They say, “The best things in life are free!” Unfortunately, this isn’t applicable to education.
When it comes to continued education, it may be tempting to go with free courses because it saves you some dollars, but it can end up hurting you in the long run. Maintaining your education to the highest level throughout your career will allow you to provide the best possible therapy to your patients. Free CEUs aren’t worth sacrificing great patient care!
Out-of-date training/protocols
It takes a lot of time, money and resources to create a top-notch CEU program. Because these courses are free, there’s often not much research or change in content year to year. You may learn some good information (or information that was good in 2012) but it may not be the most up-to-date information. Saving money is not worth taking outdated treatment methods back to your practice. You will end up doing a disservice to your patients, or even worse, hurting them!
Low-quality instructors
Any good training/education program requires a budget to compensate great industry experts for teaching CEU courses. If a course is free, the instructor is likely not the best expert or he/she may not be completely engaged in the course. Just like that cranky biology teacher in middle school that ruined your favorite subject for you… a lackluster CEU instructor can ruin a training course.
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Free CEUs are not what you might hope and they will most likely a waste of your valuable time. Rather than saving money and trying to take a shortcut, make the investment in yourself and your practice by attending high-quality CEUs.
A great place to find CEUs is the APTA PPS trade show website. At this year’s trade show you will find CEU opportunities and so much more. If you’re not already attending, the event will be at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. Click here to find CEUs and learn more about the trade show.
High-Quality CEUs are not always as expensive as you might think! Online courses may be a great option for you, as they are usually more affordable than in-person courses. Do some research into the courses available to you and ask your respected colleagues what courses they recommend. You may also consider paying for your staff’s CEUs to ensure your whole team is providing advanced care.
If you value your continued education, it will show in your private practice and your patients will thank you! With so many constant changes in treatment methodologies and protocols, you can’t put a price on staying current with the best therapy practices available.
Although some of the best things in life are free… when it comes to CEUs, remember: “You get what you pay for.”
Did You Know? FYZICAL offers CEU courses only available to those that are members of FYZICAL. FYZICAL offers online and in person events throughout the year for its members and their teams.
Click here to watch this short webinar to learn more!