A university challenge: responding to continuing professional education and development needs

Educational institutions have a pivotal role in identifying and responding to emerging health human resource needs. However, the educational context for pre-registration qualification is not the same as that required for continuing professional education. This short paper suggests that a structured framework similar to that proposed by Tzountzouris and Gilbert for strategic analysis be applied to encourage universities to be more responsive in their post-registration education of healthcare professionals. Further, it proposes that universities set a goal of becoming learning organizations and encourage staff to challenge their thinking and adaptability to meet the needs of employers.