Did You Know #9: Free Continuing Education For Dietitians

Hello young lovers! Can you feel it. I said, CAN YOU FEEL IT! That's a little thing I like to call FRIDAY. The sweatpants of weekdays.

I knocked out 4 miles on the road yesterday, and boy was I a sweaty mess.

But you couldn't tell from the fact that I was drenched from the rain. Call me crazy, but running in the rain makes me feel so much more hardcore and dedicated. Like I'm one of those stupid folks who is out trudging pavement while everyone else is snuggled up with a grilled cheese and night full of Sex and the City. THAT girl.

Nutrition. Oh, nutrition. I LOVE nutrition. Why else would I go through all the trouble and proceed to name my blog with such?! But one more itty bitty commitment us RDs need is to keep learning.

And rightly so! I feel there is a new diet or health claim with every kombucha I sip. But if you aren't lucky enough to land a job that pays for every little thing needed for those two letters, those seminar and meeting fees can add up.

And that's why I wanted to share some of my favorite resources to start racking up those credits fo FREE!

Most of them are web-based to meaning you can do them any ol time you please. Even in your pj's, on the couch, while watching Parks and Rec at the same time. Never done it, just saying you could if you wanted. 🙂

Here's my list of free CPE credits for dietitians that I have stumbled upon.

Today's Dietitian: Self-study and webinars available. Free registration required. 1.0 CPE credit.

Food & Nutrition Magazine: CPE quizzes on information from magazine. (hint the correct answers are at the bottom!) NO registration required. 1.0 CPE credit.

Dietitian Central: Free and paid webinars available. Free registration required. 1.0 CPE credit.

Abbott Nutrition:Online courses involving neonatal, pediatric, adult and geriatric practices. Great source for clinical RDs. Make sure to select 'Dietitian' in the "Filter By Profession" dropbox. Free registration required. 1.0 CPE credit.

American Diabetes Association: Online webcasts, self-assessments, and performance improvement activities. Free registration required. 0.75 CPE credit.

Hi-R-Ed.org: Free online courses worth  for dietitians, nurses, social workers and case managers. Registration required. 1.0 CPE credit.

And now after you've watched all these webinars and completed the quizzes, here's some tips to make sure they count!

*Submit your plan and log your hours to CDR. One thing my internship didn't really tell me about was how to do this step, and kinda stumbled upon the fact I had to once I started completing some CPEs. Every RD has to submit a plan for what areas of continuing ed they want to complete, and goals they have to meet them. Your plan must be submitted before or up to 120 days after your first activity. After that, and you can't claim it for credit. Then you must complete a log for all of the CPEs you complete. No idea what I'm talking about? Head over to CDR for more info!

*Only 15 CPEs can come from webinars. Before you go racking up with webcasts on Celiacs and lactose intolerance, keep that in mind!

* Print each certificate and file. You don't have to turn anything in to the academy, but if you were ever audited you would need to present this. Keep them all in order and in a safe place.

Hope that helps some of my fellow RDs out there!

Make it a great day!

Do you need continuing education for your profession?

Are you a visual/audio/tactile al learner? I'm tactile meaning doodling all over my notes actually helps me learn!