Professional Development Explained
ANCC currently has five professional development categories. Additional options will be announced in mid-2008. In 2009, the professional development requirements for all certification renewals will change. Most candidates renewing may select two of the five categories or double any one category. The five categories are explained below.
Use the renewal application to document your professional development activities. Please do not include backup documentation (for example, photocopies of continuing education certificates.) Only those applications randomly selected for audit will be required to send backup documentation.
NOTE: All professional development must be obtained during your five-year certification period.
If your certification is Adult Health Clinical Nurse Specialist; Adult Nurse Practitioner; Cardiac Rehabilitation; Family Nurse Practitioner; Gerontological Nurse Practitioner; Gerontological Clinical Nurse Specialist; Nursing Administration; Nursing Administration, Advanced; or Nursing Professional Development, then unique requirements apply.
Category 1: Continuing Education Hours
Complete 75 contact hours of continuing nursing education (or 150 continuing nursing education hours if you are doubling this category.) At least 50% of the hours must be from an educational program/organization accredited by American Nurses Credentialing Center or on the accepted list of organizations below. At least 51% of your continuing education hours must be related to your certification specialty.
Adult and Family Nurse Practitioners are required to use this category for one of their two professional development categories. They also have the option of doubling this category.
What counts?
Officially approved nursing continuing education contact hours accredited by American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) (e.g., seminars, workshops, conferences, and presentations that award contact hours). See our approved list of providers.
Nursing continuing education that is not officially approved may be used as long as the content is applicable to your area of certification (e.g., in-services, workshops, study modules, grand rounds offered by your place of employment).
Independent study that is approved for continuing education may be used for 100% of the contact hours required (e.g. home study programs, articles from journals, CME articles, other health discipline independent study modules).
Other health disciplines' continuing education hours may be used if the content is applicable to your area of certification (e.g. CME credits, social work, counselors, physical therapists). Continuing educations hours approved by any of these organizations will meet the ANCC-accredited CNE criteria (This list is not comprehensive.):
- American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP)
- American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP)
- American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA)
- American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM)
- American Psychiatric Association (APA)
- American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA)
- American Psychological Association (APA)
- Emergency Nurses Association (ENA)
- National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women's Health (NPWH)
- National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP)
- Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) (includes CME)
- Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) (includes CPE)
As needed, you can use these formulas to convert continuing education credit.
- 1 contact hour = 1 CME or 0.1 CEU or 60 minutes
- 1 CEU = 10 contact hours
Category 2: Academic Credits
Complete either five semester hours or six quarter hours of academic courses in your certification specialty. If you double this category, then submit 10 semester hours or 12 quarter hours subject to the conditions below:
- Course content must be applicable to your area of certification.Courses taken toward degree completion and advanced degrees may be used if they are applicable to your area of certification.
- However, academic hours awarded for the dissertation or thesis that are used in Category 2 may not be used for Category 4.
- Academic Independent study courses are acceptable.
- Audited courses may not be used.
- Degree "core" courses or general education credits such as English, literature, math,music,and physical education may not be used.
- You may convert academic credit to category 1--see equivalencies below.
You can convert academic hours to contact hours by using this formula:
- 1 academic semester hour = 15 contact hours
- 1 academic quarter hour = 12.5 contact hours
Category 3: Presentations
Present five different topics related to your certification specialty. Presentations that are a requirement of your employment are disqualified from this category. If you double this category, then you must present 10 different topics related to your certification specialty.
Fulfillment of this category is subject to the conditions below:
- Must result from five different educational presentations made to other health professionals on topics related to your area of certification.
- Full-time nursing faculty who use didactic lecture time toward the practice requirements may not use presentations or lectures that are part of their job expectations. However, full-time nursing faculty may use guest lectures and other presentations made outside the normal duties of their job.
- Presentations of non-approved continuing education offerings through your place of employment as well as approved workshops, seminars,and conferences may be used.
These specialties may not double Category 3: Adult Health Clinical Nurse Specialist, Gerontological Nurse Practitioner, Gerontological Clinical Nurse Specialist, Nursing Professional Development.
Category 4: Publication or Research
Publication: Publish an article in a peer reviewed journal or a book chapter or develop education materials (such as a CD or web-based materials. Articles that are not yet published may not be used.) If you double this category, then you must have published two different articles in peer reviewed journals or developed two different education materials.
Research: Serve as the primary investigator in an IRB-approved research project related to your certification specialty and completed during your five year certification period, or complete a master's thesis or doctoral dissertation in your certification specialty. You can double this category by competing two IRB-approved research projects as the principle investigator. You can also double this category by completing one publication and one research project.
Nursing Professional Development may not double Category 4.
Fulfillment of this category requires one published article or book chapter, or one research project, or one "other educational media" project, or completion of a doctoral dissertation or master's thesis in the specialty area, subject to the conditions below:
- The phrase "other educational media" refers to the development of educational materials such as a CD ROM, videotape, or other media presentation. Evidence may include topical brochure, handouts, etc.
- The article must be published in a referred journal. Evidence of peer review and proof of publication must accompany the candidate's application. Evidence may also be in the form of a table of contents, or first page of an article with researcher's name apparent. A copy of article or chapter must be submitted if audited.
- The research project must be completed during the five-year certification period. In addition, the candidate must be one of the primary recognized researchers, the research must be approved by an appropriate investigational review board, and it must be applicable to the candidate's area of certification.
- Completion of a doctoral dissertation or master's thesis within the specialty area may be used. However, academic hours awarded for the dissertation or thesis that are used in Category 4 may not be used in Category 2.
- Category 4 always requires evidence of publication, research project, etc. Materials submitted must show dates.
Category 5: Preceptorship
Complete a minimum of 120 hours of direct clinical supervision to nursing students in your certification specialty. Note: Advanced practice nurses can apply preceptor hours only for students at the master's level or higher in nursing.
Fulfillment of this category is subject to the conditions below:
- Preceptors provide direct clinical supervision to baccalaureate or higher degree students.
- Direct supervision must be provided to students at the same level of your certification and in a focus that is applicable to your certification.
- Documentation must be provided by the school of nursing for which the preceptorship was done. Use the Preceptorship Documentation form in the renewal application.
- Preceptorship hours can not be counted toward the clinical practice requirement. The preceptorship form must be submitted as evidence.
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