Registered nurses (RNs) attending a national conference were surveyed to find out what motivated their participation in continuing professional education. Eight hundred sixty-six RNs completed the Participation Reasons Scale (PRS) and the Respondent Information Form (RIF). Five factors emerged from a factor analysis and several significant relationships were found between person-related and profession-related variables. These findings indicate that nurses are concerned with professional competence and participate in continuing education for complex reasons. This study can serve as the basis for further research and should be useful to those who teach or plan continuing education activities, promote them, select instructional techniques, and evaluate learning experiences. If, as current research indicates, continuing education contributes to quality practice, then reasons that influence participation take on an increasingly greater significance for the entire nursing profession.

Adult↗

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Accreditation of continuing education: the critical elements.

Accreditation in nursing continuing education (CNE) is central to professional values such as accountability, competence, and knowledgeable practice. Organizations choosing to participate in the accreditation/approval system make a commitment to quality. This article reviews the history of accreditation, defines the language, describes the system and process, and discusses agency/institution characteristics that should be in place before beginning an accreditation application process. The American Nurses Credentialing Center Commission on Accreditation model is used as the prototype.

Accreditation↗