What is the return on investment (ROI) for the time and resources spent for professional development activities? This is Part 2 of a two-part series to report findings and demonstrate how financial analysis of educational activities can drive decision-making. The resources consumed for professional development activities need to be identified and quantified to be able to determine the worth of such activities. This article defines terms and formulas for financial analysis for nursing professional development practitioners to use in analysis of their own programs. Three fictitious examples of common nursing professional development learning activities are provided with financial analysis. This article presents the "how to" for the busy practitioner.

In the current complex healthcare environment in which organizations are dealing with reimbursement challenges, nursing professional development practitioners must increasingly demonstrate that the time and resources dedicated to educational activities are worth the impact they have on outcomes. Measuring return on investment guides decisions on resources (people, supplies, time) used for professional development activities by showing the financial impact of such activities. The purpose of this project was to review the literature on return on investment for professional development activities to best guide decision-making for limited resources. This is Part I of two articles, the first of which provides a review of the literature. The second article provides guidance for conducting financial analyses of nursing professional development activities.