Continuing education in nursing: A 10-year retrospective study of CE offerings presented by the Kentucky Nurses Association

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ABSTRACT

Background: The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate continuing education (CE) offerings presented by the Kentucky Nurses Association during a 10-year period.

Method: Data were collected and analyzed from 37 CE offerings (N = 474 respondents).

Results: Findings revealed that the majority of the respondents reported that the CE offerings were useful, stimulated them to seek further information, and resulted in acquisition of significant knowledge or skills for nursing education or practice. However, fewer than half of the respondents reported they were able to implement changes in nursing education or practice as a result of the CE offerings.

Conclusion: Findings supported the usefulness of CE in nursing education and practice and the need for further research evaluating CE and the correlation between CE and nursing education and practice.

The American Nurses Association (ANA) (1984) defined continuing education (CE) in nursing as:

"...planned educational activities intended to build upon the educational and experiential bases of the professional nurse for the enhancement of practice, education, administration/ research, or theory development to the end of improving the health of the public" (p. 5).

Continuing education in nursing is not a new concept. It dates back to the 1800s with Florence Nightingale, as the need for life-long learning was identified (Ellis & Hartley, 1998; Seymer, 1960; Sinclair, 1998; York, 1998). More than half of the state boards of nursing in the United States, including Kentucky, require CE for licensure renewal (Macklin & Matthews, 1998).

Nurses are faced with the challenges of an explosion of new information, an ever-changing health care environment, increased accountability, and increasing emphasis on effectiveness and demonstration of competency-based nursing practice (Korniewicz & Palmer, 1997; Macldin & Matthews, 1998; Parsley, 1998; York, 1998). Nurses need to take a proactive approach in meeting the exciting challenges in nursing (Parsley, 1998). Sinclair (1998) stated that nurses should not engage in CE just to maintain licensure, but to prepare for change and to maintain quality in a dynamic profession. According to Macklin and Matthews (1998):

Just as RNs strive to empower clients to make informed health care choices, they must empower themselves to make informed choices in their own education (p. 60).

Evaluation of the effectiveness of CE offerings is an essential component of CE...