BENEFITS AND COSTS OF CONTINUING NURSING EDUCATION: AN ANALYTICAL SURVEY (VIRGINIA).
Contributors: University of Virginia.
Published: 1986
Number of pages: 264
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Education, Adult and Continuing.
Description: State and federal requirements, professional standards, and accreditation standards for health care institutions have all begun to reflect a belief that continuing education can be equated with continuing competency. Yet studies have not validated that continuing nursing education results in competence or increased quality of care.

This research focused on the benefits, costs, and relationships between costs and benefits of continuing nursing education in Virginia. Four hundred registered nurses who participated in continuing nursing education in 1985 at one of four university-based continuing education programs were asked to rate the benefits and to identify the costs of continuing nursing education. Four continuing nursing education program directors and four hospital staff development education coordinators were interviewed for their perceptions of the benefits and costs of continuing nursing education.

Thirty-three benefits were rated by nurses according to the degree they thought the benefits occurred as a result of a continuing education activity they attended. Five clusters of benefits were identified (from highest rated to lowest rated): a cluster of personal benefits, a cluster related to quality of patient care, a cluster related to nursing process, a cluster related to the health care institution, and a cluster related to salary and fringe benefits.

No significant relationships were identified between the costs and the benefits of continuing nursing education. Neither age, sex, or length of time in nursing had a significant relationship with perception of benefits received. Education level was negatively correlated with benefits.

The mean cost of tuition reported by participants was $85.54. The indirect cost of continuing nursing education was \$34.61. Mean opportunity cost (cost of time lost from work) was $91.18.

Employers were found to pay more of the cost of continuing education than the individual nurse. Participants in this study indicated that employers should pay the costs of continuing nursing education except child care which should be paid by the individual nurse. Nurses view the costs of continuing nursing education as worth the benefits.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 48-10, Section: B, page: 2928.

Thesis (PH.D.)--UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA, 1986.

School code: 0246.