Q. How do I take the courses?
A. They are open-book tests. You need both the book (or article online) for the content and the test questions. The most efficient way is to scan ahead on the questions and answer them as you read. For paper and pen courses, send us a copy of the answers, along with your Submission Form and Evaluation. You get credit for doing the work, so we need to see your answers. (Only Nutritional Care for High-Risk Newborns and the online courses require a 70% passing grade.) We will send you the correct answers and a Certificate of Completion for your records-usually within a week. Check your answers against the correct answers. Online courses will be graded online and if you get 70% correct or higher, a Certificate of Completion will be e-mailed to you within 24 hours.

Q. What are the differences between Continuing Education (CE), Continuing Professional Education (CPE) and CE Contact Hours for nurses?
A. CE and CPE are the same and are measured in one-hour or 60-minute intervals. The contact hour for nurses is 50 minutes long.

Q. How soon will I get credit for the completed course?
A. You control that. You get credit on the day it is postmarked or the day you answer the questions online. For dietitians and dietetic technicians, you will get credit in the current fiscal year if it is postmarked by May 31st. If you have a particular month for licensure that the Certificate of Completion must list as the date, mail the answers in sufficient time and indicate you want us to use the date of postmark on the form. We can fax your Certificate to you. CDR will take 4-6 weeks to list the hours on its web site. Your Certificate is your proof the course was processed-use it in any dispute.

Q. Will Helm Publishing submit my hours to CDR or to state licensure boards?
A. For dietitians and dietetic technicians, we send the CPE records monthly to CDR, and send a Certificate of Completion and the correct answers to you for your records. After 2005, we will only send the information to RDs and DTRs for their portfolios not CDR.

Nurses will receive a Certificate of Completion and the correct answers for your records. If you have special needs, like last minute hours for state licensure, you must let us know so that we give priority to your exam. We can fax your Certificate to you.

Q. What do most courses look like? What kinds of questions?
A. Course questions vary depending upon the content of the book. There are multiple choice, true and false, and fill in the blank questions. Questions are in the order they appear in the book.

Q. For RDs and DTRs, what is the difference between the 15 hour and 25 hour courses?
A. The shorter course is a portion of the longer one. Both courses are on the core content of the book, but the longer course has more depth and breadth. The book is the same for both.

Q. What does the expiration date on the study guide mean?
A. A self-study course is approved for 3 years-that date is the renewal/expiration date--when it must be re-approved by reviewers to make sure it is current. Our courses usually run for 6 years (two approval periods) unless a book goes out of print. You can always call toll free 877-560-6025 to check on a renewal date. A year in advance, we warn customers in our brochures and web site if a course will not be sent for re-approval.

Q. I'm going onto the CDR Portfolio System, what do I do differently?
A. When you fill out your portfolio, we suggest that you do not set your topic goals so narrow that it is difficult to get your CPE hours at state and local meetings. Add at least one goal that allows flexibility and breadth, like staying abreast of cutting edge topics in nutrition. You should keep your Certificates of Completion in a safe place. For the next 2 years Helm Publishing will turn in all RD and DTR hours to CDR, but after 2005 CDR will be out of the recording business. You must keep your own records and we will keep master records for 7 years. If you need another copy of your Certificate, we will gladly send you one for a $15 processing fee.