Pros and Cons of

mandatory Continuing
Nursing Education
Names
Course
Date
Introduction

• Is it necessary to have mandatory continuing nursing education for

nurses?
• Pros and cons on:
1. Impact on competency
2. Impact on knowledge and attitudes
3. Relationship to professional certification
4. Relationship to ANA Scope and Standards of practice
5. Relationship to ANA code of Ethics.
Impact on Competency

• Pros
• Ability in reflecting in one’s practice
• Ability in determining learning needs
• Increases one’s efficiency search for educative resources.
• Improves in one’s management of skills including effective use of resources
and evidence.
• Ability in evaluating one’s competencies and comprehensive interpretation
of internal and external feedback.
Impact on Competency

• Cons
• Leads to increased shortage of healthcare staff.
• There are rapid changes in the nursing field due to high number of
researches.
• Reduced funds especially in CE development programs which affects
education institutions.
• There is no clear relationship between continuing education and the
outcome of the patient health, the required systems and the needs for the
practitioners.
Impact on Knowledge and Attitudes.

• Pros
• Increase in knowledge and competencies on new advancements
• Updated treatments methods and caring plans
• One becomes certified in specific areas
• There is personal sense of achievements
• Increased opportunities when one advances
• One becomes resourceful to others through concentration
Impact on Knowledge and Attitudes

• Cons
• It is not easy to learn since it requires much effort and dedication.
• It is time consuming
• Limited task and opportunities to learn.
• The actions does not directly translate to better practice
• It is highly expensive.
Impact of Professional Certification

• Pros
• Continues education learning results to career development and skills which
leads to better patient care ( Rauen & Katz-Brock, 2014)
• Can lead to one’s increase in self-confidence which improves competence
(Fights, 2015)
• There is increased number in career opportunities and advancements (ANSS,
N.D)
• Nursing managers are more likely to hire specialized nurses since they are
more adept and thus can handle complex issues (Fights, 2015)
Impact on Professional Certification

• Cons (American Nurses Credentialing Center, n.d.)

• It is costly in terms of finances which includes;
• The exams fees
• The association fees
• The tuition fees
• The labor intensity which is
• Time consuming while learning the material.
Relationship to ANA Scope and Standards of
Practice

• Pros
• Increase in professional competencies (ANA, 2010)
• It motivates others to continue with the education.
• The quality of skills increases which leads to better care of the
patient.
• Results in improved health in both patients and the society
• Boosts networking among nurses
Relationship to ANA scope and Standards of
Practice

• Cons
• It is expensive to implement
• It is time consuming
• Majority of the professionals resist on the mandatory requirement of
continuing education.
• It is hard to measure the outcome of patiensts based on continuing
education.
Relationship to ANA Code of Ethics

• Pros
• Improvement in integrity
• Increase in trust in all stakeholder involved including employers and
patients
• Personal development and career growth
• Safety in provision of health care
• Can result in increased in advocacy in human rights
Relationship to ANA Code of Ethics

• Cons
• Compromised research due to limited time and pressure from supervisors
• People might decide to continue with the education just for the sake of the
system
Should continue nursing education therefore
be mandatory?

• The medical field is very critical and everything changes rapidly.

What worked yesterday might not work today and tomorrow.
Therefore, the continuing education for nurses should be
mandatory.
• Research shows that increase in education minimizes the
occurrence of errors and increase in competencies (ANA).
 References

• American Nurses Association. (2010). Nursing: Scope and standards of

practice. Nursesbooks. org.
• American Nurses Credentialing Center. (n.d.). ANCC certification
benefits. Retrieved from
http://www.nursecredentialing.org/Documents/Certification/ANCCCerti
ficationBenefits.html
• Fights, S. D. (2015). Reap the benefits of certification. Journal of
Trauma Nursing, 22(1), 3-4.
• Rauen, C., & Brock, E. K. (2014). Benefit versus burden: Should
advanced practice nurses maintain clinical certifications?. Critical care
nurse, 34(4), 80-84.