Courses keep health professionals on top of an ever-changing industry

Healthcare is a field that is constantly changing, which makes it essential for health professionals to continually update their skills. One of the best ways to do that is through continuing education. Most health professionals can earn continuing education credits from vendors, professional associations and sometimes their local union. The national union, AFT Healthcare, is an accredited provider of continuing education for nurses through the American Nurses Credentialing Center. In addition, continuing education credits are available online or through self-study in professional journals.

“There is no lack of learning opportunities out there and it is very empowering professionally,” says Nancy Morookian, a home health nurse and a member of the Rhode Island Federation of Visiting Nurses. “Formal education allows us to network with each other, collaborate on research, and inform each other about the resources available. As the world is ever-changing, so is the profession of nursing. It is our responsibility to keep up with these changes as best as we can. It is daunting; whatever assistance we can get is helpful.” That’s why it is critical that healthcare providers recognize the importance of education and offer enhancements to facilitate education, says Morookian.

No uniform requirements

Many health professions require continuing education for re-licensure in order to ensure quality and competence. Such requirements, however, vary from state to state. Some state boards call for additional continuing education credits, while others mandate a certain number of clinical practice hours.

Currently, 25 states mandate continuing education for registered nurses to renew their licenses, including Morookian’s home state of Rhode Island, where nurses must have at least 10 continuing education credits every two years to maintain their licenses. Among those states mandating clinical practice hours, the number of hours required varies, averaging 30 hours over two years. State licensing boards for allied professionals also are seeking ways to measure competence in their practitioners. For example, at least 28 states require continuing education for their radiology technicians.

Nurses who are part of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing’s (NCSBN) interstate compact—known as the Nurse Licensure Compact—must follow the requirements of their state of residency. The compact allows a nurse to have one license (in the nurse’s state of residency) and to practice in other states. “Until we have more uniform requirements, nurses must comply with the rules of their state of licensure” when it comes to continuing education, says Vicki Sheets, NCSBN director of practice and regulation.

Making it mandatory

Pennsylvania recently passed legislation requiring nurses to take at least 30 continuing education credits in order to renew their licenses every two years. Public health nurse Linda Dunn believes this new requirement is doable for nurses.

“Continuing your education takes highly motivated individuals,” says Dunn, who is a member of the Bucks County Nurses Association, Healthcare PSEA. To stay up on her profession, Dunn reads journals, and attends conferences and seminars. She has noticed that her local has begun to offer classes as well.

Dunn is pleased to have a mandate. “It’s easier not to stay up to date,” she says. “Daily experience is priceless. But continuing education credits are essential too. There has to be a system in place to keep nurses pursuing knowledge,” she says.

New Jersey also recently mandated that nurses get 30 continuing education credits every two years in order to renew their licenses. While the AFT Healthcare New Jersey affiliate, Health Professionals and Allied Employees (HPAE), has offered continuing education credits for years, it now faces a larger challenge in creating courses that are relevant not just to nurses, but also to its allied professionals, says Bernie Gerard, vice president of HPAE.

In order to provide continuing education credits to health professionals who are not in nursing, HPAE is working with allied health organizations to develop courses that will meet the standards for continuing education and will be recognized with credit hours.

HPAE creates course offerings by soliciting suggestions from members and provides them at its professional issues conference or through workshops. Recently, HPAE’s education task force, made up of staff and interested members, began offering “education days.” These days focus on specific professional issues, such as HIPPA, along with union education. The union has four education days planned for this year and hopes to offer six education days next year.

“We are meeting the needs of our members, who require continuing education credits for re-licensure,” says Gerard.

Benefits and barriers

While the benefits of continuing education seem clear, health professionals cite barriers such as not being allowed time off to attend and prohibitive costs.

“Time constraints are a problem for most nurses—for most professionals, time is a major factor,” says home health nurse Morookian. “Ultimately it is our responsibility—moral obligation—to continue our education. You are acquiring knowledge, and your patients benefit.”

In spite of the obstacles, nurses attend continuing education classes even when they are not mandated to, according to a 2003 NCSBN study. “Nurses in states that mandate continuing education are no different from nurses in states that do not,” says Nancy Spector, director of research for NCSBN.

Nancy Amistad-Hite, a home health nurse for Kaiser Sunnyside Hospital in Clackamas, Ore., takes a number of continuing education courses each year, even though there is no mandate in Oregon. “I still work in the hospital, and critical care continuing education credits keep my skills up-to-date,” says Amistad-Hite. She also earned OASIS certification, although it is not required, because she felt it would enhance her skills as a home health nurse. “The courses are refreshing. They give you new ideas and a new perspective,” she says.

Unfortunately, she often finds that her work schedule clashes with class schedules, which may last two to three days. “The hospital encourages learning, but the reality is that it’s difficult. Time off is precious,” says Amistad-Hite, a member of the Oregon Nurses and Health Professionals, Local 5017.

Her union contract provides three education days a year and a $200 reimbursement for continuing education courses. “I usually end up spending my own money to take courses,” says Amistad-Hite.

“Work experience is incredibly important, but taking courses makes me feel like a new nurse.”

Monica Perry, a telemetry nurse at Danbury Hospital in Connecticut and a member of the Danbury Hospital Professional Nurses Association, Local 5047, believes in continuing education as well. “I am always looking for ways to increase my knowledge,” says Perry, who has been a registered nurse for three years. She regularly attends seminars and reads journal articles for continuing education credits. Connecticut is another state that does not mandate continuing education for its nurses.

“Day-to-day experience helps me to learn as I go, but in the day-to-day you tend to forget who you are,” says Perry. As for continuing education: “Being surrounded by people who live for their profession is empowering. You come to work feeling great. Taking courses keeps you up on what’s happening in the profession and increases your knowledge and confidence.”

“Of course everyone is busy, but it’s important to take time out to attend classes. The more you know the better. Learn what you can so you can take it with you,” says Cynthia McDaniel. McDaniel is a home health nurse for Jewish Home Life Care Systems in New York City; she is also the chapter leader of her union local, which is a part of the Federation of Nurses, UFT. Her union negotiated with the agency to pay for registration at conferences offering workshops with continuing education credits.

While New York requires McDaniel to take courses on infection control and child abuse in order to renew her nursing license, she believes her state should require more continuing education. “Continuing education courses are helpful because healthcare practice, technology and law are always changing,” she says. McDaniel often takes advantage of the courses offered by her union during conferences, and attends the national conference offered annually by AFT Healthcare. While she has access to free courses online, she prefers a classroom setting where she can see and hear the speaker and ask questions.

As a lab technologist and pathology assistant at Meadowlands Hospital Medical Center in Secaucus, N.J., Andre Saiville is not required to pursue continuing education, but for his own benefit, he often takes courses offered by HPAE on workplace safety and other useful subjects. Although the courses “don’t count toward anything, they do add to my knowledge, and they are very helpful to me in the lab,” says Saiville, a member of HPAE, Local 5147.

“Learning through our experience at work is not enough,” says registered nurse Carmen Manibo. “We owe it to our patients, our profession and ourselves to keep abreast of all the new technologies and changes going on in the medical field. Continuing education is the best way to prevent stagnation in our profession,” says Manibo, who is president of Christ Hospital, HPAE Local 5186, in Jersey City, N.J.

“As nurses, every day is an opportunity for us to be learners and teachers. Whether you are a neophyte or an old-timer, there is always room for improvement.”