Lorman Education Services Review

Lorman Education Services (Lorman) provides online courses for compliance resource purposes and continuing education. Since Lorman’s establishment in 1987, they has helped over 1.4 million people remain compliant and earn continuing education credits.

Lorman: Continuing Education Credits

Some professionals are required to earn continuing education credits to remain licensed or certified.

For example, a licensed real estate agent in Alabama needs 15 hours of continuing education every two years. License renewal is possible only if the continuing education requirement is met. That’s where a course provider such as Lorman enters the picture.

Lorman offers courses that provide several types of continuing education credit. The type of credit needed depends on the industry.

Below are some of the continuing education credits available from Lorman:

• Continuing Legal Education (CLE) – Continuing education for attorneys.
• Continuing Professional Education (CPE) / National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) – CPE/NASBA is continuing education for certified public accountants (CPAs).
• Engineering Continuing Education (ENG) – Continuing education courses for engineers.
• Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI) – Continuing education courses for human resource professionals.
• Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) – Continuing education courses for human resources management professionals.
• American Institute of Architects (AIA) – Continuing education for architects.
• National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA) – Continuing education for legal assistants.
• International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) – Continuing education for office and administrative professionals.
• Enrolled Agents – Continuing education for enrolled agents. Enrolled agents are federally authorized tax advisors who represent taxpayers dealing with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
• American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers (AIPB) – Continuing education for bookkeepers.
• American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) – Continuing education for health information professionals.
• American Psychological Association (APA) / Forensic Psychiatry Care (FPC) – Continuing education for professionals in the field of psychiatry.
• American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP). Continuing education for certified planners.

Course descriptions indicate which continuing education requirement they fulfill.

For example, the Fundamentals of Health Care Law is a course that gives credit for CLE and NALA continuing education. Another example is The Basics of HIPAA Privacy and Security, which provides AHIMA continuing education credit.

Available Course Topics from Lorman

Lorman currently offers courses on 30 topics. But keep in mind that courses and topics are continuously updated. After selecting a topic, all the courses grouped under that topic are displayed.

Take the topic legal, for example. Choosing legal as a topic currently displays 305 courses. Fundamentals of Healthcare Law, Legal Ethical Issues, and Directors and Officers Liability are examples of courses available under legal topics.

Construction is another training topic. There are currently 246 courses available under construction. All topics have several courses available, and there are hundreds of courses to choose from for each topic.

Lorman Learning Formats

Lorman courses are available in a variety of formats. Also, some courses are available in more than one format. In that instance, the student gets to choose which format is best for them.

Current course format options are:

• OnDemand – OnDemand courses consist of presentations, PDFs, downloadable MP3s, and videos. Students access the content when it’s convenient and learn at their own pace. However, if it’s necessary to complete the course by a deadline, students should make sure to finish the course on time.
• Live webinars – Live webinars take place in real-time. The webinar is viewed live and isn’t pre-recorded. In the case of a live webinar, students must attend at the designated time.
• In-House Training – In-house training is an option for businesses and organizations that want to train employees. Half-day, full-day, and multiple-day training options are available at a location specified by the business or organization. In-house training can also take place via a live webinar.
• Slide Deck – A slide deck is a page in a presentation. A group of slides is often referred to as a slide deck. A PowerPoint presentation is an example of a slide deck.
• Reports & White Papers – Reports and white papers are informative documents that address a specific issue.

Choosing the Best Course Format for You

Most courses are available in more than one format. When enrolling in a course, the available formats are listed. Make sure to choose the correct desired format before proceeding to payment.

For example, The Basics of HIPAA Privacy and Security course is available in three formats: on-demand, MP3 download, and an all-access pass. An all-access pass is an option that provides a full year of unlimited access to courses in any format.

The on-demand and MP3 options cost the same ($219). But the all-access pass costs more ($699) because it’s a full year of unlimited access to several additional courses.

Lorman Education Services Payment Plans

There are currently three payment plans for the Lorman courses.

• Individual Courses – This option is for individuals who want to pay per course for live webinars and on-demand courses. Single courses are generally between $99 and $249. With this plan, individuals can purchase as many courses as they want, as often as they want.
• Enterprise Package – The Enterprise Package is for businesses and organizations that want employees to take courses. This package includes a 12-month group license, team administration, team reporting, and a team dashboard. Also included is unlimited training for all users and team training assignment tools. Price varies based on the number of people in the team, and it’s necessary to request a price quote.
• All-Access Pass – This option is for individuals who want access to several courses but don’t want to pay separately for each course. The $699 fee provides single access to a 12-month license that includes unlimited live webinars, on-demand courses, videos, and slide decks. There’s also a credit tracker that allows individuals to track the continuing education credits they’ve earned.

Course Instructors

Courses have one or more instructors. The course description provides details about each instructor. Professionals teach courses with years of experience in the topic they teach.

For example, Lean Health Care: Without Compromising Quality Health Care is an available course currently taught by Shannon B. Stewart. The course description contains the name, photo, and credentials of the instructor.

Clicking the instructor’s photo reveals information about the instructor’s credentials. According to the description, Shannon B. Stewart has more than 30 years of experience in the healthcare industry, has authored a book, and is an executive coach of a consulting firm. Instructor contact information is provided as well.

Another example is the course Compliance with Medicare 60-Day Overpayment Rule. This course has two instructors, both of whom have a long list of professional accomplishments in Medicare and Medicaid.

Lorman’s Live Customer Service

Lorman’s live customer service is available Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm central time. Online chat is available during the same time.

While reviewing Lorman and their available courses, we spent a few minutes talking to one of their online chat representatives. The representative was great and answered several questions we had about courses as well as available payment plans.

The only negative we could find from other users online were reports to the Better Business Bureau against Lorman concerning spam emails. However, the complaint has been marked as resolved, which in our experience often shows that the company takes care of their customers. Overall, the online comments we found about Lorman and its courses were favorable.

As always, it’s wise to research a course provider before enrolling in a course. Former students often share good and bad experiences on social media or forums. Searching online for comments by former students is a good way to learn more about a course provider.

Continuing Education with Lorman

Lorman Education Services has a good reputation as an online continuing education course provider. There are also plenty of other providers, so it’s possible to compare several services.

Some benefits associated with Lorman include:

• Options to fit just about any budget. Price is often an issue for most people. Some people can afford to spend hundreds of dollars on a course, but not everyone has that same luxury. That’s why Lorman has options when it comes to paying for its courses.

Individuals can pay for courses on an individual basis. This option makes it possible to purchase courses whenever it’s convenient.

For example, an individual might want to take several courses, but paying for them all at once isn’t convenient. With the individual course option, it’s possible to pay for each course as time and money allow. And the all-access option is for individuals who want access to several courses all at once.

• Dependable customer support. Lorman receives high scores in the area of customer support. Lorman customer support is easily accessible Monday through Friday from 8 am to 5 pm central time. It’s possible to reach them by phone, email, or online chat.
• Courses are available in several formats. It’s convenient when courses are available in several formats. Individuals can choose which format is best for their needs. For example, one person might prefer to access a course using slide decks. But another person might prefer to download the same course in MP3 format.

Most individuals enjoy being able to tailor courses to their individual preferences. That makes the learning experience more enjoyable and fulfilling.

• Lorman offers a wide variety of courses. Some individuals might feel a bit overwhelmed when searching courses offered by Lorman. Courses are conveniently grouped by topic, but even then, each topic has hundreds of courses available. However, doing a refined search makes it much easier to navigate the courses.
• Lorman makes it clear what to expect from each course. Most questions anyone would have about a course are answered right on the course description page. A typical course description includes:
  • Details about the course.
  • Details about the course instructor(s) and their accomplishments.
  • A detailed course outline.
  • Details about the type of continuing education credit(s) the course provides.

When it comes to choosing a course, Lorman makes the decision as easy as possible. They anticipate possible questions and provide the answers in the course description.

Lorman Education Services

Lorman is worth considering for anyone in need of continuing education. However, it doesn’t hurt to consider additional continuing education providers. Just know that Lorman has a reputation as one of the best online continuing education course providers.