 | P: 573.636.4623
F: 573.636.9576
info@missourinurses.org
Missouri Nurses Association
P.O. Box 105228
1904 Bubba Lane
Jefferson City, MO
65110
|
|
 |
Provider Questions
Q: Can an RN who has a bachelor’s degree in social work serve as the "Nurse Planner" for CE activities in our organization?
A: Registered nurses with a baccalaureate or higher degree in nursing may serve as the "Nurse Planner." This Nurse Planner(s) is involved in the entire process of delivery – from inception through evaluation and follow-up – for every continuing nursing education activity offered and guarantees that the ANCC COA/MONA educational design criteria is adhered to in the development and implementation of every continuing nursing education activity offered within the Approved Provider Unit (ANCC, 2006). At least one of the RNs on the planning committee for an educational activity must have a baccalaureate or higher degree in nursing. This requirement means that the RN must have a baccalaureate degree in nursing (typically a BSN), master's degree in nursing (may be an MS, MSN, or MA with a major in nursing), or a doctorate in nursing (typically a Ph.D. or Doctorate in Nursing Science). An RN who has an associate degree in nursing or is a graduate of a diploma school of nursing and does not have a baccalaureate or higher degree in nursing would not qualify as the "Nurse Planner" of an Approved Provider Unit.
Q: How will participants know that an education activity has been awarded contact hours approved by the Missouri Nurses Association?
A: Approved Providers of continuing nursing education must use the following statement on the certificate of attendance and on all written materials related to their educational activities: "(Name of Approved Provider) is an approved provider of continuing nursing education by the Missouri Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation."
Q. Are all educational activities of a staff development/continuing education department appropriate for CNE credit? What's the difference between continuing education, in-service, and staff development?
A: No, not all educational activities are suitable for CNE credit. For example, in-service educational activities are those learning experiences designed to help nurses acquire, maintain or increase their competence in fulfilling their responsibilities to deliver quality health care (ANA, 2000) and do not always qualify as CNE.
For example, the following activities are not appropriate for CNE contact hours:
- Recertification courses where little or no new information is presented,
- Orientation that focuses on facility policies and procedures, or documentation systems
- Basic Life Support courses, and
- In-service education on the use of a specific piece of equipment
Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between CNE, in-service, basic knowledge and staff development. According to the Scope and Standards of Practice for Nursing Professional Development (2000), nursing professional development activities exist in the overlapping areas of continuing nursing education, staff development, and academic education. The concepts of continuing competence and lifelong learning are central to all nursing professional activities (p. 4). "Continuing education refers to systematic professional learning, experiences designed to augment the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of nurses and therefore enrich the nurses' contributions to quality health care and their pursuit of professional career goals. Staff development is the systematic process of assessment, planning, development, and evaluation that enhances the performance or professional development of health care providers and their continuing competence. Staff development activities, which generally are provided by nurses' employers and focus on competence assessment and development, include continuing education, orientation, and in-service educational activities"(p.5).
Educational activities for CNE build on and expand the basic knowledge acquired in nursing educational programs, provide new information relevant to nursing practice, and relate to the process and content of professional nursing. An educational activity for CNE might be developed for RNs who are involved in caring for patients with multiple organ failure, and would qualify as CNE; an activity teaching nurses how to use a new care path developed by the employer would be in-service, and would not qualify for CNE.
Q: In my agency, we usually only have time for a 30 minute program. Can we offer continuing education contact hours for these short educational activities?
A: No, contact hours can only be awarded by MONA to educational activities 60 minutes or more in length. Programs of less than 60 minutes cannot be awarded contact hours.
Q: When calculating the number of contact hours I find that the number is two digits past the decimal point, or more. For example, 1.66. What is the number of contact hours I should use?
A: You can either award contact hours in the hundredths (i.e., two digits past the decimal point) or round down to 1.6. Do not round up.
Q: Can contact hours be awarded to those individuals who are involved in the pilot testing of an educational activity?
A: No. Individuals who participate in the pilot testing of an educational activity should not receive contact hours for their participation. Pilot testing is important in demonstrating the effectiveness of the teaching or learning materials used in the educational activity and in determining the number of contact hours awarded. The pilot study focuses on critiquing the design of the educational activity and not on the achievement of learning by the participant.
Q: As an Approved Provider through MONA, I was recently asked if I could approve a program of an outside agency. Am I able to do this?
A: No. Approved Providers cannot approve any outside educational activities. If this happens there is a possibility that their Approved Provider status will be revoked. All inquiries should be forwarded to the MONA office.
An Approved Provider can only issue contact hours for education activities designed by that provider. Provider approval does not allow the provider to review education activities and award contact hours. Nor can an Approved Provider award contact hours for education activities provided by the agency if no member of the Approved Provider Unit has participated on the planning committee. If contact hours are to be awarded for an education activity, the designated lead Nurse Planner for the Approved Provider Unit must be involved in the planning of the activity from beginning to end. Key points for providers to remember are that Approved Providers provide but not approve activities. Approved Providers can only provide activities in which the Approved Provider Unit designated Nurse Planner(s) assume(s) an active role in the entire process, from planning through evaluation. Providers can never approve activities.
If an education activity is offered by two or more organizations (e.g., co-provided), the Approved Provider Unit or organization awarded provider approval by MONA may grant contact hours for the co-provided activity. However, the Approved Provider must have a co-providership policy that was included in the provider application submitted to MONA and that policy must be followed whenever co-providing occurs. It is also imperative that the education activity is planned and implemented with the direct involvement of at least one of the two nurse members of the agency's Approved Provider Unit.
Q: My agency is reluctant to submit budget information. How can we meet the criteria regarding financial support?
A: The intent of the criteria regarding budgeting is designed to demonstrate that the Approved Provider can financially support its CNE activities for the three (3) year approval period. A detailed budget is not required. The criterion states; "Briefly state the Approved Provider's sources of financial support and how financial support will be sustained throughout the period of approval" (ANCC COA, 2006, p. 39).
Q: Our agency’s Nurse Planner is married to a pharmaceutical executive whose company sometimes provides educational grants for our CNE program. Does this disqualify her from involvement in planning at those times?
A: The purpose of the more detailed guidelines for Disclosure and Commercial Support is to ensure independence in educational content. You must be able to show that each individual in a position to control the content of an educational activity, i.e. planners and presenters, disclose any financial interest in a commercial entity (Standard 2, ANCC COA, 2006, p. 82). ANCC COA interprets this as including financial relationships of a family member. The Nurse Planner is not disqualified, but must 1. Disclose the potential conflict of interest in the Conflict of Interest form, which is part of the activity file, and 2. Disclose the potential conflict of interest to learners of any such relationship either present, or within the past 12 months.
Q: If there is no conflict of interest, do we need to disclose it?
A: The provider must secure from presenters and planners a statement regarding conflict of interest on a vested interest form whether there is one or not. This information must also be disclosed to the learners.
Q: Is paying for food considered to be commercial support?
A: Yes.
Q: Our Oncology Nursing Society chapter often invites expert nurses who are on the speakers’ panel of drug manufacturers. What should we do to maintain compliance with ANCC COA criteria for disclosure and commercial support?
A: The speaker must disclose the relationship on the Conflict of Interest form, and you must inform learners either in print, or by verbal announcement prior to the activity. You must keep written documentation that verbal disclosure occurred. Slides and handouts must be free from company logos and advertising. According to criteria, presentations must give a balanced view of therapeutic options, and use of generic names of drugs is preferred; if trade names are used, trade names from several companies should be used.
Q: When submitting a provider application with three samples, it seems that the three samples have the same narrative. Is this appropriate?
A: When submitting an application for provider approval, the provider should individualize each of the samples submitted. If the narrative for the educational activity is written generically, this may indicate to the reviewers that the provider does not fully understand concepts affecting educational design. The responses to the statements on the application should demonstrate the uniqueness of each individual educational activity.
Q: Why do we have Criterion 2: Educational Design and also Criterion 5: Sample Activities. Aren’t they the same thing?
A: NO. The sections appear similar but one asks you to describe your procedure or process of planning all activities and the other is an example of adherence to the procedures you described. Criterion 2: Educational Design focuses on the overall planning of all educational activities within the Approved Provider Unit. You will respond to each Supporting Evidence with general information about all educational activities, not specific information to any one activity that has or will be offered. Criterion 5: Sample Activities is where the applicant will provide three samples of educational activities offered during the previous approval period. In some cases, if planning sheets are set-up accordingly, this can be a complete photocopy of the activity file from the file cabinet. Others may take some organization to submit the necessary paperwork to meet the application requirements. Either way, there will be narrative responses for Supporting Evidence 1-10, specific to that educational activity. These narratives will be followed by the supporting documentation required, i.e. educational documentation form, bios for planners & presenters, conflict of interest disclosures from planners and presenters, summary of evaluation, sample certificate, promotional materials, etc.
Q: Comments from the MONA reviewers on our last provider application indicated our evaluation of the overall provider program was weak. How can we enhance this aspect of our application?
A: In the new criteria, the emphasis is on continual quality improvement of the Approved Provider's activities and operations. The criterion states: "The Approved Provider engages in an ongoing evaluation process to analyze its overall effectiveness in fulfilling its beliefs, goals and functions, and in providing quality continuing nursing education. Plans and goals for the Approved Provider's future development in continuing nursing education are identified and reevaluated on a regular basis" (ANCC COA, 2006, p.37).
A plan for evaluation indicates that the provider has a systematic method for evaluating its goals, operations, resources, and activities, involving the participation of faculty, planners, and learners. According to Phillips (1994), there are seven steps in developing an evaluation plan: 1) Define the purpose of evaluation; 2) Identify resources and limitations; 3) Decide what is to be evaluated and when; 4) Decide specifically what it is you want to know; 5) Decide how to do it; 6) Draft a plan; and 7) Review and test the plan.
Q: My agency has received provider approval through the Missouri Nurses Association. We are in the process of merging with another agency. How does this affect our approved provider status?
A: The review of the application and the awarding of the Approved Provider status were effective for your agency prior to any merger. Approved provider status does not transfer to the newly merged and created agency. If an organization wants to continue to have Approved Provider status within the newly formed organization, the MONA CE staff should be contacted for guidance regarding what the organization needs to do to remain an Approved Provider.
If after reviewing the above FAQ’s you still have questions, please do not hesitate to contact Sara Fry, Continuing Education Coordinator, by email at sara@missourinurses.org or Voice: 573-636-4623 ext 224.
|
|
|
·
·
·
·
·
·
|
|
