Approved Provider
Continuing Nursing Education Information for Approved Providers
An Approved Provider is an individual or organization who supports the delivery of nursing continuing professional development (NCPD) activities and has been operational as a provider of NCPD activities for at least 6 months. An Approved Provider may be a single unit or part of a larger organization. The Approved Provider is responsible for developing individual education activities and awarding contact hours to nurses for use in fulfilling the unit’s goals for professional development.
For eligibility, the Approved Provider unit must fall into one of the following categories:
C/SNA of the ANA
College or University
Healthcare facility
Health-related organization
Multidisciplinary educational group
Professional nursing education group
State Nursing Organization (SNO)
The Approved Provider Unit cannot be a commercial interest or must not have marketed the majority (greater than 50%) of their activities to nurses in their geographic region.
Check hhs.gov for the identification of your region plus the states contiguous to your region.
If your target audience is broader than those areas identified above, you are not eligible to apply to be an approved provider unit through MNF. You are, however, eligible to contact the ANCC Accreditation Program to apply for accreditation as a provider unit.
Initial applicants must have implemented at least three separate educational activities in the last 6 months that adhere to the ANCC Accreditation Criteria. These activities cannot be co-provided and must have at least 60 minutes in length.
The Approved Provider submits a self-study and three sample activities conducted within the last year for review. If all ANCC criteria are met, Approved Provider status is granted for a three-year period.
Once approved, the Approved Provider continues to assess learner needs, plan, implement and evaluate educational activities which adhere to the relevant criteria of the ANCC Accreditation Program within the agency without submission of an application to the Foundation with each activity. Contact hours are awarded and NOT applied for. An Approved Provider cannot approve another agency’s educational activity. The words “applied”, “application”, or “approved” should NOT be used with Approved Provider status.
The Approved Provider is responsible for submitting a report annually of activities conducted to the ANCC’s Nursing Activity Reporting System (NARS).
For renewal, the Approved Provider submits a self-study application of the continuing education process with sample three educational activities along with the payment fee every 3 years.
FORMS/RESOURCES FOR APPROVED PROVIDERS
Approved Provider Self-Study Template
NARS Annual Reporting Resources
Provider - Individual Activity Applicant
Approver Unit Continuing Nursing Education Information for Providers (Individual Activity Applicant)
The Provider is any individual or organization who is dedicated to assessing learner needs, planning, implementing and evaluating an educational activity which adheres to the relevant criteria of the ANCC Accreditation Criteria.
The process for applying for approval of a nursing continuing professional development (NCPD) activity is listed below. All completed paperwork should be submitted electronically to the MNF office at kdorr@msnurses.org and the Accredited Approver Program Director (AAPD), Lindy O’Neill, RN, NPD-BC, MS, CNS at nurseone@gmail.com for review (see the payment fee form for dates and payment). The fee depends on the number of contact hours requested and the number of days the application is submitted before the presentation date. If the application is submitted later than 20 days before the presentation date, you must contact the office to request review (which may not be available) and the application/late fee.
Steps in the NCPD process:
INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY APPLICANT (IAA)
Step 1 – Establish eligibility (complete the Applicant Eligibility Verification-Attachment 1). An ineligible company cannot provide an accredited NCPD activity (see Standards for Integrity).
• Required: Applicant Eligibility Verification Form
Resource: Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education - check the web link for the current document and resources at: ANCC Standards for Integrity and Independence
Step 2 - Identify a problem in practice or an opportunity for improvement or the professional practice gap (PPG).
Step 3 – Identify the planning committee. The nurse planner must be a registered nurse with a current, unencumbered nursing license (or international equivalent); and hold a baccalaureate degree or higher in nursing (or international equivalent). The planning committee must include at least two people: the nurse planner and a content expert (the nurse planner may function as both). Other individuals may be selected, as appropriate, to help plan the activity. The nurse planner is responsible for ensuring adherence to the ANCC criteria.
Step 4 – Analyze the professional practice gap (PPG) to determine what is causing the problem or why is there a need for improvement and gather evidence to validate the PPG. Is it a knowledge gap (nurse doesn’t know something)? Is it a skills gap (nurse doesn’t knows how to do)? Is it a practice gap (nurse doesn’t know how to apply or implement in practice)?
• Resource: Gap Analysis Worksheet
Step 5 – Describe the target audience Registered nurses must be part of the target audience that the educational activity is expected to impact. Other health care members can be part of the target audience.
Step 6 - Develop measurable learning outcome(s) to identify what is expected of the learners at the end of the activity. The learning outcome(s) flow from the PPG to address the knowledge, skills, and/or practice needs which are action oriented, observable, and measurable. Learning objectives are no longer required.
• Resource: Tips for Writing Learning Outcomes
Step 7 – Select an evaluation method for evaluating the learning outcomes through short-term or long-term options. Explain how you will collect evidence to show change in knowledge, skills and/or practices of target audience at the end of the activity. Examples: knowledge (self-report on Likert scale, post-test), skills (intent to change practice, demonstration), practice (6-month post-program evaluation or observation).
Step 8 - Choose content for the activity based on best available evidenced-based references that are realistic and achievable along with engaging learner activities (Lecture and PowerPoint do not count), selection of presenter(s).
• Resources: Guidance for Nurse Planners, Authors, and Faculty: Ensuring that Clinical Content is Valid and Template for Peer Review or Content Review: Ensuring that Clinical Content is Valid (see ANCC Standards for Integrity Toolkit)
• Resources: Guide for Engaging Teaching Strategies and Planning Table
Step 9 – Calculate contact hours as the unit of measurement (NOT CEU). A contact hour is a 60-minute hour. Contact hours can be rounded to the nearest quarter (i.e., 2.76 hours could be 2.75). Breaks and mealtimes are not included in the calculation of contact hours.
Step 10 - Decide criteria for awarding contact hours (%attendance, post-test, etc.) - what the learner must do or achieve to receive contact hours for the activity which relates to the learning outcome(s) and be enforceable for the activity.
Step 11 - Identify, Mitigate, and Disclose all relevant financial relationships for all individuals in a position to control content (see ANCC Toolkit) for clinical based activities. Please note that the new entitled Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education (ACCME, 2020) and must be fully implemented fully by July 1, 2022.
If the activity is NONCLINICAL in nature (e.g., preceptor development, or leadership), identification, mitigation, and disclosure of financial relationships are NOT required.
If the activity is a CLINICAL TOPIC, complete the required forms in the ANCC Toolkit:
· Template for Collecting Information about All Financial Relationships – page 4
· Nurse Planner’s Worksheet for Mitigation of Identified Relevant Financial Relationships – page 5
Step 12 – Acknowledge commercial support (if applicable)
· Resource: IAA Commercial Support Agreement
Step 13 – Provide required information to the learners before the activity begins (disclosures). Include the Provider of activity, Joint Providership (if applicable), successful completion requirements, ANCC approval language, commercial support (if applicable), enduring materials expiration date (if applicable) and presence or absence of relevant financial relationships for all individuals in a position to control content, including mitigation (if applicable):
• Resource: Sample Disclosure Statements
Step 14 – Award contact hours and validate completion of the activity (certificate). The Provider must verify attendance and maintain records for six years. The certificate must include:
o Title and date of educational activity
o Name and address of the provider of the educational activity (a web address is acceptable)
o Number of contact hours awarded
o Activity approval statement as issued by the Accredited Approver
o Space for participant name
If contact hours are mentioned on marketing materials BEFORE APPROVAL, the following statement should be included on all marketing materials before an activity is approved:
This activity has been submitted to the Mississippi Nurses Foundation, Inc for approval to award contact hours. The Mississippi Nurses Foundation, Inc is accredited as an approver of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.
The ANCC official approval language for awarding contact hours after the application is approved:
The nursing continuing professional development activity was approved by the Mississippi Nurses Foundation, Inc, an Accredited Approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.
Step 15 – Record Keeping – the Provider is responsible for keeping the activity files (see list of items) for 6 years. All activity records are maintained by the Provider for six years in a secure and confidential manner.
· Required Documentation can be found in the record-keeping list
APPLICATION REVIEW AND APPROVAL PROCESS
Contact the AAPD regarding applicant eligibility. Once eligibility is established, complete the application and payment form. All forms should be submitted to the MNF office to Kasey Dorr, Operations Director at kdorr@msnurses.org. For questions and eligibility, contact the AAPD, Lindy O’Neill, at nurseone@gmail.com. The fee depends on the number of CE credit hours requested and the number of days that the application is submitted for review before the activity. If the application is submitted less than 20 days before the presentation, there is an additional fee and permission must be sought from the Accredited Approver Program Director (AAPD). There is no retroactive approval. The application fee and late fee (if applicable) can be submitted online at the Mississippi Nurses Foundation website: www.msnursesfoundation.com through the donation portal or by mail to: MNF, 31 Woodgreen Place, Madison, MS 39110.
• Required Forms: Provider Application and Payment form
A quantitative review will be conducted to ensure all required components are present. The applicant will be notified of any missing information. Failure to provide additional required information in a timely manner may result in denial of the application. Once the application is complete, all materials will be sent to the nurse peer reviewer(s) for a qualitative review. The AAPD conducts a review and makes a final decision based on adherence to the ANCC Accreditation Criteria. The application can be approved, approved pending, deferred, or denied. The AAPD will send the Provider a letter of notification of the decision rendered through email. The AAPD will guide the Provider through the process and assist with integration of the ANCC Accreditation Criteria.
· A NCPD application may be approved (application meets all requirements.) An application is approved for two years after its original approval. A provider may present an activity an unlimited number of times during this period without re-submitting it for MNF approval. A provider must notify MNF of any repeat of an activity at least 30 days prior to that repeat.
· A NCPD application may be approved-pending (application is incomplete). MNF notifies the provider within a week after the review of the application regarding the information necessary for approval. This information must be submitted to the Approver Unit prior to the date of the presentation in order to facilitate final approval. The Approver Unit does not approve an application retroactively.
· A NCPD application may be deferred (application needs substantial restructuring to comply with the ANCC criteria). A deferred application must be re-submitted to the Approver Unit with necessary revisions. MNF will review an application a maximum of three (3) times. No additional fee is required for the additional reviews.
· A NCPD application may be denied meaning the application does not meet MNF/ANCC requirements for approval.
Advertisement
Materials associated with the activity (marketing materials, advertising, agendas, and certificates of completion) must clearly indicate the Provider awarding contact hours and responsible for adherence to ANCC criteria.
If advertising is released prior to submission of the application, do not mention anything about seeking approval or awarding contact hours.
If advertising is released prior to approval AND after an application has been submitted, the following statements may be used:
“This activity has been submitted to the Mississippi Nurses Foundation, Inc for approval to award contact hours. The Mississippi Nurses Foundation is accredited as an approver of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.”If advertising is released after approval, use the ANCC approval statement of provider awarding contact hours:
“This nursing continuing professional development activity was approved by the Mississippi Nurses Foundation, Inc., an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.”