Why Continuing Education Is Important

Why Continuing Education Is Important

As a working professional, it’s important to stay informed about your company and your own job. In many cases, the field in which you may work may not be at a point where it is so advanced that it cannot grow any further. This can be true in the fields of medicine, construction, engineering, education, pharmaceuticals, and manufacturing, to name a few. Being able to have a company and its employees stay up-to-date on the newest trends and innovations within the field is important, and that’s why continuing education is a necessity for many working adults.

Continuing education can be found through many colleges and universities and can be located on and off-campus. Many local colleges can offer courses in education and business, and many universities also offer courses in medicine. As an education professional, whether it is a teacher or administrator, it’s important to learn about new teaching techniques, or perhaps pick up a new language or even take a few courses in curriculum development or a new method of teaching.

As a business professional, a course in accounting, computers or certain computer software, or even management can help the employee brush up on their business skills, and prepare them for mastering their own job while looking towards advancing to a more challenging position within an organization.

The field of medicine is always making new discoveries as diseases and other complications arise or have had cures discovered. This is one of the fields where it’s imperative that continuing education be offered so that we as humans can learn more about ourselves.

Continuing education can provide to be a very valuable tool in one’s professional career. Usually continuing education courses are done at nights or on weekends and only take up a small amount of your time. Some continuing education programs can take up an entire college semester while others can be only a few weeks. If you are looking to brush up on your skills, consider looking into a continuing education course for yourself!…

Important Factors to Consider When Going Back to School

Important Factors to Consider When Going Back to School

Thousands of individuals decide to go back to school each year. With online learning becoming more and more popular they have a lot of different options to choose from. When you are searching for a specific program many times you will be able to complete your degree either online or on campus. With all of the different options potential students have they are able to do their research and find the perfect program for them. Sometimes money is the biggest concern, while for others it is the length of the program that is important to them. We would recommend creating a spreadsheet with all of the factors that are important to you and update it after you speak with a school.

When you are done looking at all the different schools and their features you can make an informed decision. In this article we are going to talk about some of the most important factors students look for when they are planning on going back to school. We are also going to discuss how to decide on what school to attend.

One of the biggest concerns for students is a school’s accreditation. Regional accreditation is actually higher than national accreditation and this is very important when looking at different schools. Find out how long the school as been in existence and does it have an actual campus located in the United States. Find out the graduation rate and how many students are in attendance. These key questions can help validate a school.

Next find out how long it is going to take to complete the program. Is the program offered online and on campus? Do you have to complete any residencies if you attend online? These are important factors for busy individuals. If you are working full-time or have a family these should become part of your decision making process.

Finally, find out the total cost of the program. Make sure you ask about any additional fees on top of the tuition. Ask about a technology fee, student service fee, and textbook fees. You want to get an “out the door” price so there are no surprises.

When you have all the information you need it is time to sit down with your family and discuss your options. It is important to include your loved ones because for the next one to two years they will be dealing with your busy schedule and increased level of stress. You want to make sure everyone agrees on the same school and program.…

Continuing Education – Stay Intellectually Ready for Your Next Career

Continuing Education – Stay Intellectually Ready for Your Next Career

There are many reasons why you might wish to continue your education even if you don’t need a degree from college. If you are between jobs and waiting for the economy to recover then having an extra degree might be just the ticket. Knowing new information and skills could be a feather in your cap and a nice addition to your resume. Best of all, it will keep your mind sharp and intellectually ready for your second wind, or your next career for that matter. Okay so let’s talk about this for second shall we?

At the local university here they have special night school courses for retirees, or older working people who would like to keep their mind sharp and have something to talk about other than the weather. There are several courses you can take, and one I found quite interesting had to do with a behind the scenes look and discussion on various events in the media.

The professor would help the students analyze what they saw on the cable news channels or read in the newspaper and go behind the scenes while working in groups to figure out how much of the news was real, how much was propaganda, and how much was clearly jaded, opinionated, and perhaps even politically motivated.

Although, I chose not to sign up for that course, it comes highly recommended by many of the students going to the University, especially the retirees, it’s ranked amongst their favorite classes. Interestingly enough, they did have a program where you could go in and audit the class for a few sessions to see if it might be something you’d like to do. After one of the lectures I talked to the professor, and he said they had a 40% retention rate on those who signed up to audit the class and came to at least three sessions.

It is amazing how quickly your mind can melt if you are not working, or in the flow of activity and commerce. Indeed over the years, I’ve certainly noticed people who are self-employed, and once they retire, they just were not as quick with their neuron firings as they had been in the past. It’s as if they lost something, they were no longer using part of their brain, or in such a demanding way.

The reality is and I think we all know this “you either use it or lose it.” That quote is quite apropos here. Therefore, you might consider trying some ongoing or continuing education to stay intellectually ready for your next career even if you are unemployed or perhaps just between jobs. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.…

Continuing Education for Early Childhood Educators

Continuing Education for Early Childhood Educators

Teachers are required to take a certain number of Continuing Education hours every year. These continuing education or clock hours come in a variety of ways on a variety of topics.

Different employers may offer different training opportunities. My first job was at a child care center in MN. We did not receive any clock hours or ongoing training there. While it was a requirement, we had to take care of our own training outside of the workplace. The easiest way at the time, was to read articles and write a report on them (I’m not sure if this means of earning clock hours is even allowed anymore). When I worked for the school district in MN, we received pretty much all of the training/hours we needed. Now I am working at a child care center in WI. While we do receive some training, the opportunities aren’t there to receive all the required hours. What many people may not realize is that this can actually be a good thing. It allows us to choose our own training, depending on what our personal needs are.

Training is available on behavior issues, working with parents, as well as developing literacy, math, science, music, art, etc. Clock hours can be earned through short workshops, all day conferences, online courses, home study courses, and even work experience (such as mentoring student teachers). Requirements vary on the state and type of organization. A MN teaching license requires 125 clock hours over a 5 year period to renew. Child care teachers are required to earn anywhere from 25-40 hours a year, depending on their position.

My preference is to attend conferences filled with other teachers that deal with the same issues and concerns. One of the best parts of attending conferences with other teachers, is the sharing of ideas. A few years back, I attended the Early Childhood Conference at Stout University. I got so many great ideas for art, math, and science activities, as well as being introduced to some great children’s musicians, Colleen and Uncle Squaty. These conferences inspire me to be a better teacher. Any time someone is stuck in a rut of doing the same old things, or burning out, I recommend they go to events like this to have their energy renewed. You can’t help but remember why we’re in this business in the first place. It’s all about the love of children, and wanting to make their world a better place to be!

Personal Goals

As I have mentioned in an earlier post, I let my MN Teaching License lapse, as it was up for renewal during the time preceding my divorce. Much of my training was more than 5 years old, so it no longer counts towards renewal. Now, I am working hard to get the remainder of my clock hours done. My goal is to finish them by the end of the year.

Just yesterday, I sent in 17 more hours that I finished in the past couple of months. I am now up to 85 out of 125 hours completed. I am currently working on a Care Course (home study on Stress and Child Care) worth an additional 25 hours. I also have a couple more online classes through the Professional Learning Board that I will be taking. When these are complete, I will have enough hours to renew my MN teaching license in Family and Early Childhood Education. I am very excited about getting that done!…

Nursing Continuing Education Seminars – Different Ways to Attend

Nursing Continuing Education Seminars – Different Ways to Attend

As a healthcare professional, maintaining your license/credentials in good standing is an important part of your job. Earning credits in such critical subjects as infection control and pain management will also help you better serve your patients. When it comes to keeping up with best practices in the field of nursing, continuing education seminars offer an ideal interactive learning environment. There are several ways you can attend.

On Site

On site seminars offers several advantages from your employer’s perspective. The price per attendee is deeply discounted compared to off site classes. Employees can participate without taking time off to travel to a remote location. The cost to hire an outside presenter is much lower than the budget needed to maintain a full-time training department.

An on-the-job presentation is also a boon to you and your coworkers as you learn more about nursing. Continuing education seminars that take place on site ensure that everyone you work with is on the same page. As a bonus, this type of course is usually paid for by your employer.

The downside is that you probably won’t be able to pick the topic; but it doesn’t hurt to ask. Get together with your coworkers and find out what subjects your group feels would be most beneficial. Then, present this information to your employer for consideration.

Off Site

Attending an off site seminar is one way to take a break from your busy work week. In this learning environment, you will have the opportunity to network with nursing professionals from other facilities. Such interaction may offer you new perspectives on how to improve practices and resolve issues within your own organization.

Finding a presentation that is taking place at a convenient time and location will take some research. One way to widen your options is to consider attending a seminar while you are traveling for other purposes (such as vacation). There is actually an interesting new trend for vacationing and nursing – continuing education seminars presented as part of a cruise.

Live Online

Tele-seminars and webcasts allow you to participate in the give and take of a live class from the comfort of your home or workplace. This eliminates the expense of travel. You can pick your preferred topic without being restricted to presentations that are geographically close. If you are participating in a live, online class, you will need a high speed internet connection.

Many of these nursing continuing education seminars are also available on-demand via streaming video or CD. The drawback of this option is that you will not be able to ask questions as part of your learning experience.

When you view or participate in online presentations, you will generally complete a test at your convenience and send it in for scoring to receive your CE credits. Whatever your approach to continuing education, make sure the courses you choose are accredited by a reputable agency such as the NLNAC or the ANCC.…

Physical Therapy Continuing Education Courses – Rehab Your Career

Physical Therapy Continuing Education Courses – Rehab Your Career

As a healthcare professional, you are used to helping patients regain abilities and get their lives back on track. When it comes to meeting your own career goals, that same dedicated work ethic will serve you well. There are several ways to enhance your knowledge and skill level through physical therapy continuing education courses.

Higher Degrees

Transitional degrees for PT come in a couple of varieties. If you have earned your bachelor’s, you can use this type of program to get your master’s. Do you already have your BS/MS? Consider taking the final step by achieving a doctorate degree. Becoming a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) puts you on equal footing with other highly educated medical professionals. It also assures your clients that they are receiving the best possible care.

Distance learning options (with most of the coursework presented online) are available for earning these degrees. Some physical therapy continuing education courses feature interactive online tools that allow you to communicate with peers and faculty. This way, you don’t miss out on an important aspect of the learning experience. Many institutions allow you to take a Physical Therapy Evaluation Test (PTET) prior to admission. Your curriculum will then be tailored to address the areas where your knowledge and experience need to be supplemented.

Specialization

If you don’t plan to spend your career as a generalist, there is no time like the present to select your specialty. There are lots of factors to take into consideration. Do you love working with kids? Pediatric therapy gives you the opportunity to help children navigate the world and overcome physical challenges as they grow.

With the baby boomer generation passing the 50 year mark, geriatric PT is the wave of the future. Over the next several decades, the patient demographic in the U.S. is going to feature a higher percentage of aging individuals than at any other time in history. This doesn’t just mean you will have a large client base. It also means advanced research will be focused on serving these patients. If keeping up to date with the latest PT techniques and treatments excites you, geriatrics is the place to be.

Physical therapy continuing education courses cover these specialties as well as orthopedic, neurological, and cardiopulmonary PT.

Additional Educational Topics

Keeping yourself in good health is an important part of being a physical therapist. Classes that cover workplace safety, ergonomics, and stress management can help you and your colleagues avoid injury and burnout on the job. Infection control, ethics, and medical error reduction are other important topics that can be addressed through CE. These physical therapy continuing education courses are required curriculum in some states because they promote best practices and better patient care.…