Continuing Education and Staff Development

Abstract

Paul Starr, in his Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Social Transformation of American Medicine, wrote, “…medicine is also, unmistakably, a world of power where some are more likely to receive the rewards of reason than are others.” Starr noted that this power is rooted in both knowledge and competence (Starr 1982). Thus, it is imperative that nursing professionals gain the required knowledge in order to secure organizational power. In medicine, it is the nurse who spends direct time with patients and their families and interacts with all members of the health care team including physicians, therapists, pharmacists, dietitians, and allied health providers. Nurses need to have the most current health care system knowledge and information which can be accomplished through innovative and effective staff development and continuing education programs.