Catch 21: An examination of the effect of mandatory continuing education on training practices of Quebec psychologists.

Abstract

Continuing education (CE) is a valued and widely promoted practice across the helping professions. Despite this, investigation into the CE practices of Canadian psychologists is lacking. In particular, it remains unclear whether making CE mandatory, as opposed to voluntary, has positive effects on the practices of these professionals. The enactment in 2012 of Bill 21 in Quebec, which imposes 90 mandatory hours of CE every 5 years for psychologists who practice psychotherapy, provides an excellent opportunity to examine the effects of making CE mandatory. The present study examined CE practices of psychologists pre-and post-Bill 21. Data were collected via surveys sent to two distinct samples of practitioners in 2006 (n = 473) and 2017 (n = 179). Results showed that psychologists spent more money on CE activities but devoted significantly less time to CE in 2017 compared to 2006. Implications for future research, practitioners, regulatory bodies, and the general public are discussed. Public Significance StatementIt has been proposed that making continuing education (CE) mandatory influences the CE practices of psychologists. The results of this study suggest a decrease in CE participation after the implementation of mandatory CE for psychologists practicing in Quebec. Changes in cost associated with CE training and motivational processes could partially explain the decrease in CE participation, however, further investigation is needed to better understand the impacts of mandatory CE.

Improving Gerontological Survey Participation With Mixed-Mode Response Options, Multiple Contacts, and Noncontingent Incentives

“…Only 16 responders who received the 2-h CE coupon and 12 responders who received the 3-h CE coupon redeemed the coupon suggesting it is not a strong incentive. One possible explanation for this is that healthcare professionals are unlikely to participate in CEs beyond the required hours (Hébert et al, 2022). Further, consistent with findings that the value of incentive does not change response rate (Cho et al, 2013), there was also no significant difference in response between the CE groups.…”