Continuing Nursing Education Essay

Programming of a professional course in nursing is joint responsibility of the director of continuing nursing education & the Dean of school of nursing. Formal channels of communication make the optimal use of the nursing faculty to explore the needs of continuing nursing education. Faculty involvement & provision of advisory committee is highly desirable. To assess the effectiveness of the programme. To what extent pre-set goals have been achieved. To assess the applicability of training in the field. For quality control or qualitative improvement. Procedure for evaluation: Pre-test & post-test. Attitude tests. Observation of skills. Questionnaire. Audio or video tapes. National Literacy Mission (1988): To impart functional literacy to non-literates of 15-35 yrs of age group. Program of action on NPE is given by the Ministry of Human Resource Development; Government of India . According to NPE, Adult Education can be successfully implemented by involving continuing education. The Janshikshan Sansthan is established for clusters of villages with the facilities of library, reading rooms, charcha mandal, community TV set & radio to encourage sub serving the objectives of education. However, continuing education goes beyond post literacy therefore still it is one of the important objectives to be achieved. In-service education is a planned instructional or training program provided by an employing agency in employment setting and is designed to increase competence in a specific area. COMPONENTS : –  Orientation skill training programme. Continuing education programme. Leadership training. Management skills development. Staff development programme. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing (JCEN). Continuing Education & self-assessment of knowledge of nurse leaders :- Andreja Kvas , M.Sc , B.Sc , RN. (DOI:- June 10, 2013; 10.3928/00220124). Neeraja K.P, Textbook of Nursing Education (2003): New Delhi: Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers. Abbatt FB, MEJIA A, Continuing Education of Health Workers, A Workshop Manual, (Geneva) World Health Organization. Satija BR, Trends in Education(2003), New Delhi, Anmol Publishers. Continuing education of health workers includes the experiences after initial training which help health care personnel to maintain and improve existing, and acquire new competencies relevant to the performance of their responsibilities. Appropriate continuing education should reflect community needs in health and lead to planned improvements in the health of the community†. Unified Approach Relationships with other systems Comprehensiveness Accessibility for woman health workers Integration with the management process Analysis of needs as a basis for learning continuity Internally coordinated Relevance in planning Credibility and economic Appropriateness in implementation Safe and effective nursing care. Meet the need of the population. Update  the knowledge. Career advancement. Acquire specialized skills of personnel and meet technologic adjuncts. Prepare in administrative and leadership positions. Shape their own destiny. To meet the health needs and public expectations. To develop the practicing abilities of the nurse. Recruitment function. Recognize gaps in their knowledge. To improve the communication between the participants, faculty, community, and health sector. To test the participants ability to do formal academic study. To shape or support university educational policies and practices. To ensure the quality of education. To grant budget for extension studies. To maintain academic standards. To meet educational requirements. Nurse`s philosophy of life, nursing and education, belief, etc. will influence the philosophy of continuing nursing education. It focuses on individual learner. The thoughtful teacher recognizes that one`s philosophy of education is always an emerging one, rather than a static one. Learning must be a continuous process throughout the lifespan, not limited to formal courses of study. Nursing is based on knowledge of the physical and psychological functioning of man within his environment, expanding the knowledge related to man and his dynamic, proliferating fields of operation is of concern. Learner Teacher/ Educator Guide and counselor to the learner. An arranger and organizer of learning experiences. Motivator and an encourager of students. Evaluator of programmes. Involving resources experts for teaching the students. Providing instructional materials. Select and evaluate materials prepared by others. Administrative role (planning, directing, budgeting and evaluation). Public relations role to change the image of nursing and in recognizing the contributions and potentials of nurses. Master`s degree in his area of nursing expertise or with a doctorate in adult education. Credentials with more publications. Writing and organizing skills. A continuing learner. Clinical expertisedness . Depth of nursing knowledge and skill in its application. Interest in the subject, enthusiasm in teaching. Skill in working with adult learners. Adequate knowledge about teaching skills and methods of teaching. Broad base knowledge. Concern for people. Flexibility. Sensitive to group response. Willing to travel. Detailed advance preparation and organization for teaching. Resourcefulness. Determination. Competencies and other characteristics: Competencies and other characteristics Self-confidence. A sense of humour. Broader outlook. A zest for life. An innate curiosity. Love of Adventure. Desire to search the unknown. Interest in self-development and in others development. Provision for school and nursing faculty involvement in planning and teaching the continuing nursing education courses tends to maintain high  educational standards for the programme. An adequate staff is essential to planning, implementing and evaluating a programme which is based on learning needs and which has an impact on the quality of nursing care provided. Responsibilities of the director of continuing nursing education are: -Determination of learning needs of the nurse population. -Development and implementation of a programme to meet these needs. -Evaluation of results. Staff services are required with sufficient talents and numbers to implement the planned programme: – Advisory. -Secretarial. – Administrative. – Supportive – Assistance with research, publicity, questionnaire, evaluation tools, data analysis, computer programming. An advisory committee has to be appointed, which includes: -Faculty members from a variety of areas of nursing practice. -Directors of hospital nursing services. -Representatives from the state licensing authority, health department and voluntary agencies. -Extended care facilities -Hospital association. -Medical and allied health professionals. -Regional medical programme. Other agencies involved in the delivery of health care in the community. The community may serve as a liaison between the school of nursing and the health community and fulfill a communication and public relations function for the university. Continuing nursing education programme may be decentralized or centralized. Decentralization is characterized by programming within each academic department, faculty involved in consultation and surveys with the public interested in their subject field were most knowledgeable about the needs for continuing nursing education. Centralization is characterized by a separate department or extension division. Financial support is by either university grants or self-supporting. Faculty may be assigned to continuing education as a regular part of the normal teaching load, but for periods they will get extra-remuneration or non-university faculty may hired on a contract basis to teach specific courses. A successful continuing nursing education programme is the result of careful and detailed planning. Aspects of continuing nursing education planning: Broad planning by institution and agencies responsible for continuing nursing education. Specific planning by individuals for their own continuing education. Planning is essential to: -Meet the nursing needs. -Use available resources. -Meet needs at all levels i.e., local, state, regional, national, and international. -Avoid duplication and fragmentation of efforts. -Help keep at a minimum any gaps in meeting the continuing education needs of the nurses.