Some of the most frequently asked questions about continuing nursing education (CNE) approval, criteria, and policies.
Q: What learning content qualifies as CNE for nurses?
A: The ANCC Commission on Accreditation (COA) has not identified specific topics that are or are not considered CNE. CNE builds upon the registered professional nurse’s education and experience. Contact hours, then, cannot be awarded for basic or generic nursing education content. The ANA Scope and Standards of Practice for Nursing Professional Development further distinguishes CNE from in-service and orientation, which also are not eligible for contact hours. Depending on the education design and program goal(s), target audience, objectives, and content, an activity may or may not be considered CNE. Accredited approvers are accountable to see that activities meet the overall philosophy of continuing nursing education as presented in the ANA standards.
Q: Can planning of a CNE activity be done via conference call or e-mail rather than in person?
A: Yes. Just as the ways of presenting CNE are changing in this age of distance technology, audio conferences, teleconferences, electronic mail, etc., planning does not need to take place face-to-face.
Q: Can presenters obtain contact hour credit for a CNE activity they present?
A: No. The Commission on Accreditation education design focuses on the learner, and only the learner who successfully completes a CNE activity should receive contact hours. Presenters are selected for their knowledge and expertise in the content area. Just as faculty at colleges or universities do not receive semester credits for the courses they teach, CNE presenters do not receive contact hours for their presentations.
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Q: Can a ‘live’ presentation be taped and given for credit later?
A: Yes. If the activity will be used independently by the learner, rather than as a “student” in a classroom/seminar experience this is considered to be a different learning activity. The sponsor must develop the tape into a CNE activity based on the materials and strategies used and submit it for nursing contact hours separately from the classroom presentation. Some different information that would be required would include: how contact hours were determined, as it was not a classroom presentation; how you would validate that the learner actually completed the course, for example a post test; and the inclusion of an evaluation tool that reflects an independent learning activity format.
Q: Can contact hours/certificates of attendance be awarded to participants from other health care disciplines who attend CNE activities?
A: Although the activity should at a minimum build upon the education and experiential bases of the professional nurse, the target audience may include other disciplines. The criteria require that all participants who successfully complete a CNE activity receive written verification of this including the number of contact hours awarded. A provider may delineate the parameters of successful completion to be specific to registered nurses or to all participants within the target audience. Providers should remember that the ANCC system and contact hours are specific to nursing. Other disciplines may or may not recognize contact hours.
Q: Can a participant who attends only a portion of an activity receive credit?
A: The provider should base this decision on its own policies and procedures and the criteria for verifying participation and successful completion of the activity. Was the intent of the activity that the learner achieves all objectives? Or, attend 90 percent of the activity? Or, was the activity designed to allow for distinct sessions, each with its own set of objectives? In this case it is necessary to award different numbers of contact hours based on the number of sessions attended.
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Q: Why must the nurse planner be involved in all CNE activities provided under an organization’s provider status?
A: Once an organization is approved as a provider, it is responsible for implementing the criteria. The direct participation of the nurse planner, whose expertise and position description was reviewed during the application process, ensures that the criteria are correctly implemented and the overall integrity of the ANCC/NYSNA program maintained.
Q: Can I as the provider unit nurse planner grant contact hours for a CNE activity that other nurses in my own institution plan?
A: No, unless you are involved in the planning. Your role as the designated provider unit nurse planner is to be involved in the planning of the activity, not to certify that other nurses planned an activity completely. Other nurses in your facility should know to contact you as soon as they decide they want to offer an activity so that you can fulfill your responsibility and contact hours can be awarded if appropriate.
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Q: In addition to my role as the nurse planner for our approved provider unit, I also am a member of the education committee for the local chapter of my nursing specialty organization. This group is planning its annual conference and has asked if I can provide contact hours through our provider unit, since I am involved with the planning. Can our approved provider unit “co-sponsor” this event and award contact hours?
A: This is a complex issue and one that really must be considered based on a number of factors. First, the approved provider’s application describes the mission and goals of the organization and how the provider unit goals are congruent with them. Therefore, the provider unit must carefully consider if the mission and goals of the “co-sponsoring organization” are consistent with theirs. If this criterion is met and your organization (not just a nurse planner from the provider unit) has consented to enter into a co-sponsorship arrangement of a CNE activity, it could be acceptable for your provider unit to award contact hours as long as the following criteria are met:
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For more information, contact Education, Practice and Research at 518.782.9400, ext. 282 or by e-mail.