POTS, PANS, and PEARLs: the nursing profession's rich history with distance education for a new century of nursing.

BACKGROUND: Continuing education via distance education is expanding. A review of the media used to deliver classes in the past as well as future possibilities are presented. METHOD: The personal experience of the authors using these methods to present continuing nursing education is the basis for this article. RESULTS: There is evidence that people learn via distance education as well as they do with traditional formats such as conferences and seminars. Although learners are enrolling in these types of courses for convenience, they enjoy the classes more when there is active involvement and participation. CONCLUSIONS: Continuing education using distance education strategies will expand, especially because computers are available in the homes of learners. A larger number of offerings will be available, and more learners will use these media to remain current professionally.

Does baccalaureate nursing education for registered nurses foster professional reading?

Reading activities of registered nurses (RNs) were investigated using an untreated comparison group design study. The study group consisted of RN students (N = 60) enrolled in a baccalaureate in nursing (BSN) program at four distance education sites in northeast and central Texas who were queried about their reading activities. Total reading time of professional literature was reported at the time they started the nursing sequence of courses in their baccalaureate nursing program and 6 months after completion of these courses. The purposes of reading various types of professional literature also were identified by asking the respondent's interest, the perceived amount of application, and the commitment to reading this literature. RN counterparts at worksites of the RN-BSN students (N = 67) were respondents in the comparison group. After completing the BSN program, these nurses showed more interest in and commitment to reading and were more concerned about applying knowledge gained from reading in their nursing practice.

Continuing education policy and budgets: a survey of tenets and practice.

Continuing education offerings for nurses are essential to ensure competency of staff practicing in a changing health care environment. Fiscal constraint, coupled with staff shortages, has led institutions to examine carefully administrative support for continuing education. This study describes current trends in midwestern institutions' continuing education policy and budget support. Knowledge gained is useful to administrators in education departments who oversee a facility's budget development, to those who administer procedures based on established policy, and to academic settings as they plan outreach continuing education offerings.

Reading activities of staff nurses from states with mandatory or voluntary continuing education.

Reading activities of staff nurses (N = 269) residing in six states with mandated educational requirements for relicensure were compared with a similar number (N = 275) of staff nurses from states that have no legislative continuing education (CE) requirements. Time spent reading both professional and general literature was obtained. Nurses spent twice as much time reading general literature as professional literature. Both groups stated that conferences were the preferred method of CE; reading was the second choice in mandatory states and the third in voluntary states. However, nurses in voluntary states spent slightly more time reading professional literature.

Is reading part of the lifelong learning process for RNs?

A 1988 national survey of 1,406 Registered Nurses (RNs) was conducted at 44 sites in 25 states and the District of Columbia to determine what type of occupation-related and general literature they read, what time they devote to reading, their purposes for reading, and the uses of the materials they read. The survey found that nurses are reading. They read, purchase, and subscribe to significantly more general than professional literature. They report that libraries are accessible, but they use them on a limited basis. The RNs also responded that their supervisors do not to support them in their pursuit of reading. Clinical journals, clinical books, and health-related newsletters are the top nursing materials read, newspapers and fiction books the most popular general literature.

Texas nurses are reading, yet.

The time Texas nurses spend reading professional literature is similar with physicians, yet they also read almost twice as much general material. A significant relationship was demonstrated between nurses who are members of nursing organizations and reading. Supervisor encouragement also influences reading but was reported as often not occurring.

Reading activities of registered nurses.

This national study was designed to gather baseline data about the reading activities of registered nurses. Questionnaires were administered by nurse continuing educators to subjects (N = 1406) at 44 sites in 25 states and the District of Columbia. In a week, the mean amount of time devoted to professional literature was four hours, 48 minutes (SD = 3.88) plus eight hours, 12 minutes (SD = 5.15) to general material. This translated to reading one hour and 51 minutes per day, slightly more than the average adult. Educational level, position, and memberships were the best predictors of how much time was spent reading job-related material that might lead to self-development and enhancement of nursing practice.

Adult education. The cornerstone of patient teaching.

Patient teaching is necessary for good nursing care. Nurses cannot learn for patients, but they can facilitate learning by incorporating concepts of adult education into their teaching. Both the educational and nursing processes are based on the steps in the problem-solving approach: assessing, planning, implementing, and evaluating. Special attention to assessment and evaluation are necessary to achieve the desired change in behavior.