In order to be a registered as a nurse or be licensed as a practical nurse, fulfillment of continuing education is required for the success in nursing. These requirements vary from one state to another with other states requiring the students to fulfill two years of continuing education for successful nursing credit. However, there is a mixed reaction among the nurses in the profession as they often disagree based on the Pros and Cons of continuing mandatory nursing education. This raises concerns as to whether continuing education among the nurses should be mandatory.
The pros associated with the issue include acquisition of new knowledge in the field due to mandatory education. With the changes in technologies used in patient care, medical breakthroughs involving use of sophisticated equipment is encouraged to curb the threat of emerging diseases in the health care sector. This heavily relies on innovations in order to keep up and as such, continuing education is mandatory to promote competence and ensure latest findings.
Continuing education also improves the patients’ physical conditions. Education acquired during these sessions whether through videos watched, journals taken or clinical trials help improve the patients outcome in the long run hence help promote the ultimate goals of the faculty.
Continuing education also help promote professionalism as the practice in the professional world is ever changing and validation the changes through research and other related studies is usually encouraged. Learning therefore is enhanced through the continuation of the course in different levels. Likewise, by attending classes and visiting different articles, students make contacts with different professionals in the field in the nursing community who remain resourceful in the field to help them with relevant guidance hence improving the practice.
However, despite these crystal clear on the importance of continuing education in nursing, the decision still experiences some resistance. Therefore the cons for the action includes but not limited to the cost of the study. Majority argue that education has been expensive, from paying expensive to attending nursing or conference. In addition, purchasing the equipment required for the practical and study guidance remains high thereby raising eyebrows among the stakeholders in the field. It is also super expensive to implement the changes required for training.
Likewise, in order to establish the facilities required for the study, adequate preparation is required. Similar argument is raised to the fact that implementing change may be time consuming and so is the time e required for the students to complete the required credit hours and this means lost time away from patients who may sometimes be in critical conditions. As such, concerned parties argue that it may not be worth it.
Irrespective of the learning offered, individuals are not guaranteed competence in the field. Individual nurses may learn but they may not get the necessary knowledge that may sometimes come through experience so putting the student nurses in further learning may not be an assurance of knowledge relevant for the successful competence in the field. With these arguments provided for and against the practice, we wonder if there is really benefit to this practice. Because people can attend further education does not guarantee knowledge and better practice in the field of nursing.
Works Cited
Jeniffer Ward (2013). The Pros and Cons of Nursing CE.
Sara Meier, (2011) Should Continuing education and Training (CE/T)be Mandatory?
