continuing ed

Track and trend key indicators of how education meets patient safety goals (such as knowledge of new meds, bioterrorism, new procedures, etc). When you show people WHY they need to know something to protect their license or their patient it becomes more meaningful. Go the the state level of ANA and push for a bill to make CE mandatory. THat will help. If the tracking shows that the facility is at risk then the facility ought to cover the expense. We found that having certifications and other education (ACLS for instance) actually REDUCED our malpractice insurance for the facility. A great incentive. You have to make the topic meaningful. For instance, I did a pre-test on Symlin (diabetic drug) and found that most nurses were not aware the injectable is measured in Micrograms, not units like insulin. This could be a big risk for the nurse who doses wrong, but is also a risk to the hospital.