Main Line: (888) 707-7762
Fax: (717) 657-3796
Email: panurses@psna.org

Our Accredited Approver Unit

The Pennsylvania State Nurses Association (PSNA) Accredited Approver Unit’s goal is to review education to meet the quality and standards of the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).  The Accredited Approver Unit currently approves over 60 Approved Provider Units and on average 100 Individual Activities each year.  The Accredited Approver Unit consists of an Accredited Approver Program Director, A Nurse Peer Reviewer and a Professional Development Assistant.

We accept applications for individual educational activities and approved providers. See the following links for information on how to get your education approved.

Do you want to learn more about how PSNA also PROVIDES education? Learn More.

Questions about getting your education approved?  Contact us at apply@psna.org today.

Learn

The Pennsylvania State Nurses Association offers several ways for you to stay current:

The Pennsylvania State Nurses Association is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

Pennsylvania’s Education Requirements

To provide the greatest clarity on the licensing process from start to finish, we will break it down into three phases, providing estimated times for each stage of the process, and recommendations for how to reduce processing times.

Click here to connect to the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing.

Support is available Monday-Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm

Need Assistance?

If you need assistance, send all questions related to applications/status to apply@psna.org.

Support is available Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

Individual Activity Approval Information

Get your educational activity approved by the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association. We are an accredited approver of nursing continuing professional development (NCPD) by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. Our experienced staff will make sure that you have all of the necessary components to make your program a success.

Learn more about our Individual Activity Applicant FAQs.

Step 1

Review The Manual

Please note – payments made for applications are Non-Refundable.  See page 6 of the IAA manual for more details.

If you are planning one event, review the IAA Manual

If you are interested in providing ongoing educational activities, review the APU Manual

Applications for approval of educational activities must be received a minimum of eight (8) weeks (56 days) prior to the first date of the educational activity.

Step 3

Complete

Please submit your application to apply@psna.org and make your payment below.

Complete this Application

FIRST TIME APPLICANTS are NOT able to request ACCELERATED reviews.

FAQ

What are the requirements for the Nurse Planner/Planning Committee of a CNE activity?

What is a Professional Practice Gap?

Professional Practice Gap (defined by ANCC)

The process of planning begins with identifying when CNE or IPCE might be a desired intervention to address a change that has been made to a standard of care, a problem that exists in practice, or an opportunity for improvement. Once an educational intervention is determined to be appropriate, a Nurse Planner is engaged to begin the planning process.

The Nurse Planner starts by analyzing data that validate the need for the educational activity. This analysis forms the basis of a professional practice gap or the difference between the current state of practice and the desired state of practice. It is important to note that a professional practice gap may exist for registered nurses or health care teams, regardless of the practice setting. Professional practice gaps are not limited to clinical practice and may also exist in areas of professional work such as administration, education, and research.

What is a Planning Committee?

Planning Committee (defined by ANCC)

Once the professional practice gap is identified, the Nurse Planner can begin to select individuals to assist with planning the educational activity by forming a Planning Committee, or the Nurse Planner may participate as a member of an interprofessional planning team. The Planning Committee must include at least two people: the Nurse Planner and a content expert. The Nurse Planner may function as both the Nurse Planner and the content expert; however, two people must be involved with planning each educational activity. Other individuals may be selected, as appropriate, to help plan the activity. The Nurse Planner ensures that the educational activity is developed in compliance with ANCC accreditation criteria.

Planning continues with further analysis of the professional practice gap. The Nurse Planner and Planning Committee evaluate the root causes of the gap, or why the gap exists. If the gap is related to a lack of knowledge, skills, and/or practices of registered nurses, an educational intervention is appropriate. The gap may exist for other reasons, however, and alternative, noneducational strategies may need to be considered.

What data can be included in the activity file?

Survey results and requests; literature review; evaluation results; requests; and outcome or quality data.

Download File Requirements For Activities

What are the requirements for learning outcomes?

Learning Outcome(s) (defined by ANCC)

The Nurse Planner and Planning Committee then develop the desired learning outcome for participants in the target audience. A learning outcome is written as a statement that reflects what the learner will be able to do as a result of participating in the educational activity. The learning outcome must be observable and measurable. The outcome addresses the educational needs (knowledge, skills, and/or practices) that contribute to the professional practice gap, and achieving the learning outcome results in narrowing or closing the gap. A learning outcome may be assessed over the short term or long term. There may be more than one learning outcome for an educational activity.

What is Required Regarding the Content of My Activity?

Content for Educational Activity (defined by ANCC)

Content for the educational activity may be chosen by the Nurse Planner and Planning Committee, or it may be selected by others participating in the educational activity, such as individual speakers or authors. It is the responsibility of the Nurse Planner and Planning Committee to ensure that content is based on the most current evidence, which may include but is not limited to evidence- based practice, literature/peer-reviewed journals, clinical guidelines, best practices, and content experts’ opinion. If there is concern that content selected is not based on best available evidence or may be biased within the educational activity, the Nurse Planner and Planning Committee may choose to engage a content reviewer. The purpose of a content reviewer is to provide independent and expert evaluation of content to ensure best available evidence is presented, the content is balanced, and the content is not promotional or biased. Content that has previously been developed may also be identified as appropriate to include within the educational activity. If previously developed content is incorporated, the Nurse Planner is responsible for ensuring the content meets the criteria for best available evidence and is appropriate in relation to the identified practice gap, and that permission to use the content has been obtained as applicable.

Fees for Individual Activity Reviews

Effective July 1, 2020

** First time applicants cannot request accelerated review.

Contact Hours ReviewedRegular Fee**Accelerated
0.25 - 3.0$150.00$300.00
3.25 - 6.0$200.00$400.00
6.25 - 10.0$300.00$600.00
10.25 - 15.0$400.00$800.00
15.25 - 20.0$500.00$1000.00
20.25 - 40.0$600.00$1200.00
40+$750.00$1500.00
FeesProposed
Pre-application 1:1 consult with AA-PD$50.00
Resubmission Fee for Incorrect Format$50.00

After Approval

You must complete the Post Activity Survey within 30 days of the end of the event.

The Pennsylvania State Nurses Association is accredited as an approver of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

Need Assistance?

If you need assistance, send all questions related to applications/status to apply@psna.org.

Support is available Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

Approved Provider

If your organization presents 15 or more educational activities every three years, you may be eligible to become an Approved Provider Unit. An Approved Provider Unit has the authority to plan, implement, and evaluate its own continuing education activities during the three-year period of Provider Unit approval.

APU Fees

FeeAmount Due
1st Time Application Fee$100.00
Single Organization (non-hospital)$1850.00
College or University$1800.00
Single Hospital < 700 RNs$1800.00
Single Hospital > 700 RNs$2500.00
Multi-Hospital System 1-3 Hospitals$3000.00
Multi-Hospital System 4-8 $3500.00
Multi-Hospital System 8+$4000.00

Annual Fees

(Due on “off application” years from each provider)

Number of NCPD ActivitiesAmount Due
0 - 10$75.00
11 - 50$200.00
51 - 100$300.00
101+$400.00
201+$500.00

The Pennsylvania State Nurses Association is accredited as an approver of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

Additional Fees

Review Cycle Deferral Fee$250.00
Provisional Status Report for Single Hospital, Small Organizaion or University$150.00
Provisional Status Report for Multi-System Hospital$250.00
Extension Fee for RenewalsCall for Price
Late Fee for Renewal$150.00
Late Fee for NARS$150.00
Decision Appeal Fee$500.00
Additional Activity Requested Review Fee$50.00
Special Request: 1 Hour Consult Meeting with AAPD$100.00
Special Request: 30 Minute Organization Consult Meeting with AAPD$50.00
Resubmission Fee$250.00

Who can be a Provider Unit?

In order to eligible, you must fulfill the following criteria.

  1. Your organization must have a defined unit/department administratively and operationally responsible for nursing continuing professional development (NCPD).
  2. Your organization must have a Nurse Planner(s) who meet(s) the following qualifications:
  • Holds a minimum of a BSN
  • Has an active and unrestricted RN license
  • Possesses knowledge of adult learning, ANCC accreditation criteria, and state rules
  1. Your organization must have planned, implemented and evaluated at least three separate activities that have been approved and have direct involvement of a qualified Nurse Planner. Jointly provided activities are not acceptable.
  2. Information regarding your target audience:
  • If your Provider Unit is based in Pennsylvania, more than 50% of your target audience shall be nurses within Pennsylvania.
  • If your Provider Unit is based outside of Pennsylvania, more than 50% of your target audience shall be nurses within the geographic range of your Provider Unit. Review the map to identify your region and/or the states contiguous to your region.
  1. Your organization may not be a commercial entity that produces, markets, re-sells, or distributes a product used on or by patients.

Intent to Apply or Re-apply as a Provider Unit

Use the following form to indicate your intent to apply (or re-apply) as a Provider Unit for nursing continuing professional development (NCPD) through the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association. This will enable us to verify your eligibility.

If you are a new applicant, a fee of $100 is due with your intent to apply. Once you receive confirmation that you are eligible to apply as a Provider Unit, you may submit your Provider application.

In order to avoid resubmission fees please submit your application according to these guidelines:

Submit ONE email to apply@psna.org with the following 4 PDFs (with correct labels):

  1. ONE PDF – labeled “Self-Study”
  2. ONE PDF – labeled “Activity 1”
  3. ONE PDF – labeled “Activity 2”
  4. ONE PDF – labeled “Activity 3”

Questions – contact us at apply@psna.org

Need Assistance?

If you need assistance, send all questions related to applications/status to apply@psna.org.

Support is available Monday-Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.