For licensed certified professionals, continuing education (CE) is mandatory to maintain privileges to practice. Many opportunities are available to complete CE requirements. Different venues have been created to match individual preferences for learning, including in-person, self-study, and online. Yet, there is something "magical" about sitting in the same room with other engaged colleagues, listening to a dynamic speaker who is an expert in his or her field. The energy in the room is palpable; familiarity envelops the space; a thirst for more information encourages participation; and the session ends too soon.
Attendees at the National Conference for Nurse Practitioners (NCNP): The Conference for Primary and Acute Care Clinicians have expressed these feelings to us time and time again. If you have never attended this conference or if you want to experience this "magic" again, join Wolters Kluwer and The Nurse Practitioner journal at the annual spring meeting taking place at Disney's Coronado Springs in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, May 9-12.
The importance of CE
NCNP offers up to 22 contact hours and 17.5 advanced pharmacology hours. I often write about the importance of CE for all advanced practice registered nurses. CE hours should demonstrate content that aligns with your education, preparation, and certification. Research evidence and practice guidelines change when new information is discovered.
I have to make a conscious effort to stay up-to-date as a family NP in adult primary care. I purposely select sessions with a pediatric focus at conferences to ensure my continuing education spans across the lifespan.
Recommendation 6 in the 2011 Institute of Medicine's groundbreaking report. The Future of Nursing is to ensure that nurses engage in lifelong learning:
Accrediting bodies, schools of nursing, healthcare organizations, and continuing competency educators from multiple health professions should collaborate to ensure that nurses and nursing students and faculty continue their education and engage in lifelong learning to gain the competencies needed to provide care for diverse populations across the lifespan.1
NCNP 2018
NCNP offers a wide range of topics through concurrent sessions, skill builders, workshops, posters, and exhibits. You can focus on primary or acute care, populations from pediatrics to geriatrics, specialties from cardiology to urology, and updates on policy and guidelines. Acute/emergent care topics range from stroke to kidney function as well as radiography interpretation and acid-base balance. The conference features several hands-on workshops including ortho-joint injections and using essential oils.
This is only a sample of the rich learning environment NCNP offers. Learning does not have to be boring. And to add a little fun and relaxation, NCNP offers an optional yoga session for the early birds.
The Keynote Address at NCNP 2018 will captivate and inspire you. You will not be disappointed by the innovative documentary, Inventing the Nurse Practitioner in America. Dr. Susan Hagedorn, director and advocate for social justice, will be your personal guide. Increase your understanding about the obstacles NP pioneers overcame so that many of us could have full-practice authority today. Featured are familiar past and present nursing leaders. After much networking and learning, don't forget to include spending some time at Disney's Magic Kingdom in your plans!
Jamesetta A. Newland, PhD, FNP-BC, FAANP, DPNAP, FAAN
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF [email protected]
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