Continuing education in psychology: Outcomes, evaluations, and mandates.

How effective is continuing education (CE) for maintaining professional competencies, how should its effects be measured, and should it be mandated for licensure renewal? These and other questions were addressed in a review of the existing literature and a survey of 6,095 professional psychologists regarding their CE experiences, perceptions, and preferences. The substantial majority of respondents reported their CE experiences to be good to excellent. Overall, they reported learning a great deal that frequently translated into their practices and contributed to their more effective and ethical practice. Most also supported the idea of mandated CE, although they preferred the use of participant satisfaction ratings to knowledge or skills assessments as mechanisms for evaluating their learning. Significant differences were found between psychologists who were operating with CE mandates and those operating without mandates; mandated psychologists completed significantly more CE credits than nonmandated psychologists and were stronger supporters of CE mandates. Findings are discussed in relation to critical issues that confront the field of professional psychology and its continuing commitment to the development and documentation of professional competencies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)