Continuing Education

The keys to continuing education. 7/25/2022

Every one of my years with Oakwood Village included a number of continuing education classes to
complete.

An outside company provides the classes to health communities like ours, prepares the courses, creates the tests, and tabulates the results sending a report to employer and employee.

It surprised me to look back and see there were actually more classes to complete annually during my early years than there are now. 

There are other kinds of classes and conferences I take to stay current as a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE).  Just a handful in the continuing education curriculum qualify as one of the 45 hours I need every three years to stay certified.

The Foundation is a small department with a much different purpose than most of the jobs on campus.  I'm not a caregiver, so the medically oriented classes don't directly apply.  The classes on resident rights, dementia, and avoiding back injuries actually relate more to what I do. 

One course this year described how to write a fire preparation manual with details on sections for campus leaders not front-line staff or people like me, who occasionally visit residents.

I'm not 'fighting city hall,' on this - the easier path is grinding through the courses and pass the multiple choice 10-question test.  Classes are essentially Power Point presentations with someone reading the content.  

Back when I started, you could quickly click through the material then take the test as many times as it took to get the required 80% passing grade.  The new way doesn't move you to the next page until you hear the entire narration.

The time it takes to finish the classes is the reason I like to work ahead.  While the assignments aren't due until the end of the year, which is our busy time, it's nice to have them in the bank earning interest well before the deadline.

Photo by the author.