Learning does not stop after getting your degree and passing the board exams. Advances in the healthcare industry, as well as new challenges, demand that nurses should continue to update their knowledge and skills.
Most states oblige nurses to take up continuing education units (CEUS). You cannot practice your profession if you did not get the required number of units for a specified period. But you could not pick and choose the course that you attend. For instance, Diabetes CEUS for nurses should become approved by a regulatory body.
Diabetes continues to be a problem, not just of the United States, but most countries in the world. In America, it is the seventh top killer as it was responsible for nearly 80,000 deaths in 2015.
If your state does not require CEUS, the different nursing associations may ask you to earn some units as a requirement for the membership. Among the most prominent groups in the United States are the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and the American Academy of Nursing. Each specialization also has its respective association.
Among the states that do not require continuing education are Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Mississippi, and Missouri.
If CEUS is required in your state, you will typically follow the course outline by the regulatory agency. Once you finish the minimum hours set by the state, you can then choose the training and conferences you want to attend.
How Much Credit is One CEU?
When you attend Diabetes CEUS for nurses, how many numbers of hours will be credited to the required continuing education units?
Typically, the coursework will specify the number of credits you earn for the CEU. The standard CEU is equivalent to ten hours of instruction. But you can also find courses that will give you 0.5 CEU or about five hours of learning.
Courses can either be classroom-setting or online. In an online course, you download the material and learn at your own pace. However, at the end of the course, you will be evaluated to determine how much you have absorbed.
But what will you learn?
You will study different topics depending on the course curriculum. For the management of diabetes, for instance, you will learn:
1. The risks of psychotropic medications and its benefits
2. How to assess the gravity of the side effects when it comes to psychopharmacology
3. Identify and craft strategies that will enhance patient care
4. How to use the information to persuade the patient into considering the benefits of pharmacological treatment
5. How to encourage the patient into sustained psychotropic drugs to manage the disease
If continuing education is mandatory in your state, you need to earn the units for a specified period. For instance, in Florida, you need to finish 24 contact hours of CEUS in 24 months. The topics include the laws and rules in Florida, HIV/AIDS, domestic violence, and others. In North Carolina, you need 15 contact hours of CEUS, along with 640 hours of practice every two years. California does not require nurses to learn particular topics, but they need to complete 30 hours of education every two years.