A word to the wise about CEU's

Published

Specializes in Home Health.

Just a note to alert you to be careful when taking CEU courses required to maintiain your license. Our company uses Care2Learn and we were required to complete approximately 30 courses. We were told that they would be accepted by the Board of Nursing and would meet our requirements.

Our nursing board audited my CEU's for 2012 and I received a letter from them stating that all of the courses taken are not acceptable for licensure. I spoke to the Carea2Learn help desk and they reinforced what the board said and instructed me on how to search for courses on their site that would be valid for the state I am licensed in.

I only had 3 ceu's that were acceptable by the board and required a total of 10. Fortunately I was given the opportunity to complete and submit 10 ceu's, but I was told that I would be getting a letter of reprimand without and action taken on my license.

Please make sure any course you take is a valid one. Don't get caught up in this mess.

Thanks

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Dialysis.

So glad Tennessee does not require this foolishness. I have practiced in two other states that did require CEU's and the nurses didn't seem any more competent for having taken them. Instead there were alot of classes offered like "The psychosocial implications of basket weaving". I would much prefer to have a nurse that is ACLS qualified and CCRN certified.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
So glad Tennessee does not require this foolishness.

*** Same here in Wisconsin.

I have practiced in two other states that did require CEU's and the nurses didn't seem any more competent for having taken them. Instead there were alot of classes offered like "The psychosocial implications of basket weaving". I would much prefer to have a nurse that is ACLS qualified and CCRN certified.

*** THIS! Well said.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

It's all about the money....

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

I'm more inclined to go through the BON first, as well as do more CEUs by going to seminars at local hospitals. I missed the one in my area about rehabilitation nursing. This conference is known by the state; I worked with some of the physicians when I worked at a rehab hospital that are a few of the presenters.

Look around for seminars that local and area hospitals have, as well as local colleges. I usually go for the ones that list "fulfills the required CEU's"

The state I practice in is more strict in requiring you to get CEU's that are more practicum and theory than just strictly online.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Home Health.
It's all about the money....

Esme, you are so right. The letter the board of nursing sent me contained a list of CEU providers and not one of them offers free CEU's. Medscape.com is an awesome resource site that offers free CEU's to all disciplines. I have to write a letter back to the board of nursing about plans I have to make sure this doesn't happen again. What is this, Kindergarden? I am 63 years old and have been a nurse for 27 years. They asked for it and I am going to give it to them, as I am going to include resources that offer free CEU's to nurses and let them know that in the past 18 years my salary did nothing but decrease over time and certainly this has happened to other nurses. BTW 17 years ago the cap for nurses at the hospital I worked at was $21.00/hr; that was my hourly rate 17 years ago when I transferred to a different city (husband's job transferred) and at that time my salary dropped by $3.00/hr (only $3.00 more than I made as a new graduate our of nursing school. It's a racket!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Home Health.
I'm more inclined to go through the BON first, as well as do more CEUs by going to seminars at local hospitals. I missed the one in my area about rehabilitation nursing. This conference is known by the state; I worked with some of the physicians when I worked at a rehab hospital that are a few of the presenters.

Look around for seminars that local and area hospitals have, as well as local colleges. I usually go for the ones that list "fulfills the required CEU's"

The state I practice in is more strict in requiring you to get CEU's that are more practicum and theory than just strictly online.

The seminars you mention are in great quantity in my area, but I am not going to pay $75 to $150 to attend. Companies I have worked for do not reimburse this and I already pay about $100 for license renewal.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

The seminars you mention are in great quantity in my area, but I am not going to pay $75 to $150 to attend. Companies I have worked for do not reimburse this and I already pay about $100 for license renewal.

^That's the rub, true...the one I am taking about is free and worth 10 CEU's in my area. I am fortunate to find one's that are low-cost, hosted by the orgs I work for, and be able to look for those, especially like Medscape, which are free.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Medical Surgical & Nursing Manaagement.

Before I complete any CEUs, I check who is sponsoring the credits. As previous stated Medscape is a good source. Their CEUS are offered through ANCC the MAGNET certifying agency so I know their credits will be acceptable to my state and my instutituion.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ED, Telemetry,Hospice, ICU, Supervisor.

Its all a big scam.

When I was a CPT, my state required I take CEUs. The company you went through gave you the correct answers to the questions to ensure you passed. This was after they charged you of course.

In my eyes CEUs are just another scam.

The big question is, How do I get in on it.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ED, Informatics, Clinical Analyst.

I go to nursingcenter.com and sign up for the CE saver. It costs about 35 dollars for a 1 year subscription and you have plenty of CEs to choose from; most if not all are ANCC approved. Nurse.com has a similar offering and from what I understand has each state's required CE courses too. Both usually have free courses available as well but these and the subscription ones are usually between 1-3 CEs.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Hospice, Geriatrics, Wounds.

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.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion