Continuing Education for All

Every two years, Georgia RNs must complete 30 contact hours of continuing nursing education (CNE) to renew their license. The Emory Nursing Professional Development Center (ENPDC) is making that goal easier to accomplish.

A partnership of the School of Nursing and Emory Healthcare (EHC) Nursing Education, the ENPDC is accredited by the American Nurses Credentialing Center and jointly led by Carolyn Clevenger 02MSN DNP FAANP (School of Nursing) and Noreen Bernard EdDc MS RN (EHC). Their goal: to centralize and expand CNE activities—conferences, workshops, and onsite and online courses—for EHC and other nurses.

In 2017, the ENPDC held 105 CNE activities, providing 1,013 contact hours to 3,217 RNs from Georgia and across the U.S. Another 1,422 professionals (MDs, MSWs, PTs, and others) also participated.

The ENPDC was born out of a need in 2015 to have a CNE-accredited provider in the state, prompting School of Nursing and EHC nursing education leaders to come up with an in-house solution.

“Without the ENPDC, we would have to submit our paperwork to another nursing association in South Carolina, Alabama, or Florida for CNE approval,” says clinical assistant professor and ENPDC lead nurse planner Rose Murphree DNP RN CWOCN CFCN.

Today, nurses who practice at EHC, in urban and rural Georgia, and beyond can continue their education through the ENDPC. A website serves as a hub for course listings and online registration and payment. It also provides information on how to become an Emory/EHC nurse planner and how to develop a CNE activity.

Nurse planners play an important role. They organize and document CNE activities, mentor first-time planners, and help nurses bring ideas for courses and workshops to fruition. “Nurse planners understand the standards and processes that are required to ensure that a CNE activity is free of bias and conflict and that it focuses on the professional development of professional nurses,” Murphree explains.

A pillar of the ENPDC is the longstanding Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing Education Center, which offers onsite and distance-learning options for nurses seeking certification in one or all aspects of WOC care. Led by Murphree, the center awarded certificates to 217 nurses from the U.S. and Canada in 2017.

The ENPDC’s offerings are growing, notes Clevenger, associate dean for clinical and community partnerships. Last year, the ENPDC began creating new content, starting with an online course in pain management. This year, the ENPDC is working with the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to create an online course for their nurses. Future plans include developing pharmacology CNE for nurse practitioners—a welcome offering in a specialty where contact hours are sparse—and preparing nurses for certification exams in different specialties.

As ENPDC activities grow, new staff are being hired to support operations, marketing, and instructional design. In time, the International Council of Nurses will help link nurses around the globe to ENPDC programs.

Bernard, EHC VP for professional nursing practice, sees great value in what the ENPDC offers. “It’s a great one-stop source for nursing professionals to get the education they need locally, nationally, and internationally for certified CNE contact hours.”

Learn More | The Emory Nursing Professional Development Center provides continuing education for nurses with Emory Healthcare, in Georgia, and beyond. Its website serves as a hub for course listings, online registration, and other information. To learn more, visit emry.link/enpdc.