The profession of nurses requires a surefooted education foundation. Despite earning bachelor’s or advanced degree and passing all the required certificate exams, a nurse still requires to complete some form of continuing education every two or three years either for license renewal or to fulfill the specific requirements of specialty certifications like medical-surgical, critical care, neonatal, etc. Before, we proceed to explain the importance of continuing education for nurses. Let’s briefly discuss the meaning of continuing education for nurses. Like many other professions, nurses are also required to continue to develop their skills by updating their knowledge. CNE (continuing nursing education) refers to the course specifically for nursing professionals. Other terms used for continuing education are CEUS (continuing Education units) also known as CEC (continuing education credits) these terms reflect the time invested in participating in educational courses or approved activities. One CEU equals 10 hours of instruction. The hours of instruction are called contact hours. Further, contact hour refers to the time spent by an individual during a course. One contact hour equals 50-60 minutes of class.

Importance of continuing education for nurses in 2019

• Keeps knowledge updated and introduce to new techniques to provide nursing care- Continuing education for nurses is important to keep them in the loop with the medical advancement and new research. Knowledge is an important tool which every nurse must hold in order to provide better care to patients with the latest techniques and innovation. Continuing education focuses on updating the knowledge of nurses which is very important for this profession.
• Provides broader career opportunities- continuing education opens the gate for broader career opportunities for nurses. An extra qualification or degree brings opportunities to move into specialty careers or it also offers to be a nurse practitioner as part of family practice.
• Improves decision making under critical circumstances- Nurses undergoing continuing education every two or three years likely to develop and improve fast and accurate decision-making skills under critical circumstances. These improved decision making and critical care skills enable them to fill in for senior nursing position like Nurse Unit Manager, Clinical Nurse Specialist or Director of nurses. A right and prompt decision on time can save the life of a patient. It’s the most important reason for a nurse to opt for continuing education courses.
• Many states make it mandatory to acquire CE certification- some states make it mandatory for nurses to go for CE hours in order to get their license renewal. Nurses are required to complete a certain number of hours in specific or open courses to get their license renewed.
• It minimizes legal risks- It’s very important for nurses to stay up-to-date. Any lapse on their part can have serious implications. Continuing nursing education help them keep their practice current and minimize the risk of potential legal ramification.
• Better prospects of payment- Many organization take into consideration the continuing nursing education while doing performance evaluation and appraisal process. In order to make themselves eligible for better payment and appreciation from management, it is very important for nurses to take continuing nursing courses in every two or three years.
• Professional validation- continuing nursing education is the best tool to validate a nurse’s clinical competence and education required by many employers. They make it mandatory for nurses to complete specific courses.

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