Because NAPG is committed to professional development for its members and for the field of gerontology, NAPG credentials are renewed every two years by completion of 20 hours of professional development activities.
Professional Development activities may include documented presentations and participation in national and regional professional Gerontology meetings or conferences at the level of double time for presentations and hour-for-hour for attendance. NAPG accepts hours/units of CEUs offered by state-approved providers of continuing education. Publication in a peer-reviewed journal in the field of aging satisfies the professional development requirement for one two-year period as does the publication of a book.
Below is a list of reasonably priced CEU offerings. Offerings from other providers are also accepted. If you have questions about acceptability of CEUs, contact Donna Schafer, Executive Director, NAPG at: [email protected]
DISCLAIMER: Below are some resources to gain online continuing education hours. We have focused on sites that offer courses for free or at low cost. While we did our best to provide a variety of options, we recognize that websites are updated constantly and may quickly become out of date. We welcome your input on any sites that are out-of-date, or any suggestions of additional credible sources for professional continuing education.
American Society on Aging
http://www.asaging.org/web-seminars
ASA offers a variety of webinars, many of which include free CEUs. (Check “upcoming web seminars.”)
Boston University School of Social Work, Center for Aging & Disability Education & Research
http://www.bu.edu/cader/browse-catalog/course-descriptions/
Boston University is accredited to provide continuing education for a variety of aging-related online courses. Fees range, and can run ~$30 per hour.
Carolina Geriatric Education Center, Led by UNC Center for Aging & Health
http://www.uncgeriatrics.com/courses.asp
The Carolina GEC offers a handful of free online classes on topics related to dementia and fall prevention. (Requires Adobe Flash and desk top computer—no iPads or mobile devices.)
CATCH-ON
https://www.catch-onlearn.com/lms/_portal/account/index.php?ca=admin&
Collaborative Action Team training for Community Health — Older adult Network (CATCH-ON) is a HRSA Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program. The overarching mission of the CATCH-ON is to unify state-wide academic, health, and community organizations and resources to prepare a geriatric collaborative practice-ready health workforce optimizing health while serving and improving patient-centered health and wellness outcomes. There are 10 free online classes with CEUs offered, covering a variety of topics related to aging. (Must create on-line account.)
HRSA Health Workforce
https://bhw.hrsa.gov/grants/geriatrics/alzheimers-curriculum
HRSA offers 12 modules of online training on Alzheimer’s and related dementias. Right now, Module on Mild Cognitive Impairment is accredited for 1 CE. Additional modules will be offered soon. (No fees for modules created by Centers for Disease Control.)
Eastern Pennsylvania-Delaware Geriatric Education Center
http://epadgec.jefferson.edu/education1.cfm
The EPaD GEC offers a variety of free, online, self-directed learning modules, including topics such as Depression Management, End of Life Care, Interprofessional Approaches to Chronic Conditions. (Look for modules under “Education.” Must complete a participant profile.)
Free Online Accredited Learning in Interprofessional Geriatrics (ENGAGE-IL-OALIG) Program
University of Illinois-Chicago GWEP
http://engageil.com/health-professional-ce/
The Free Online Accredited Geriatric Training Program offers:
24 healthcare modules developed, written and reviewed by interprofessional content experts
Learning modules are interactive films with narrators (actors), infographics, and expert interviews
Modules offer FREE continuing education credits
Topic Examples: Caregiver Burden; Common Acquired Hospital Complications; Dying Process; Elder Abuse/Self-Neglect; Pain Management; Transitions in Care; End of Life and Advance Care Directives; Drug Therapy; Community Based Interprofessional Home Care; Dementia; Changing Global & National Populations and Complex Systems of Care; Chronic Disease Management: Helping People to Help Themselves; Depression and Delirium; Community Services: Access & Payment Systems and more. (Must register to receive CEUs. Many modules have a social work rather than medical approach.)
Iowa Geriatric Education Center
https://igec.uiowa.edu/gerialearning
The Iowa GEC offers several innovative online learning classes, including GeiraCasts and GeriaSims, which offer interactive, ‘virtual patient’ simulations with the opportunity to practice “providing” care for older adults. (Cost for courses, if any, is not readily apparent.)
Medscape CME Learning Center - Geriatrics
https://www.medscape.org/resource/geriatric/cme
A list of a variety of CE courses offered by multiple sources. (Courses have a geriatrics focus; registration is free.)
Oregon Care Partners
https://oregoncarepartners.com/classes/
These courses are available only to Oregon residents.
Oregon Care Partners helps caregivers improve the lives and care of aging Oregonians by providing access to no-cost, high-quality trainings in all corners of the state. Oregon Care Partners’ Caregiver Training Initiative offers no-cost, in-person and online training. Established in 2014, Oregon Care Partners receives funding from the state of Oregon, and offers trainings in collaboration with many statewide long-term care and non-profit organizations who share a vision and concern for the quality of life and care of aging Oregonians. Oregon Care Partners trainings are available to anyone living or working in the state of Oregon. Family members, all levels of professional caregivers and members of the public are encouraged to register and share information about Oregon Care Partners with others who would benefit from these free quality trainings.
Parkinson's Disease Foundation: Online Parkinson's Nursing Course
http://www.parkinson.org/expert-care/Professional-Education/Online-Courses?
Courses are free.
Learn best-care Parkinson's disease (PD) knowledge while earning continuing education unit (CEU) credits through various Parkinson's Foundation expert online training courses.
University of Rhode Island Geriatric Education Center
https://web.uri.edu/rigec/recorded-webinars/
https://web.uri.edu/rigec/geripc-series/
The University of Rhode Island Geriatric Education Center offers free online classes on palliative care and hospice, medication management, falls prevention, cognitive dysfunction, pain management, mental and behavioral health and other assorted topics. Free CEs are offered after submitting a post evaluation.
University of Rochester Medical Center, Geriatrics & Aging
https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/medicine/geriatrics/flgec/online-training.aspx
The mission of the Finger Lakes Geriatric Education Center is to provide education to the health care workforce that will optimize care for older adults. In order to reach more health care professionals, the FLGEC hosts FREE online education modules relating to the care of older adults. These courses are offered FREE of charge by the FLGEC through the CollaborNation learning management system. Registration is free and involves creating a user account by providing an e-mail address for user access, and completing participant demographic information (required by HRSA). E-mail addresses are never shared or used for marketing, only to provide log-in information or for password recovery. Most modules are 30-60 minutes and are self-paced.
West Virginia Geriatric Education Center
http://www.wvgec.org/lunchtime-learning/
The WV-GEC offers a variety of lunchtime webinars on a variety of topics. Most are one hour in length. To get a CE certificate, you will be required to complete a post-test, evaluation, and submit a fee of $5.
Edx.org
https://edx.org
To access course offerings, enter the term “aging” in the “What do you want to learn” box and select “all results for aging.” Topics include: Nutrition in Aging, Age Related Diseases and Disorders, Healthy Aging in Six Steps, Promotion of Healthy Aging. Courses are offered by European educational institutions, such as Delft Univ. of Technology, Karolinska Institutet, Imperial College, London, and are 2 to 4 hours per week for four to six weeks. Five to 10 hours credit are available for the full courses. Courses are free but verified certificates are $49.
Alison.com
https://alison.com
Select the “Health” category on the site’s home page. Two free courses are offered: Caregiver Skills: Dementia Care for one to two hours credit and Caregiving in the Health Professions for three to four hours.
To document your professional development activities, please provide copies of CEU attendance certificates or course content; for conference or professional meetings attendance/presentations, please provide agendas or descriptive material that indicates content and duration of sessions; for publications please provide citations. Please print out, complete and return the Professional Development Form. (Opens a downloadable PDF file in a separate window) and submit it along with documentation and $50 renewal fee to NAPG/808 Samantha Ct./Healdsburg, CA 95448.
Documentation questions should be sent to Donna Schafer, NAPG Executive Director, at: [email protected].