Continuing education units (CEUs) exist across many industries, and they are an important annual obligation for every healthcare professional’s career. If you are feeling frustrated by this yearly requirement, remember that they exist for a reason. Continuing education is essential to help nurse practitioners reinforce skills, get updated on medical advancements, and deepen knowledge in specialty areas.
Nurse practitioners can also use continuing education credits for professional growth and career advancement. In this article, we will dive into the ways continuing education can enhance your career and how you can best leverage this requirement for your professional goals.
The many benefits of continuing education requirements
Many nurse practitioners dread having to complete continuing education requirements. It can be stressful to have this extra responsibility on your plate when you already have a jam-packed caseload and no time for self-care at your busy, high-stress job. However, continuing education is an important part of an NP’s career, and it actually has many benefits.
Staying updated on the latest medical trends and research
As NPs, we are used to hearing the phrase ‘evidence-based care’. This means that we treat patients according to the latest research available to us. Medicine is an ever-evolving practice, and as medical researchers continue to compound upon old data and develop better understandings of diseases, it is our job as clinicians to review and implement these findings.
This is one of the hallmarks of continuing education courses. By getting yearly updates on what’s new in your area of expertise, you can continue to provide your patients with the best possible care and build your reputation as a highly trained, competent healthcare provider.
Understanding trends in patient populations
New disease epidemics break out and certain chronic conditions become more or less common. It is essential for nurse practitioners to understand the cultural context in which their patients live, in order to better diagnose conditions and recommend preventive lifestyle changes.
Continuing education courses can help provide this context, for example, explaining which populations are most affected by the opioid epidemic, or what risk factors are most impactful in Type II diabetes prevention. This knowledge helps nurse practitioners better treat patients and understand population health on a community, national, and global scale.
Building on your expertise
Depending on your clinical setting, you might have a specialty area that requires a lot of in-depth knowledge and expertise. As an FNP, you have a great background for all this knowledge, but that doesn’t mean you are done learning. There are always skills to recall, strengthen, and refine. Continuing education units are essential for both retaining skills that may not be a part of your day-to-day practice and deepening complex concepts within your specialty area.
Developing cultural competence
Another area of medicine that is constantly evolving is culturally competent patient care. As society changes, terminology and cultural norms shift, too. Succeeding as a nurse practitioner requires you to stay updated on these cultural trends so you can be respectful and affirming of patients. A continuing education course on diversity, equity, and inclusion, for example, is a great way to make sure you are prepared to treat any patient who walks into your practice.
Related: Practice Ready Package
Using continuing education for professional development
Aside from the clinical knowledge benefits of CE courses, you can also choose classes that provide professional training to help you advance your career. Whatever skill you are hoping to develop, from leadership to business administration, there are undoubtedly CEU courses for NPs available to help you advance your career. Here are three ways that continuing education courses can lead to career development.
Developing leadership skills through CE
As you move up in the NP profession, you may find yourself with new job responsibilities for which you have no prior experience. This may include supervision, management, leadership, business administration, and more. Continuing education is a great way to build competence and confidence in these skills.
You may also seek out CEUs that give you the tools you need to move your career to the next level. For example, you can earn CE credits in a course that teaches you how to negotiate a raise or learn how to become a leader in your community.
Taking initiative to push your career forward
You may choose to prioritize clinical competence in continuing education credits as a younger NP, but it is also wise to consider courses that focus on coding, malpractice prevention, telemedicine techniques, and more. These non-clinical courses may not seem relevant as a new NP, and you may push them off until you work your way up the career ladder more.
However, taking these types of CE courses preemptively can show your superiors that you are a self-starter and that you desire more job responsibility. In this way, continuing education itself can be a valuable tool in your professional growth as a nurse practitioner. Plus, with CE requirements equalling multiple courses, you have the time to complete a mixture of both.
Starting an NP private practice with the help of CE
Finally, if you have dreams of becoming your own boss, you can even use your continued education requirements to learn how to start your own NP practice. From medical billing and coding to legal standards and insurance requirements, there are an overwhelming number of new skills that you will need to develop when you go from working for someone else in a traditional clinical practice to being the boss and starting your own private practice.
Continuing education courses are a great way to fulfill licensing requirements while also training yourself in new knowledge areas that will benefit your career growth and professional aspirations.
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