There has been much debate in nursing circles about the various ways continuing education can be developed and delivered. With the introduction of the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency and the Continuing Professional Development Registration Standard from 1^st July 2010 there has been a flurry of activity relating to the delivery and recording of ongoing nursing education.

The aim of continuing education should be to provide information that is:

• Relevant
• Easily accessible
• Provided at a time suitable to the individual
• Provided by individuals with a specialist knowledge in the field

Continuing professional development “...is the means by which members of the profession maintain, improve and broaden their knowledge, expertise and competence, and develop the personal and professional qualities required throughout their professional lives.*1

The concept of continuing professional development is not about training and testing for new skills but the recognition that the professional should keep up to date with the best practice guidelines that underpin their area of practice.

The problem with education that is delivered at the workplace is getting from the workplace to the education session. Money is tight and staffing levels reflect this – staff may want to attend the session but are unable to leave their work area to do so. Traditional delivery methods need to keep pace with the requirements of the profession. There is not a one size fits all solution, however a very clever method that is proving successful is the use of webinars.

A webinar is “...used to conduct live meetings, training, or presentations via the Internet. In a web conference, each participant sits at his or her own computer and is connected to other participants via the internet.” 2.

The Nurses for Nurses Network was one of the first organisations to utilise webinar technology to provide education sessions for its members. The sessions are offered live so that nurses can register to attend the session in real time or the sessions are recorded and can be watched a time that suits the individual.

The feedback from nurses has been very positive *3:

• Great set up, excellent value and easy and comfortable learning from home. I really look forward to what’s on next. This has taken the stress out of completing CPD points every year. Thank you so much – Kirstine
• Technology worked very well. This is a great idea and invaluable resource for busy professional nurses– Michael
• It is an excellent way to get current updates, especially with regard to medication. It is impossible to keep up with all new medications esp. if you are specializing in a specific field of nursing, you aren't coming into contact with some meds, so this type of presentation means that you can touch base without having to take time out from work or as in my case you can replay the webinar at your leisure and still gain good information. - Barbara.
• Thank goodness the presenter didn't talk in a monotone. It was very easy to listen to and also to relate to – Deirdre

Nurses recognise the need to maintain their knowledge base in their area of practice to ensure that care delivery meets the needs and expectation of the community. In order to achieve ongoing registration as a nurse, individuals are required to have evidence that identifies that they have met the continuing professional development standard set by AHPRA.

The use of webinar technology provides an easy and accessible method for nurses to access education sessions at a time and venue that suits them. If you’re interested to try out first hand, how this technology works take a look at ww.nursesfornurses.com.au and you can watch one of the recorded sessions for free.

References:

1. Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia Continuing Professional Development Standard, 1^st July 2010. http://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Registration-Standards.aspx
2. Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Webinar
3. Nurses for Nurses Network http://www.nursesfornurses.com.au/index.aspx?page=121