Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is one of our main service areas at Northwest AHEC. We provide a myriad of learning activities throughout the year for all healthcare disciplines. Many who attend these activities are doing so to earn continuing education credits that keep licensure requirements current. While it is important, earning CE credits doesn't need to be the only motivating factor. So why not create a new path to enhance your career and earning potential by discovering new ways to expand your knowledge as a lifelong learner?
Today more than ever before we have access to so many learning opportunities at our fingertips. Massively Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are available from Coursera, Udemy, and others - some providing entire college degree curricula from stalwarts like MIT, Stanford, and Harvard. Many of these are free to audit and some offer certification and degree tracks at affordable rates compared to traditional brick and mortar campuses. Straighterline.com for example provides complete college degrees for as little as $59 per course (compare that to thousands of dollars per credit hour at many institutions!). Whether you are casually interested in a topic or are seeking a rigorous program to complete, you can find many options to accomplish your personal learning and career goals.
What sets Northwest AHEC apart from the rest of the CPD world is that we respond to more immediate needs of the workforce in our 17-county region. In other words we work with local faculty and subject matter experts to create instruction that is relevant to our regional needs and relevant to your disciplines. We provide specific accreditation needs for healthcare professionals in our region and state, and offer affordable learning activities that meet the needs of the local workforce. While it is easy to find CDP online and much of it at no cost, you might find that the topics don't necessarily fit your needs for credentialing or area of expertise.
Constantly sharpening your skills and increasing your knowledge can be part of your daily mindset for professional and personal growth. We hope that you find our learning opportunities match your needs as you progress and grow in your career. Please reach out and let us know how we can serve you!
