What Kind Continuing Education Does a Nurse Need?
Nurses are medical professionals who work to ensure that patients receive proper health care. In order to become a nurse, you must graduate from a nursing school or college with a degree in nursing and then pass state licensing exams. In addition, many states also require nurses to complete a certain number of courses each year to retain their state license.
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Continuing Education Requirements
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Continuing education classes are mandated by states to help nurses improve their skills and remain abreast of current developments in the field of medicine. Nurses may choose to meet these requirements in a wide variety of ways. A nurse can take classes in her specialty or she may broaden her field of knowledge and take classes in a different area. For example, a labor and delivery nurse may take continuing education classes that focus on proper pain relief delivery techniques for women in labor with twins. She might also branch out and take classes on how to help diabetics meet their dietary needs. Each type of class is acceptable as a means of fulfilling necessary ongoing educational requirements.
State Requirements
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Continuing nurse education requirements vary greatly by state. Some states, such as Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut and Georgia, do not mandate any form of continuing nursing education. Other states, such as Iowa, Kentucky and Louisiana, mandate completion of a certain number of credits within a time frame such as two years. State requirements can also vary tremendously. New Hampshire officials require nurses to complete 30 contract hours every two years. New York officials mandate only completion of a course on infection control every four years. Nurses who move from one state to another must meet that state's continuing education requirements if they choose to practice there.
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Contract Hours
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A contract hour is a 50-minute period that counts as one hour for continuing education purposes. A continuing education unit usually consists of 10 contract hours. Continuing education units are units of measurement used to determine how many courses a nurse must take in order to meet state mandated educational requirements.
Where Classes are Given
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Continuing education classes can be taken in colleges, schools of nursing or online. Some hospitals and other health facilities provide in-house classes for nurses during the day when it is convenient for them. For online classes, nurses work on their own with the supervision of a virtual instructor. Course fees vary and depend on the location and depth of the material.
Other Types of Continuing Education
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In addition to mandated state requirements, a nurse can complete additional credits on her own. Nurses may earn certifications in a specific field such as pediatrics nursing. They may even choose to attend graduate school in order to become a certified nurse midwife, nurse anesthetist or nurse practitioner.
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