In the winter of 2007, a small group of faculty and administrators at East Carolina University (ECU) began discussions with personnel at the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) at Fort Monroe, Virginia, regarding the education and continuing professional development of U.S. Army civilian interns and careerists (two types of…

The concept of self-directed learning is examined from five vantage points: definition, importance, categories, characteristics of learners and activities, and implications for continuing medical education and program planning. (SK)

Midwest Continuing Professional Education for Nurses (MCPEN), the only regional organization in the United States whose sole purpose is the promotion and development of continuing education in nursing, has directed its efforts to issues of: membership, recording/transferability, impact of continuing education, leadership, recognition,…

A graduate program in workplace learning at the University of Calgary evolved into a continuing online community. A 5-year evaluation revealed some key elements: use of adult learning principles, effective instructional design, timely and meaningful feedback, and a cohort model. (JOW)

The typical retrospective approach to planning continuing professional education fails to close the knowledge gap of health professionals. The futurist literature is reviewed to determine new knowledge, role conceptions, related basic disciplines, and personal growth that nurses will need to master to avoid professional obsolescence. (Author)

A study determined the learning needs of office oncology nurses (n=290)as a critical first step in planning education programs. Participants ranked cancer-care topics similarly, regardless of age, background, or experience. The highest-ranked needs were clustered in the areas of cancer nursing practice, major cancers, and cancer treatment.…

The primary objective of this program is to assist each of the participating Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) states in developing a long-range continuing education program for library personnel. The means for accomplishing this objective are: to develop an integrated program, utilizing a variety of educational methods,…

Results of a study indicate that continuing education (CE) issues form an integral part of pharmacists' morale and demographic factors have impact implications for CE programers. Suggests that programers use statistical analysis to identify differences in issues that reflect demographic situations. (JOW)

A review of the antecedents of the recent interest in social network analysis makes a case for using network information in mapping professional groups as part of the program planning process. Three major streams of theory and research have converged into a broad multidisciplinary approach to viewing social structure that is termed "network…

A random sample of 661 U.S. and Canadian pharmacists (38 percent response) identified characteristics of pharmacy continuing education (CE) program clientele that might assist in marketing these programs. Attitude toward CE was related to sex, age, practice setting, and source of CE. Practice setting was of most value in targeting a potential…

Describes the University of Wisconsin Extension Program's Educational Telephone Network (ETN) which provides more than 150 credit and noncredit program series annually. Points out that ETN has proved to be an effective, low-cost means of meeting the increasing demand for continuing education. (JMF)

Explains why two concepts in the delivery of continuing professional education (CPE)--program planning and andragogy--are inadequate, and proposes a reconceptualization of CPE and a reexamination of theory and practice in adult education. (Availability: Falmer Press, Falmer House, Barcombe, Nr Lewes, East Sussex BN8 5DL, UK.) (SK)

Phone interviews explored the attitudes of 27 course directors regarding continuing medical education (CME) needs. The action-reflection practitioner-inquiry method involved physicians and CME leadership in joint discourse for planning CME programs. (Author/JOW)

Adult development forces the question of the role of continuing education as part of the background for more effective continuing education or as a way to develop understanding and support for health care professionals as they progress in their careers. (Author)

We in continuing education must define and refine our philosophical commitments based on our parent organization's philosophy, the mandates from professional organizations, and our own professional value systems. (Author)