One of the requirements for licensed health care professionals is to complete continuing education units (CEUs) each year. If your state requires 30 hours of continuing education each year, you are responsible for finding the courses that meet the criteria set by the state. With courses ranging in price from $100 to $1000+, it’s no wonder why so many health professionals search for ways to find cheap CEU courses.
Ways to Complete CEUs Fast and Affordably
Online CEUs – One of the most affordable ways to earn CEUs is by taking online courses through providers like MedBridge. You can even use a MedBridge promo code to save over 40% on CEU courses, saving you hundreds of dollars annually.
In Person – It’s very common to receive a flyer in the mail regarding new CEU courses in the area. While these are often a convenient route, be sure to compare the price to other options to make sure you’re not spending too much on a course.
Correspondence – If you prefer a pen and paper option, you might find success in taking a correspondence CEU course. In this situation, the material is mailed to you and you have the ability to complete the required coursework on your own time.
Live Webinar – As an alternative option to online CEU courses, a live webinar serves as a digital classroom that many states recognize as an in-person learning experience. If the webinar offers a live question and answer feature, it may qualify in your state to satisfy the in-person CEU course requirements.
Project Based – Many states will allow health care professionals the ability to lead a seminar, an inservice, or even conduct research as a way to satisfy CEU requirements for license renewal. Some states will approve CEUs for Physical Therapists when they serve as a clinical instructor to PT students.
Cheap CEUs: Calculating Your Average CEU Cost
Let’s look at an example of a state that requires 30 CEU hours. You can complete 50% of these hours online and the other 50% must be completed in a format other than an online setting.
Using an online CEU provider like MedBridge, you can complete as many CEUs as you want for one price ($200). So the average cost per CEU is $13.
If you act as a clinical instructor for a student, you may be able to count up to 10 or more hours for this activity, which will cost $0 except for your time in the clinic.
To complete the additional 10 CEUs, signing up for a local, in person course may cost $250, but allows you to finish all your CEUs for less than $500, averaging just $15 per CEU hour in our hypothetical situation above.
A Final Word on CEUs
Be sure to do your research on a course to make sure it will meet the criteria set by your state’s licensing board. You’ll be disappointed to learn that a CEU isn’t accepted because the course didn’t meet the criteria set by your state.
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