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Exploring the efficacy of continuing education mandates.
1National Council of State Boards of Nursing, 111 E. Wacker Drive, Suite 2900, Chicago, IL 60601, USA. jsmith@ncsbn.org
JONA'S Healthcare Law, Ethics and Regulation
|June 23, 2004
Summary
Mandatory continuing education (CE) for nurses does not appear to enhance professional competence. Nurses, regardless of mandates, attend CE, but mandated nurses take more irrelevant courses.
Area of Science:
- Nursing Education
- Professional Competence Assessment
Background:
- Nursing boards aim to protect the public by ensuring nurse competence.
- Mandatory continuing education (CE) is used by some boards to ensure ongoing competence.
- The effectiveness of CE in improving nurse competencies is debated due to a lack of established links.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between mandatory continuing education (CE) for relicensure and the development of professional competence in nurses.
Main Methods:
- A survey was distributed to 4000 randomly selected nurses, comprising 2000 licensed practical/vocational nurses (LPN/VNs) and 2000 registered nurses (RNs).
Main Results:
- Nurses identified work experience, foundational education, and mentorship as more impactful for professional development than CE.
- Nurses with CE mandates showed no greater professional growth or total CE accumulation compared to those without mandates.
- Mandated nurses reported attending more work-unrelated CE and were more inclined to use correspondence courses.
Conclusions:
- Nurses participate in continuing education (CE) irrespective of whether it is mandated for relicensure.