professional development hours
professional development hours
(OP)
New York has just started requiring PDH's (professional development hours) How do people feel about this?
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS Come Join Us!Are you an
Engineering professional? Join Eng-Tips Forums!
*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail. Posting GuidelinesJobs |
professional development hours
|
professional development hoursprofessional development hours(OP)
New York has just started requiring PDH's (professional development hours) How do people feel about this?
Red Flag SubmittedThank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts. Reply To This ThreadPosting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members! |
ResourcesWhat is rapid injection molding? For engineers working with tight product design timelines, rapid injection molding can be a critical tool for prototyping and testing functional models. Download Now
The world has changed considerably since the 1980s, when CAD first started displacing drafting tables. Download Now
Prototyping has always been a critical part of product development. Download Now
As the cloud is increasingly adopted for product development, questions remain as to just how cloud software tools compare to on-premise solutions. Download Now
|
RE: professional development hours
How may hours are they suggesting? 80 is the norm in the UK and Australia.
Cheers
Greg Locock
RE: professional development hours
Steve Braune
Tank Industry Consultants
www.tankindustry.com
RE: professional development hours
RE: professional development hours
I keep involved with local chapters of professional organizations such as ACEC (American Council of Engineering Companies) and CASE (Council of American Structural Engineers). I do Committee work for them, which allows me an automatic 2 pdh's per year per committee. Them monthly meetings are usually breakfast or lunch meetings which oftentime have speakers on technical subjects. For an hour's worth of attendance at breakfast or lunch (for which it is easy to make up the time), I can get 1 pdh per technical luncheon or breakfast attended. Going to about a half dozen or more per year adds 6-8 pdh's to my slate for the cost of a breakfast or lunch - (you don't get that at Denny's or Perkins).
My company sometimes will invite technical sales representatives to put on lunchtime seminars to our department on their product. The rep's often will spring for box lunches or pizza, and give you their sales schpiel on their product and teach you new things about the industry in the process. Result: 1 pdh per sales rep with a free lunch.
I'm very religious about documenting all of this, by the way, in case any of the states where I'm registered ever ask for a list of what I'm doing. I keep a spreadsheet of the activity, dates, speaker's name, topic name, length of time of attendance, and pdh's earned (typically 1 pdh for hour of attendance). If the organization gives out a certificate of attendance, even better.
Some of my colleagues also write papers for organizations or for submittal to technical magazines, for which you can also get pdh credit.
You don't have to lose a lot of work time or go bankrupt by paying for University sponsored events or Technical Organizations who are in the business of making money off poor engineers needing pdh's. I think I've attended one such event in the past 3 years, and that was only because I thought I could learn something from the topic. In that case, we made sure we got a group discount for attendance.
Hope this helps someone who needs the ideas for cheap pdh's. Good luck.
RE: professional development hours
It always seemed to be promoted as a bit of a money-making scam to me, by the institution.
Nonetheless, it would seem odd NOT to have a plan for improving one's abilities. As a professional you don't need anyody elses approval of what constitutes development, I think reading an engineering book cover to cover could count. Or learning a new mathematical technique. Or a programming language. In fact anything that could be conceivably useful in your future career.
Cheers
Greg Locock
RE: professional development hours
I'm getting some of my PDHs from the self-study articles in Architectural Record magazine (Downloadable from the web). NYS accepts AIA units for engineering PDHs. NYS will accept half of the PDH requirements from these articles. The other half needs to be from "in person" seminars, courses, etc. Architectural Record charges $10 per article (1 PDH).
As far as how do I feel about the issue of mandatory continuing education? Its theoretically a good idea, but there's no way to mandate that an employer pays for it & gives time off for it, and this is a real problem.
RE: professional development hours
The way you describe the PDHs it seems as if what we do here on eng-tips would qualify for PDHs. Although most of my time is spent as a "troll", I do pick-up some good info.
RE: professional development hours
Interesting thought!
The only trick would be to be able to prove to the State Board of Registration of the state you're trying to convince:
1. That Eng-tips.com represents authorized professionals in the subjects you're reading about;
2. The number of hours you actually spent reading threads, and how you could prove it.
I'm all for it (I think Eng-tips.com provides a valuable source of ideas, discussion, & mentoring, even when I disagree with some of the responses I read).
If anyone can come up with a way to document our involvement for legitimate pdh's, go for it!
RE: professional development hours
RE: professional development hours
RE: professional development hours
RE: professional development hours
There is, in my opinion, nothing particularly wrong in requiring a certain number of hours per year in professional development, but to decree that /they/ are the arbiters of what is acceptable is treating you like children.
Cheers
Greg Locock
RE: professional development hours
RE: professional development hours
My strong opinion is that burying my nose in a maths book and learning about Hamiltonians is PDH. So is learning a new programming language.
Obviously institutions that want to sell me lectures won't agree. I am quietly confident that learning about Hamiltonians and improving my programming skills will do far more for /my/ career than any number of lunchtime lectures on "Implications of XYZ legislation on your company" or whatever else they can knock out in a couple of days of hard research reading magazines and self help books.
Cheers
Greg Locock
RE: professional development hours
RE: professional development hours
- Active participation in seminars, courses, in-house programs, workshops, training, professional conventions, correspondence or videotaped courses (1 hour=1PDH)
- Successful completion of college courses (1 semester hour=45 PDH, 1 quarter hour=30 PDH)
- Successful completion of courses offering CEU credit (1 CEU=10PDH)
- Teaching or instructing above courses/activities for the first time only (1 hour = 2 PDH)
- Authoring a published paper, article, or book (10 PDH)
- Active participation in professional and technical societies (each orginization, 2 PDH/year)
- Each patent (10 PDH)
- 1 yr subscriptoin to technical journal (1 PDH, max 2 PDH)
- 1 hour of literature review (1 PDH, max 6 PDH)
- Each civic or community activity (1 PDH, max 4 PDH)
The list has some qualifiers at the bottom, one that applies to the discussion above is "Presentations by Product/Equipment Vendors & Plant/Factory Tours are eligible only if: - Presentations are of a technical nature and not just a sales demonstration; and - part of a formal training session; not normally obtained in the course of licensee's work". That says pretty clearly that having a vendor bring in donuts and a tech speil is legitimate PDH's.
Seems like eng-tips would fit nicely into the next to last category, I'd document the time just like you do vehicle mileage - with a log.
This list seems to have enough latitude to allow anyone to persue professional development in the way that best fits their personal learning style and needs. The requirement is 15 hours/year reported every other year. In the last 6 months I've documented 31 PDH's. Don't think 30 will be a problem.
Dirtguy4, the ones that go to "anger management" for PDH's are the guys that used Cliff Notes and asked to "borrow" your homework in college. Other than the fact that you'll eventually be working for them, they aren't worthy of your consideration.
David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering
www.muleshoe-eng.com
Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.
RE: professional development hours
In the US, there is a voluntary certification program for automotive technicians, and the testing is every 4 years with no CEU required, just the testing.
Franz
RE: professional development hours
And here's Utah's statement on PDH's:
Credit for qualified continuing professional education shall be recognized in accordance with the following:
(a) unlimited hours shall be recognized for professional education completed in blocks of time of not less than one hour in formally established classroom courses, seminars, or conferences.
Is an online course considered for this? I called the state and they were pretty wishy washy and wouldn't answer the question.
Thanks
Chip Fuller
RE: professional development hours
In my several years dealing with the pdh issue in various states, I've found that they all want to leave it up to you to make an educated guess what they will and will not ultimately accept. Many times the staff of the registration board can't and won't answer your question about acceptable courses, because they don't want to be on the hook for making an incorrect interpretation of the law.
Bottom line is that none of the states have the funding or staff to chase down every registrant to see what they're doing with the pdh law.
Sorry to say, I've gone to making my own best guess on what is and isn't acceptable in each state I'm registered in. If I happen to be one of the unfortunate individuals who gets audited in their lottery, I'll make my case then when they question the contents of what I list. Typically, however, I try to be true to myself, and only take classes based on whether they will assist me in my profession - whether they qualify for pdh units is secondary in my book.
(By the way, many states do recognize online courses, but I can't speak for Utah).
RE: professional development hours
RE: professional development hours
Starting in 2005, I will need to accumulate PDH's for my NY registration. Fortunately, the University near work here in Missouri has free seminars that I can attend and I can go on company time. I am very fortunate. Hopefully others in the discussion group will be able to help you. Best of luck.
RE: professional development hours
Cheers
Greg Locock
RE: professional development hours
I provide my engineering services to factories that are anywhere but home, so with all my spontaneous travel (I'm not working if I am not traveling) it is difficult for me to schedule classes for PDHs. So your comment about free seminars at the university intrigues me since I also live in a MO college town. Is there a website or some other source that lists these seminars? Thanks.
RE: professional development hours
Unfortunately, I don't have a website. A co-worker gets the notices and passes them on. Ours are through the Univeristy of Missouri, Columbia. Contact the head of the engineering department. I don't know of any free online courses. Sorry I couldn't be of more help. Good luck
RE: professional development hours
We engineers could learn two very important mental perceptions from licensed RE professionals, licensed doctors and dentists, and lawyers:
1- Think of yourself as a small business / run yourself as a small business - stop thinking of yourself as a lowly cubical world "employee," whether you are one or not. ytou are Marty Doe, PE, entreprenuer, professional, providing a service to the company with whom you are presently connected.
2 - Take professional responsibility and pride in furthering your own education at your own expense. they are tax deductable anyway. you'd be surprised at the looks i get telling my Chief Engineer or HR that "I'll pay for it myself. The company doesn't need this expense.
Greg, I think you might find that companys are not at all required to pay for our career advancement: it's OUR responsibility. And we can be proud of that.
Chris in NC NASCAR Country
RE: professional development hours
Thanks...I can work with that.
RE: professional development hours
Sheesh.
Cheers
Greg Locock
Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.
RE: professional development hours
RE: professional development hours
Florida has a list of approved suppliers for PDF. This has both an upside and a downside. The upside is that if you get your PDH from one of these, it will count. However if you want to get your PDHs from another source, you are out of luck.
RE: professional development hours
Has there been a case where an engineer's license was revoked for failing to keep up with the PDH's?
I'm in California and as of yet, the board does not require continuing education... Thankfully.
RE: professional development hours
Cheers
Greg Locock
Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.
RE: professional development hours
RE: professional development hours
RE: professional development hours
I have always thought that these ideas for PDH's were the take of those who do/would (1) give lectures/presentations to those needing the credits, (2) be university types who have better chances of being published, or (3) inventors - wow a PDH for a patent. Cool - but better, get PDH's by attending a Philadelphia area ASCE committee meeting . ummmm.
RE: professional development hours
Hg
Eng-Tips policies: FAQ731-376
RE: professional development hours
My Brother in law and his wife are pharmacists. They have to listen to some taped lectures and answer open book questions. (They simply read the questions before listening to the tapes and write down the answers while listening.) For this they get PDH’s. Not too bad in a profession where 80% of the practitioners do almost exactly the same job but in our profession the logistics of producing and distributing the tapes would be enormous. Topics relevant to automotive would have only passing interest to electrical or civil engineers for example.
I don’t know what the answer is. Any defined scheme would be too broad and cumbersome to be efficient of it had the scope to be effective. Any self directed scheme, like in Manitoba where we sign a declaration saying that we have ‘developed’ our skills as necessary, is too weak to have much effect.
When I was registered in Alberta which has a defined scheme, I found that I had twice the necessary time in formal training, informal training, practice and other categories to meet the requirements.
We are professionals we should be responsible to develop and maintain our skills ourselves; however we are also human so something is needed, I just don’t know what the answer is.
Rick Kitson MBA P.Eng
Construction Project Management
From conception to completion
www.kitsonengineering.com
RE: professional development hours
Site for earning PDH's, by doing self study and answering questions to be sent in.
RE: professional development hours
TN started requiring PDHs for surveyors and eng. several years ago The first couple of years they were kept by hand and if you were a couple days late it was ok but...
I had the honor of being the first on the new computer system that tracked them and since I did not have my 15 hrs in at 11:59:59 on Dec 31 It kicked my RLS out and made it inactive. I had to reapply repay the aplication fee etc It cost me several $ 100 to be reinstated (Did not have to retake the test, but was otherwise a new applicant).
john