Experience with mandatory continuing education in a teaching hospital

Mandatory continuing education (MCE) has the potential to create unwilling learners who, if given a choice, may not participate in continuing education programs. Participants of two MCE programs conducted at a large teaching hospital responded to a survey assessing their perception of and attitudes toward MCE and their perceptions of program effectiveness. Results of the study indicated that mandating the programs did have adverse effects on participants' perceived outcomes and on the likelihood of their voluntarily attending future programs. Descriptions of the two programs, design and results of the study, and suggestions on how to approach mandatory programming are presented.