Professional development options vary significantly across careers, and continuing education remains an ongoing requirement for both traveling nurses and those in permanent positions. While nursing careers are built on a strong educational foundation, to stay current and up-to-date on the newest practices and procedures, nurses must participate in continuing education courses. Let’s dive into what continuing education looks like for nurses and how your medical staffing agency can assist you with your online nursing courses and credits.
What’s the difference between a CE, CME, and CEU?
Three acronyms pop up when you search for nursing continuing education, which are CE, CNE, and CEUs. To clarify, CE, or Continuing Education, is the general umbrella term that is usually required of most professional positions. CNE, standing for Continuing Nursing Education, is specific to the field of nursing, and CEUs are Continuing Education Units (sometimes called credits). One CEU is equal to 10 “contact hours” of instruction; while a “contact hour” is either 50 or 60 minutes long, dependent upon the state. Be sure to check your specific state’s nurse CE requirements, as each state board sets different standards for continuing education.
Why Should Nurses Get Continuing Education Credits?
While we understand time is a precious commodity for nurses, there are a lot of benefits to taking part in continuing education courses. If you complete enough classes, you could enhance your credentials, which comes along with the potential for a salary increase. You can also choose to continue your education by focusing on a specialty—when you earn a specialty certification, you can showcase your skills in that particular focus area. It’s also important to ensure you’re keeping up with your continuing education requirements to keep your license current, even if you aren’t currently working in the field. CEUs are required for renewal and reactivation of licensing, and the following states require CEUs to be eligible for initial licensing: Alabama, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, and South Carolina.
How Can My Medical Staffing Agency Help?
You might think that it would be challenging to work on your continuing education courses while on the road as a traveling nurse, but with so many online CEU courses available to nurses and allied health professionals now, finding the best fit for you is a breeze. Plus, when you work with a medical staffing agency like CoreMedical Group, you get access to CEUs at no extra cost! Along with a comprehensive benefits package for travel nurses, Core provides free online CEUs through CEDirect. Courses are available in a variety of subjects and topics including ambulatory care, home health, neonatal, trauma care, and everything in between, and can quickly be completed online, leaving you time to explore your next destination.
