CEUs for nursing helps keep caregivers current with improvements in technology and to acquire new skills. These programs aim to measure and increase the competency of a nursing student or working nurse in a variety of areas. Some of these include surgical nursing, pediatric nursing and diabetes management, among others. These programs are offered through traditional classes or online.
Students enrolled in a nursing CEU program can choose from several majors. Some of these include the school nurse childhood obesity prevention education (SCOPE), managing students with seizures or epilepsy training, disaster preparedness for school nurses and managing asthma triggers. These nursing CEU certification programs are not taught through schools and also through seminars and conferences for nurses and other medical personnel.
The credentialing center of the American Nurses Association offers a nursing CEU course certification. Its CEU programs are offered through review seminar or study groups, symposium, and workshops. Credits will be awarded to students who have completed the programs of the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).
The University of Illinois also offers a CEU nursing certification with a major study on the school nurse certificate program. This is designed to registered nurses who wish to expand their knowledge about school nursing. It is a 10-credit hour online program that can be completed in two to three semesters for part-time students. This program costs $725 per credit hour as of 2011.
The Western School is an educational institution that primarily offers continuing education courses to various healthcare degrees including nursing. Their nurse's continuing education is made up of 2000 hours of nursing activities. This school is duly accredited by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.
Courses under the nursing continuing education program usually focus on behavioral science, physical sciences, social sciences and advanced nursing topics. Nursing CEU certification program coursework includes pharmacology, nursing administration, research and functional aspects of the patient, foreign languages, education and management. The coursework can be taught online or through the traditional classroom lecture and laboratory.