Analysing mandatory continuing education
Intended for healthcare professionals
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Analysing mandatory continuing education

Arthur Brennan , Currently a student tutor at the University of Surrey

Of all the contentious issues surrounding the U nited Kingdom Central Council's continuing education proposals, the introduction of mandatory continuing education is perhaps the most controversial. This article sets out the issues surrounding it, including the postulated infringement of the voluntary principles of adult education, the effect it has on the learning process, and the possibility of it leading to uniform and inferior learning. The main issue, however, is whether mandatory continuing education achieves its objective of enabling staff to improve their practice. More research is required, the author argues, before this crucial question can be answered

The proposal for mandatory continuing education in the form of five study days every three years for every nurse practitioner is perhaps one of the most controversial recommendations of the Post-registration Education and Practice (PREP) Report (1). It would appear that the main motivating factor for including Recommendation 5 in the report may have been to act as a safeguard against professional obsolescence and incompetence among those who subscribe to the view that basic nurse education has fully prepared them for a lifetime of practice. Indeed, Jarvis (2) argues that continuing education is essential to good practice and basic professional education is no longer sufficient for a lifetime of safe practice. Elsewhere, Barker (3) has suggested that professional knowledge has a half-life of about 2.5 years before it becomes outmoded or obsolete.

Nursing Standard. 6, 42, 29-32. doi: 10.7748/ns.6.42.29.s43

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