How do you track CEs?

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Hi guys!

Just curious, how is everyone tracking how many CE courses completed, from where, how much money spent etc.?

Do you use any tools to track CEs?

Much appreciate your thoughts!

Ram

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

I use an Excel spread sheet. The columns include the date, the title, the provider, the approval body, the number of CEs granted, and the cost. I do a new sheet for each license renewal period. I also have to enter the information into the CCI transcript for my certification tracking. I also save and file my certificates. Haven't been audited, but I follow the Boy Scout motto of be prepared.

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

I don't pay for CEUs my employer offers for free. The online management system keeps track. I keep a digital file of certificates. If you start early you don't need to pay n

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I don't pay for CEUs my employer offers for free. The online management system keeps track. I keep a digital file of certificates. If you start early you don't need to pay n

JustBeachyNurse, I am curious about the online management system you are referring to.

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I use an Excel spread sheet. The columns include the date, the title, the provider, the approval body, the number of CEs granted, and the cost. I do a new sheet for each license renewal period. I also have to enter the information into the CCI transcript for my certification tracking. I also save and file my certificates. Haven't been audited, but I follow the Boy Scout motto of be prepared.

Rose_Queen, so every time after CE course you update the file? How do you save certificates then?

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
Rose_Queen, so every time after CE course you update the file? How do you save certificates then?

Sometimes right away, or sometimes I'll wait if I have several planned to do at once. I keep a hard copy of my certificates (the ones I get at work are only hard copy) plus have access to PDF files of the certificates through the two sites I use online: CEDirect and AORN.

JBN, you're lucky your work provides free CEs. Mine does, but unfortunately not enough of the type I need for my certification.

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.
JustBeachyNurse, I am curious about the online management system you are referring to.

It's proprietary. Based on your original user name I don't feel comfortable revealing details. Sites like medscape and CE direct offer free CEUs and track the courses as well as completion certificates

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Thanks JustBeachyNurse.

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Specializes in Emergency, Trauma, Critical Care.

When I worked for one hospital system everything was kept tract of for me. Their nurse education site had a page I could print with all my ceus, their cert # and title of class. It made things so easy. I miss it still.

Now I have a folder in my filing cabinet where everything goes. The other thing I keep a log through the been site because eventually I'll have to renew my CEN and the log saves and keeps running tab of all these courses. Usually by the time I've updated my acls, pals, TNCC and whatever other random course my job requires each year I've more than met my cra requirement for my RN. It's the 100 of ceus for my CEN renewal that gets me. :p

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Specializes in Pedi.

I have a folder with hard copy of my certificates and Medscape.org tracks the ones I do online there. I never pay for CEUs, there are plenty of free ones out there.

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So far I have never had to pay for any. I do 99% of them on Medscape which tracks them for me. Then my local medical school offers a few a year if I need them. If I use the medical school for them I save the certificates in a drawer in my filing cabinet. It is pretty simple, but I wouldn't wait until the last minute.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

I keep the hard copies in a folder in a file drawer -- old fashioned -- but cheap and easy. And it means I preserve the hard copies in case I ever get audited and need proof of attendance.

My employer also has an online system that tracks anything done at the hospital, but I just use that as a back-up as it doesn't include all the details from the hard copy certificates. I don't bother to manually enter things I do outside the hospital.

Also, since I am certified from ANCC and need CE's to renew every 5 years ... I try to go to the ANCC website once per year and update my electronic file there so that have to enter 5 year's worth at renewal time. (Plus, the ANCC entry serves as a back-up storage site.)

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