Continuing education: a bridge to excellence in critical care nursing.

A professional nurse engages in lifelong learning that will influence practice and ultimately impact the quality of care that a patient receives. The technical skills and critical thinking acumen demonstrated by the critical care nurse at the bedside are not enough to sustain an evidence-based practice environment. Nurses need to cultivate and internalize a passion for learning throughout their careers. They need to adopt a healthy work environment that gives merit to continuing education (CE). This article will discuss perspectives in CE for the nurse. Research findings to illustrate the significance of professional development will be presented. The integration of passion for learning that provides a foundation for excellence in practice will be addressed. Finally, a variety of strategies that can be used to participate in and develop interactive CE programs to meet the needs of savvy professional nurse consumers will be explored.