Continuing Education Should it be Mandatory for All Nurses

Health Policy Debate Paper

Should Continuing Education be Mandatory for All Nurses, Why or Why Not?

The Assembly Regulated Professions Committee of the New Jersey legislature is currently deliberating Bill number A2182, sponsored by Assemblywoman Nancy Munoz of the 21st District, which seeks to expand nurses’ continuing education requirements. The Bill seeks to make it mandatory for nurses to obtain at least one continuing education credit on topics related to domestic violence as a pre-condition for biennial license renewal (New Jersey Legislature, 2024).

While there is consensus that continuing education for nurses is crucial for effective and safe professional practice, there are differing opinions on whether the same should be mandated as a regulatory requirement or left to the individual’s discretion (Mlambo et al., 2021). Continuing education is considered mandatory if it is imposed as a requirement for re-licensure (Mlambo et al., 2021). In most cases, these requirements are passed through state legislation and enforced by professional licensing boards (Mlambo at al., 2021). Conversely, continuing education is voluntary if individuals choose whether or not to participate, and what programs or topics to undertake. Thus, professionals are not mandated to participate, and often do so because they understand the importance of increasing their professional expertise and proficiency (Mlambo et al., 2021).

Arguments by Supporters of Mandatory Continuing Education

One of the primary arguments by proponents of mandatory continuing education is that such education guarantees accountability in professional practice by ensuring that nurses keep up professionally and offer competent healthcare services to patients (Lera et al., 2020). In their study assessing the effect of continuing education workshops and meetings, Forsen et al. (2021), established that mandatory continuing education significantly improved professional practice among health personnel.

Additionally, the proponents argue that mandatory continuing education helps to maintain the profession’s credibility by ensuring that individuals who are not willing to keep up professionally are prevented from practicing and endangering patients’ lives (Lera et al., 2020). Lera et al. (2020) posits that it is important for professionals to undergo some form of assessment before they can be re-licensed in a bid to ensure that their practice remains relevant to the evolving needs of patients (Lera et al., 2020).

Thirdly, participation in continuing education increases competence levels, minimizing the risk of professional scandals that could result in dwindling public confidence in the profession. In their systematic review, Main and Anderson (2023) found that mandatory continuing education requirements are a strong motivator for professionals to improve their competence. The study also found that generally, jurisdictions in Australia with mandatory continuing education requirements reported positive practitioner behavior and higher levels of knowledge than those with voluntary continuing education requirements.

Mlambo et al. (2021) posits that mandatory continuing education also provides opportunities for professional interchange among nurses. Nurses attending continuing education programs or workshops get to learn from their peers and to reflect on their practice, which could help professionals reluctant to practice move back to the mainstream. However, the authors contend that this largely depend on individuals’ personal characteristics because nurses who are uninterested in socializing with their peers will still chose to remain isolated despite participating in continuing education.

Finally, supporters of mandatory continuing education argue that it provides a means for the state and professional groups to control the content of continuing education programs and to establish requirements that participants should meet (Mlambo et al., 2021). This creates a systematic approach to continuing education, in which nurses are exposed to standard content through programs approved by relevant professional associations (Mlambo et al., 2021). Ultimately, this gives the profession greater control over the quality of professional services offered to its members.

Arguments by Opponents of Mandatory Continuing Education

Those opposed to mandatory continuing education argue that it violates adult education principles, particularly the principle of voluntary participation (Mlambo et al., 2021). Voluntary participation is the ideology that people should choose what they wish to learn, when to learn, and under what circumstances to learn (Mlambo et al., 2021). Unfortunately, mandatory continuing education denies professionals the opportunity to practice the principle of voluntary participation. This opens avenues for demotivation, particularly if participants do not perceive what they are learning to be beneficial (Mlambo et al., 2021).

Furthermore, adult education is more effective if it adopts an informal approach that allows participants to interrogate content (Mlambo et al., 2021). Unfortunately, mandatory continuing education mostly adopts a formal model of education that is designed to meet the requirements of professional bodies and the state. The formality of such programs may make it difficult for participants to question the value of the content they get. The implication is that participants may view continuing education as mere formality, and are less likely to apply what they learn in their professional practice (Mlambo et al., 2021).

Dissenters also argue that mandatory continuing education does not guarantee effective performance (Mlambo et al., 2021). According to Mlambo et al. (2021), legislation may mandate participation in mandatory continuing education, but it does not guarantee that an individual actually learns. Mostly, legislation may only address the amount of time covered in mandatory continuing professional education, but it does not guarantee that the individual participating in the learning grows and evolves by applying the knowledge learned in their professional practice. A study by Ortega-Lapiedra et al. (2023) found that mandatory continuing education did not significantly improve clinical practice among a sample of postgraduate nurses. The authors argue that this is most likely due to the fact that mandatory continuing education violates the principles of voluntary participation which favor effective adult learning. This makes it challenging for participating nurses to effectively apply the knowledge gained in their professional practice.

Another crucial argument by dissenters of mandatory continuing education is that such education creates a punitive attitude, especially when it imposes sanctions on committed individuals within the profession who are willing to participate voluntarily in continuing education to keep up with their professions (Ortega-Lapiedra et al., 2023). In most cases, state legislatures impose mandatory continuing education requirements to catch a few individuals in the profession who are not willing to voluntarily participate in continuing education to keep up with their professions. Unfortunately, in so doing, the legislatures end up punishing many other individuals in the profession who are already engaged in their own professional development plans. The punitive nature of such mandated programs is likely to result in unmotivated, resentful, and angry professionals who participate in continuing learning as part of meeting requirements rather than improving their professional competence.