Registration

It is easy to register online for VSPN CE courses. We encourage early registration to ensure a place in class and to make sure you receive any off-line learning materials should there be any associated with the course.

You must be a registered member of VSPN to participate in VSPN CE. Membership in VSPN is FREE. Please go to www.vspn.org and click on the "register" button if you are not already a member of VSPN.

For additional information about CE registration you can contact us by Email: VSPNCE@vspn.org or phone: 1-800-700-INFO (4636).

After you have registered for your course(s) expect return email confirming your registration within 2 or 3 days. For all courses except the free events, we will send you a receipt via regular U.S. mail. Just prior to the course, you should receive email indicating that you now have access to the course area and with directions on how to reach it.

Course Libraries

The required and recommended reading materials for the course are located in the CE library. These materials will be available for you to use throughout the course. VSPN members will have access to their course areas from the time their course opens until it closes.

To get the greatest benefit from the interactive sessions, please review the materials appropriate to that session in advance. As questions arise from your review of the course materials, they can be posted at any time on the course message boards. For some courses, supplemental information is also available in the course libraries including links to relevant websites.

Live, interactive sessions

Live sessions (Real Time Sessions) are held each week in the course area classroom. They are structured like a class discussion session rather than a lecture. Although the instructor will direct the session, active participation by the class participants is encouraged.

If have not yet used our classrooms or chat rooms, you will find accessing very easy. The new Unity uses Macromedia's FLASH. We have a setting to recognize if your computer does not have the most current version of FLASH and it will automatically download it for you. If you get a warning that it is trying to download something. Please click YES or OK. Once you are in the classroom, please also refer to the help link in the upper right corner of the classroom. It is highly recommended that you practice getting into the classroom a few days in advance of your first interactive session.

ONLINE PROTOCOL

We use "PROTOCOL" during real time sessions. It is easy to comply with Protocol. PROTOCOL is meant to help keep order NOT to inhibit participation -- we love participation! ONLINE protocol for a class/rounds situation is the same as in offline lectures/rounds/large group discussions:

Easy rules to follow:
1. To avoid everyone speaking at the same time, the leader is the only one who should speak without being recognized.
2. To "raise your hand," enter a "?" to ask a question or enter a "!" to signify that you have a comment.
3. After you raise your hand with a "!" or a "?" type your question or comment into the text entry line at the bottom of the VIN Unity conferencing room window in front of you -- this way you are ready to hit the SEND KEY and send the text when recognized by the leader. This really helps to keep the session moving along quickly.
4. You know it is your turn when the leader says GA (go ahead) followed by your name.
5. During some sessions, the instructor may wish to take a poll of all participants or otherwise encourage participation without adherence to protocol. If the instructor says “GA everyone” of “GA all” you may enter your comment or question directly into the room without first raising your hand.

It is that simple. It is also a good idea NOT to send a Private Message to the instructors unless absolutely necessary because it can be very distracting to what they are trying to do.

One other comment -- if you don't get to say what you want, don't get an answer, or want to expand upon a topic -- bring it up on the message boards :) We love BOARD MESSAGES and can go into much greater depth there :)

Course Message Boards

The course message boards are open throughout the duration of the course. Questions and discussions arising from the course materials, interactive sessions, or clinical case material relevant to the course should be posted on the course message boards. Message board discussions are an essential element of a successful online class and to obtaining your participation points. This is where topics can be explored in depth and applied to clinical cases and real practice situations.

Receiving your CE Credit

It is very important that VSPN course coordinators can account for a course participant's "attendance." In order to allow accountability like this, we encourage that all those attending an interactive session be prepared to contribute comments or respond to questions during that session. More importantly, those not able to attend a session are expected to download the transcript of the session and post comments or questions on the material in the course message boards, and be prepared to interact on this material. Active participation on the course message boards and/or in the real-time sessions is mandatory for the issuance of CE Credits. Without this evidence, VIN and VSPN cannot give the accrediting agency an assurance of a participant's attendance.

How do we keep track of attendance online? Several ways.

1. A complete transcript of the realtime class sessions is kept for possible auditing by a state board.
2. A complete transcript of the course message boards is kept for 5 years for possible auditing by a state board.

What do you need to do to participate and receive a CE certificate?

Attendance Policy for Course Credit: You must demonstrate that you are following along with the class during interactive sessions:
1. Read at least 50% of the discussions (i.e. threads) in the course message board folders (We can track your participation so if you don't have a comment or post, don't worry, your "read" will count. Word of caution, actively posting is also required, see #3 below.)
2. Complete and return the homework assignments, final (if there is one) and the end-of-the-course survey by their due dates.
3. Actively participating in the course 3 or more times a week, which can include postings on the message board and/or participation in the real time sessions. You can meet these requirements by posting an average of 3 times each week on the class boards, speak up 3 times during the real-time session (including participating in poll questions), complete any homework assignments provided by the instructor, or any combination of these. If you miss a real-time session or can't visit the boards in any given week, you will still receive credit provided you meet the requirement for total participation by the end of the course.

VIN and VSPN will provide any or all of this material to an accrediting state board. At the end of a course, the VSPN CE office will confirm your actual participation, and then mail to you a hard copy (by US Mail) or pdf (by email) CE certificate describing the course and the number of CE hours. If you have special requirements for a certificate, or need further documentation, email VSPNCE@vspn.org or call 800-700-4636.

Nanette Walker Smith, RVT, CVT
BS, AS, AS - VSPN Content Director and VSPN CE Coordinator
VSPNCE@vspn.org