Whether you are an accredited provider such as i3 Health or you are an educational partner working with an accredited provider, it's still important to understand the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) criteria that underlie nursing continuing professional development (NCPD) activities. This is part of a periodic series of posts looking at what each criterion means in general and what it might mean for you.

The second set of ANCC accreditation criteria focus on the structural capacity (SC) of the NCPD program. The three criteria within this section consider the commitment, accountability, and leadership of the program.

Criterion SC2 states:

How the Accredited Provider Program Director ensures that all Nurse Planners of the Provider Unit are appropriately oriented and trained to implement and adhere to the ANCC accreditation criteria.

In order to be accredited by the ANCC, a program is required to have a training process for their Nurse Planners. Now, not all programs use Nurse Planners. Some are small enough shops that they only have an Accredited Provider Program Director who fills the role of Nurse Planner (NP) as well as Program Director. But that individual had to learn how to do their job, so no matter how big or small an NCPD program is, it should still be able to describe how new staff are trained.

And since we are all people who work in continuing education, I shouldn't have to say that training is an ongoing process. As we all know, criteria can change. New challenges may arise that need new solutions. Just as we expect our learners to engage in education throughout their practice, NPs and the Accredited Provider Program Director should engage in education beyond a simple onboarding process.

In order to meet this criterion, your internal training program should include orientation, ongoing monitoring that NPs are adhering to the ANCC criteria, and additional education when the criteria change.

By meeting this criterion, your program shows that it holds its staff to high expectations but also provides the resources necessary for the staff to meet the program's expectations.

ANCC Accreditation Criteria Overview

Organizational Overview 1 (OO1)

Organizational Overview 2 (OO2)

ANCC (2021). Writing to the ANCC NCPD Accreditation Criteria Self-Learning Guide. Available at: https://www.nursingworld.org/~4b0217/globalassets/docs/ancc/manuals/ancc-2784-ncpd-writing-to-the-ancc-criteria-final-v-1.0-9.27.21.pdf

ANCC (2021). ANCC NCPD Accredited Provider Applicant Journey Guide. Available at: https://www.nursingworld.org/~4b0217/globalassets/docs/ancc/manuals/ancc-2530-ncpd-applicant-journey-toolkit-final-v-1.0-9.27.21.pdf 

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