 | 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
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Single Activity Questions
Q. The activity is not receiving commercial support and therefore has no conflict of interest, do I have to respond to Supporting Evidence #2.6 and provide a copy of the conflict of interest form?
A: Yes. Disclosing conflict of interest in the activity is not limited to activities that have received commercial support. Conflict of interest from all planners and presenters must be disclosed for all activities regardless of the presence of commercial support. For application purposes, you will need to provide a description of your process for obtaining conflict of interest disclosures from planners and presenters and include a copy of the form that you will have planners and presenters sign.
Q: Supporting Evidence #4.1 asks the applicant to identify and provide supporting documentation of the number of contact hours awarded for the activity. What supporting documentation are they looking for?
A: The educational objectives and the level and amount of content to be provided dictate the amount of time that will be required when the learners and presenters interact in real time, as in a course, seminar, or videoconference. Each topic area should have a designated time frame. The time allotments for content for each objective should be sufficient to facilitate achievement of the objectives by the learner. Indicating the time allotted for each objective will satisfy this "supporting documentation." Whether the applicant is using the Educational Documentation Form or a narrative description of objectives, content, and time frame, they must indicate the time allotted for each of the objectives. Too often, adequate time is not allotted for the speaker to cover the content and help the learner achieve the objectives.
Q: Supporting Evidence #3.2 which states "Describe the teaching and learning strategies used in the educational activity, including delivery methods, learner feedback mechanisms and resources used" is confusing. Haven’t I already done this if I am using the educational documentation form?
A: YES. If the applicant has completed the Educational Documentation Form then the areas of teaching and learning strategies; delivery methods, learner feedback mechanisms, and resources, have been addressed. We no longer have separate application forms for provider-directed activity involving participant attendance and a learner-directed activity i.e. internet, web-based, etc. There is only one application for both types of activities. Therefore there are certain areas that have been included within the application that primarily address learner-directed activities. This supporting evidence is one of those areas. If the applicant is submitting a learner-directed activity for approval, they would need to elaborate on these five areas more than with a provider-directed activity that involves participant attendance.
Q: Under Criterion #1 it asks us to "Describe the process of activity planning (including the needs assessment, determination of target audience, objectives, content, teaching-learning strategies), identifying the Nurse Planner(s) and all other persons who participated in the planning process. Document content expertise of planners/ presenters." Do I need to list the objectives, content and teaching-learning strategies again if I am using the Educational Design Documentation Form or if I have already included them in my narrative?
A: This criterion is not asking the applicant to list the objectives, content and teaching-learning strategies for the activity, it is asking for them to describe the planning process and the determination of the listed items. It is the responsibility of the planning committee to plan, develop, implement, and evaluate the activity. What needs to be explained is the process that the planning committee goes through in determining the objectives, content and teaching-learning strategies. Who determines the target audience, objectives, content and teaching-learning strategies? What part does the committee play in the planning process and what part do the presenters play?
Q: Under the old criteria, we only had to document three hours of our seven-hour course. Is the new criteria stating that we now have to document all seven hours?
A: YES. The entire activity for which contact hours are given must be documented. This documentation may be submitted using the five-column format of the Educational Documentation form, or in a narrative describing the objectives, content, time frame, presenters/resources, and teaching strategies for a provider-directed activity; for a learner-directed activity completed at the learner's own time preference, content resources replace presenters, and methods must be appropriate to independent study.
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: How do I determine the appropriate review fee to include with the application I am submitting?
A: The review fee is determined by the number of contact hours the CE Approver Unit Review Committee will be reviewing, not necessarily the number of contact hours that the applicant will be awarding. For example, if you were submitting an application with the following agenda:
8:00 - 9:00am: General session
9:00 - 9:15am: Break
9:15 - 10:45am: Concurrent Sessions
1)
2)
3)
10:45 - 11:00am: Break
11:00-12:30am: Concurrent Sessions
4)
5)
6)
12:30 - 1:30pm: Lunch
1:30 - 3:00pm: Concurrent Sessions
7)
8)
9)
3:00 - 3:15pm: Break
3:15 - 4:45pm: Concurrent Sessions
10)
11)
12)
4:45 - 5:00pm: Evaluations
The committee would be reviewing 1155 minutes or 19.25 contact hours of documented material and awarding 19.25 contact hours to the organization submitting the application, but the participants could only receive a maximum of 7.25 contact hours if they attended. The review fee would be $425.00 for 17.1 – 23 contact hours not $250.00 for 5.1 – 11 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: The criteria have been expanded related to commercial support. The activity I am submitting is not receiving commercial support so how do I need to respond? Could I just say not applicable?
A: No. We have provided boxes for you to check within the application indicating Yes or No that the activity is receiving commercial support. Simply saying not applicable would not satisfy the criteria. We also direct you through the remaining points relating to commercial support depending on your responses.
Q: Under the new criteria, it is a requirement to have our presenters disclose conflict of interest by completing and signing a conflict of interest form. What does this form look like? There is no sample included within the application and I want to make sure that I meet the criteria.
A: We do have a sample form located in the 6th edition of the Continuing Education Excellence in Missouri: Education Activity Approval Manual. If you do not have access to the manual you may also view sample forms on our website at www.missourinurses.org. You may also contact the MONA office and request a copy of the form. Both planners and presenters must declare their interest by signing a conflict of interest form. Blanket statements are no longer accepted.
Q: Who is eligible to apply for MONA approval for education activities?
A: Any provider whose headquarters is located in the State of Missouri is eligible to seek approval of appropriate continuing education activities or apply for Approved Provider status. Applications from providers whose headquarters are in another state are accepted only if the state nurses association in the applicant’s state is not accredited as an approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Commission on Accreditation (COA).
Q: My agency does not have registered nurses on planning committees for CE activities. Can we still apply to MONA for CE approval?
A: No. The Missouri Nurses Association CE Approver Unit Committee will not review any application submitted for approval if there are no registered nurses on the planning committee. According to the current criteria, there must be at least one designated nurse planner and one other planner. The designated nurse planner(s) must hold at least a baccalaureate degree in nursing have been oriented to the ANCC COA/MONA educational design criteria, and been directly involved in planning and evaluating the educational activity. The planning group or committee must contain representatives from the following areas: relevant content expertise; target audience, and; responsibility for adherence to ANCC COA/MONA educational design criteria.
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 (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."
Q: How will participants know that an education activity has been awarded contact hours approved by the Missouri Nurses Association?
A: The following statement must be found on the certificate of attendance and on all written materials related to an approved education activity: "This continuing nursing education activity was approved by the Missouri Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation."
Q: What is the difference between a contact hour and CE unit? Are they the same?
A: A contact hour and the CE unit (CEU) are not the same. The ANCC uses the "contact hour" as the unit of measure for approved nursing education activities. The contact hour is a unit of measure "that describes 60 minutes of an organized learning activity, which is either a didactic or clinical experience or time spent evaluating the activity" (ANCC, 2006). The ANCC allows accredited approvers and providers of CE to award contact hours for 60 minutes of participation in an approved education activity. Besides didactic or clinical experience contact hours can also be awarded for the time spent evaluating the activity or for question & answer time. The International Association for Continuing Education and Training is an international organization that allows agencies such as colleges, universities, and professional agencies to award a Continuing Education Unit (CEU) for their educational programs. Criteria for awarding CEU provider status include evidence of responsible sponsorship, capable direction, and qualified instruction. One CEU represents ten contact hours of participation (600 minutes) in an organized continuing education experience; 0.1 CEU is equal to 60 minutes (ANCC, 2006). Staff development departments in a large health care or educational setting might be approved to offer both CEUs and contact hours. Since the CEU and contact hour are different units of measure, staff developers need to review their math when determining the amount of the unit to award participants. For example, if a program is 360 minutes long, the CEUs awarded would be 360 minutes or 6 hours ÷ 10 hours/CEU, or 0.6 CEUs. The contact hours awarded would be 360 minutes ÷ 60 minutes/contact hour, or 6.0 contact hours. It is important to note that the terms CEU and contact hour are not interchangeable.
Q: What is the appropriate way to list the approval statement and the contact hours on the certificate? We typically list these items in the same sentence. Is that still appropriate?
A: NO. In year’s past, approved activities could alter the approval statement on their certificates to also include the number of contact hours awarded to the participant. For example: the current approval statement reads "This continuing nursing education activity was approved by the Missouri Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation." Several approved activity providers would alter the statement to read "This continuing nursing education activity was approved for ___ contact hours by the Missouri Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation" to include the number of contact hours. The ANCC COA will no longer allow this alteration to the approval statement. From this point forward, please list the approval statement separate from the number of contact hours awarded to participants. You are still required to indicate the number of contact hours awarded for attending the activity and include the approval statement, but they can no longer be included in the same sentence.
Q. It is not clear to me if the rules regarding the approval statement say that it needs to be on a separate line or just a self-contained sentence.
A: The approval statement must be both a self-contained sentence and be on a separate line from any other statements.
Q. Can contact hours be awarded if the individual only attends a portion of an educational activity?
A: A provider needs to determine whether partial credit can be awarded for an educational activity and should have internal policies in place to make a sound decision when these situations occur. If the educational activity is designed to have individual sessions each with its own objectives, contact hours may be awarded only for those sessions attended. If a specific number of contact hours are awarded for attending an entire educational activity, the provider of the educational activity needs to determine if partial contact hours should be awarded, again, based on the provider's own policies and criteria for verifying participation and successful completion of an educational activity. Generally, participants who are absent for a portion of the formal presentation should be held to the same standard as those who attend the total educational activity. The provider must be able to describe how learners were informed of the requirements for completion (ANCC COA, 2006, p. 35).
Q: I am trying to respond to the criteria related to commercial support. We are not holding exhibits or receiving money from pharmaceutical companies, therefore we are not receiving commercial support for the activity. However, the activity is being sponsored by another company. How do I respond to the criterion?
A: If you are receiving funds, supplies or in-kind services from an outside agency then you are receiving commercial support. Commercial support is not limited to educational grants from pharmaceutical companies and exhibits. You will need to respond to criterion 8.1-8.4 as to how the integrity of the activity is being maintained when the activity is receiving commercial support.
Q: Our annual Perinatal conference is always generously sponsored by a large formula manufacturer. They pay all the speakers directly. They provide attractive conference bags with their logo, and their excellent print materials are part of the handout packet. They also display product information in the main classroom. Is this appropriate under the new criteria?
A: You will need to review the new guidelines carefully. You must have a written agreement with each entity providing commercial support, signed by both parties, that follows the ANCC COA guidelines. The provider or co-provider, not the commercial entity, must pay speakers or authors from an unrestricted educational grant. You must take care to keep educational content separate from product advertising; items with company ads or logos cannot be handed out where you register participants and hand out the educational packet, but rather at a separate table. Likewise, commercial advertising or logos can be present in an exhibit room, but not in the room where presentations occur. The presence of commercial support must be disclosed to participants in print or written form or by an announcement prior to the start of the activity.
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.
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.
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