Continuing Education

Is it just me.. or shouldn't all states require nurses to keep current with the nursing practice? After short research, I have found that approximately only 30/50 states require the nurses to have a certain number of CEU's per required time period. In fact, I live in a state that does not require nurses to fulfill any of these requirements. Is that a good thing.. or a bad thing?

Sure, I think that we should all attempt to remain current after our graduation. But on the other hand, some of these continuing education units are damn expensive. Who wants to pay 30 bucks for each test that is sent in? I don't! I don't understand why it is so expensive, and just where does that money go? For instance, if your state requires 30 units/hours over a course of 3 years, and let's say for the sake of it, each article in your favorite journal that has these continuing education articles/tests for $29.95 each and worth 1.2 contact hours each.. that means that you will spend approximately: $750 to continue your education if you only go that route. That's a good little chunk of money for some people.

But, does this also mean that nurses who live in a state that requires these units are considered to be more 'up to date' than those who live in states that do not require these units? Does the responsibility then fall upon the facilities to keep nursing practice updated on new standards? Who is responsible for teaching these 'old' graduated nurses the new tricks of the trade? Graduate students? Staff education? I don't know! I guess if your state doesn't require these ceu's, then the responsible thing to do as a professional would be to subscribe to a journal or two or so to keep yourself updated. I know I do.