The world of health care education is *NOT* elementary, my
dear Watson. It is riddled with obscure regulations, bewildering rules and perplexing
requirements. This blog is dedicated to Dee-Mystifying the world of health care
education for all who work in this arena; specifically, by answering commonly
asked questions, directing readers to additional resources of information and
imparting my years of experience and wisdom in managing Inquisit: The Resource
for Better Health Care Knowledge.
To begin unraveling the mystery, let us look at the most
commonly asked question of all:
What
is the difference between education and training?
During my career as both a medical
technologist and an adult educator, I have participated in many a discussion on
the difference between education and training.
It's the difference between know how and know why. It's the difference
between, say, being trained
in the procedure to crossmatch
blood (the how) versus
being educated as a
medical technologist and thereby knowing why the compatibility of
the blood is vital, what may cause unanticipated results and how to improve the
process design so that it is completed better, faster and less costly.
Clearly, both training and education are
necessary, as in all walks of life.
As stated in the ancient Chinese proverb that we hear so often, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a
day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
However, if I may presume to augment this proverb, I say, “Train a man/woman to fish and you feed
him/her for a lifetime. Educate a man/woman on why it is important to fish, why
it is necessary to find better ways to fish, and to improve their catch when
they do fish and you help create a self-confident, critically thinking, and productive
person.”
Certain professions require that practitioners earn a specific number of Continuing Education Units (CEUs) or Hours per year to ensure that they are up-to-date with current practices in their field. A CEU is a unit of credit equal to 10 hours of participation in an accredited program designed for professionals with certificates or licenses to practice various professions. Proof of credits earned is necessary in order to renew a license to practice.
Note the most curious element: The number of credits required varies by industry and state.
For some professions, like nursing, not only does the number of hours vary from state to state, but some states require specific content. The great state of Florida has the renewal requirements of 25 contact hours of CE every 2 years (waived during first renewal period if you were licensed by exam), including 1 contact hour on HIV/AIDS, 2 contact hours on prevention of medical errors and 1 contact hour on domestic violence. A registered nurse in Florida may substitute courses in end-of-life or palliative health care for courses in HIV/AIDS education or domestic violence.
Compare that to the state of California, where nurses have a renewal requirement of 30 contact hours to be completed within the past 2 years. Whereas, nurses in Nevada also have a renewal requirement of 30 contact hours to be completed within the past 2 years, but 4 of the hours must be a course on bioterrorism.
To add yet another level to the complexity of this mystery, the term for the educational unit that is required to maintain a license varies from profession to profession:
Allow me to illuminate,
·
Professional Development Hour of
Unit (PDH or PDU) is defined as one contact hour of
instruction, presentation or study. The term PDH is commonly used in the engineering community.
·
Learning Unit (LU)
is used by American Institute of
Architects' Continuing Education Systems (AIA/CES) and is based on a 60-minute
hour.
·
Continuing Education Unit (CEU)
is a nationally recognized and uniform unit of measure for continuing education
and training and the one primarily used in health care. One CEU is awarded for
each 10 contact hours of instruction or study.
You are
probably wondering, “How do I convert CEU to a PDH or LU?”
The answer is at least
consistent, if not simple:
·
1.0 CEU (Continuing Education
Unit) = 10 PDHs or 10 LUs
·
1.0 PDH (Professional Development
Hour) = 1.0 Clock Hour (minimum 50 minutes)
·
1.0 LU (Learning Unit) for
architects = 1.0 PDH for engineers.
The key here is to note that in
the case of 1.0 CEU, it equates to a unit of credit equal to 10 hours of
education participation, as opposed to the 1 to 1 relationship of PDHs and LUs
So as we see from these examples, the world of health care
education is indeed complex and in need of Dee-Mystifying.Fortunately, my proficient and capable colleagues at Inquisit can keep professionals up-to-date on all their educational requirements and professional development based on their needs as well as their location and area of expertise.
In closing, I welcome your responses, comments and any
additional questions or requests for additional information.
Your health!
For more information on cost effective, quality
education for your professional development visit www.inquisit.org
