Abstract
Continuing education programs are an important part of staff development. The purpose of this article is to indicate how the nurse manager can promote a successful continuing education program. The authors present arguments for the implementation of mandatory continuing education.
Continuing education (CE) is defined as "organized educational experiences beyond basic preparation, designed to maintain and/or to augment the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of nurses for the purpose of protecting the public health, safety and welfare" (Hayes, Morin, Sylvia, & Bashford, 1995, p. 90). Nurse managers are in an ideal position to promote and facilitate CE in nursing practice. The effectiveness of CE must be evaluated on an ongoing basis by nurse managers. It is the nurse manager's responsibility to determine which programs are effective and evaluate the attendance numbers. This task may sometimes be given less attention because of the many other responsibilities of the nurse manager.