Getting The Most From Continuing Education Opportunities To Improve Your Professional And Personal Competency
Pegasus Home Health Care’s hiring policies include diversity, equity, and inclusivity. Accordingly, we hire professionals with differing levels of expertise. All our caregivers receive the training and support needed to advance in their careers.
Pegasus skilled in-home caregivers in Antelope Valley and elsewhere are dedicated to providing expert assistance. The variety of our clients and their medical conditions require multiple skills. Career home health care nurses explain how to get the most from continuing education opportunities.
Technically, continuing education (CE) is schooling or training you receive after completing high school. It includes degree programs, nursing school, and credentialing courses. However, most individuals regard it as the learning they acquire after meeting the educational requirements for their careers.
Healthcare CE generally covers information similar to what you learned when you obtained your basic training. Formats include in-person and online conferences, seminars, or classes. You can also learn via self-study sponsored by various organizations.
When you started, you obtained the knowledge and training required for licensing and certifications. You must undergo specific continuing education to maintain your credentials as a professional. However, you may not always appreciate spending the time, effort, and money to meet that obligation.
Continuing Your Education Benefits You Personally And Professionally
But there are more benefits to CE than meeting minimal professional standards. For example, as well as giving you an increased ability to care for your patients, you also improve your health. Research shows “a strong link between education and health.”
Furthermore, “having more education correlates with having a longer lifespan.” Continuing to learn stimulates your brain and your physical health. Your career and lifestyle probably give you enough physical activity, but studying exercises you mentally.
Along with keeping current with changes in healthcare, you may pursue CE for personal interests. Gaining more knowledge about something outside your professional interests could help avoid burnout. At the least, it can help you have a well-rounded or more balanced life.
Or you may want to develop your soft skills, such as learning to manage your time better. Perhaps you’d like to learn leadership skills. Everything you study potentially contributes to your personal and professional growth.
Continuing Your Education Enables You To Provide The Best Care
The purpose of career-related CE is to keep you up-to-date on the basics as well as provide new information. Accordingly, Pegasus offers continuing education opportunities periodically to our professionals. Obtaining certification in a new specialty often increases your employability.
Of course, acquiring new skills can often lead to bigger paychecks. Continuing education also creates networking opportunities with other professionals. That’s true even with remote learning, thanks to online groups and organizations.
Some CE courses can spark your imagination or inspire you to try new ways of completing routine tasks. Confidence in your abilities to cope, professionally or personally, is boosted. Most importantly, you increase your ability to offer the best possible care to your patients.
How To Choose CE That Increases Your Competency
You’re busy with work and your personal life. It’s easy to opt for easy CE. Just meet the minimal requirements and move on.
That’s understandable, and sometimes necessary, but it’s not the way to success. Let go of the excuses. Sign up for CE which will demand significant time and effort from you.
Challenge yourself to learn something new. Invest time in weeding out CE that doesn’t offer you anything new. Ask colleagues, personally or online, for their recommendations.
Other tips for selecting useful continuing education programs include:
- Evaluating the learning objectives to understand whether the course is basic or advanced.
- Looking for programs that can improve areas in which you are weak or introduce subjects new to you.
- Occasionally choosing a course presented by someone unfamiliar to you for a different take on the material.
Ensure that the CE program or program is accredited.
A sample of organizations presenting CE designed for healthcare professionals include:
- Abbott Nutrition Health Institute teaches you how to meet specific nutrition requirements, such as for patients with diabetes.
- Johns Hopkins Nursing can help you learn the specifics of various medical conditions.
- Nurse.com offers a selection of courses designed for home healthcare.
- NurseCEU includes the usual medical topics but also has courses on related topics like what to do in emergencies such as bioterrorism attacks.
- RN.org provides CE for home health aids, nurses, and therapists, among others.
Many of the courses are without charge, and fees for the others vary. The classes provided by Pegasus qualify for CE credits. There’s something new each quarter.
The National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners offers a free toolkit as part of staff education week. They also offer seminars and certifications for professionals specializing in dementia care.
Join The Pegasus Team And Advance Your Career While Helping Others
Pegasus expert in-home caregivers in Antelope Valley and our other locations work one-on-one with our clients. Their knowledge and competency help individuals live safely in their home. Our career home health care nurses use expertise gained from continuing education to provide quality care.
Pegasus is a licensed Home Care Organization and a Joint Commission Accredited Home Health Care organization. As a nurse-owned and operated organization, we listen to our caregivers and understand their concerns. We’re hiring professionals dedicated to improving the quality of life for others.
