Continuing Education Approval Process

ANCC Update -- Commercial interests, including speakers from industry, are no longer eligible for contact hour approval.

ANCC defines “commercial support” as financial, or in-kind, contributions given by a commercial interest, which is used to pay all or part of the costs of a continuing nursing education activity. ANCC does not consider providers of clinical service directly to patients to be commercial interests.

     An entity has a commercial interest if it:
           a. Produces, markets, sells or distributes health care goods or services consumed by or used
               on patients;
           b. Is owned or operated, in whole or in part, by any entity that produces, markets, sells or
               distributes health care goods or services consumed by or used on patients.

     An entity is NOT a commercial interest if it is:
           a. A government entity;
           b. A non-profit (503(c)) organization; or
           c. A non-healthcare related entity.

NOTE: A presenter is ineligible for approval if he or she is employed by a commercial interest as defined in the ANCC Standards for Commercial Support. A presenter employed by a commercial interest may present on topics unrelated to the commercial interest, such as leadership or mentoring.

For additional information, refer to ANCC Standards for Disclosure and Commercial Support, located in Supporting Documents on this page.

ONLINE APPLICATION

AORN’s online application makes applying for contact hours easy, surpassing industry standards. Our system expands the capability of our previous application in the following ways:

Larger educational activities that occur over several days can be completed in one application
You can create a basic promotional flyer by clicking a button
An index allows applicants to access over a dozen different parts of the application at any time so that you can complete information as you receive it.
Your approved application and Post Activity Reports are stored online, eliminating paperwork and filing.
Certificate of Attendance and Evaluation forms are automatically generated.

THE APPROVAL PROCESS

Continuing education activties for registered nurses (RNs) may be submitted to AORN's Continuing Education Approval Committee (CEAC) for approval of contact hours. This requires:

        1. Content classified as continuing education for nurses
        2. One planning committee member with a BSN/MSN degree in nursing
        3. A completed CE Approval Application -- now completely web-based
        4. Submission of the appropriate fee

Each application for approval of contact hours submitted to the AORN Approval Unit is reviewed by members of the Continuing Education Approval Committee (CEAC), a 16-member volunteer peer group of perioperative registered nurses, each holding a Bachelor of Science or higher degree in nursing. The Continuing Education Approval Committee's qualitative review ensures that the application is:

     Accurate
     Meets American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) criteria
     Is relevant to professional practice
     Meets the learning level of the target audience
     A Quality Assurance process to ensure consistency

Once an application has been reviewed, the applicant is notified of the results via email. If an application has met all ANCC requirements upon first review, the application is APPROVED immediately. If corrections are required, the application receives an APPROVAL PENDING status and the applicant is told specifically what information is still needed or needs revision and is provided with examples/suggestions to assist in making those corrections. A corrected application must be returned by a specified date and confirmed. If all requirements have been met, the program is APPROVED and final notification to the applicant is made.

No program may be presented without this final approval from the Approval Process Project Coordinator. Approval must be obtained before the activity date.

We recommend that you submit your application several weeks in advance of the activity date to allow enough time for any revisions that are required.

All applications receive a two-year approval. The program expires two years after the approval date and can be presented at any time during those two years.

If you are submitting your contact hour application for the first time, or if you would like a refresher, please refer to "Simplify the Application Process" located in Supporting Documents on this page.

SUBMITTING YOUR APPLICATION

Applications are accepted from AORN chapters, specialty assemblies, state councils, entrepreneurs, health care providers (hospitals, ambulatory settings, clinics), and other non-commercial interests. Providing a web-based process is new technology, and helps AORN promote standards and the latest research.

Go to the Online Application

For more information and for technical assistance, email the Approval Unit or contact by phone at 800-755-2676, Ext. 254 or Ext. 456.

The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses, Inc. is accredited as an approver of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.