and proves absolutely nothing, especially given the ridiculousness of some of the 'accredited and acceptable' CEs I've completed.