Overview

Please review the information below, which outlines the processes for offering Nursing Continuing Education at UCLA Health.

All UCLA Health educational activities for nurses should be submitted to the Center for Nursing Excellence PRIOR to the activity.  It is necessary for UCLA Health to track all courses, even if contact hours are not awarded.  This includes classes, conferences, in-services, webinars, skill's days, etc. This ensures proper tracking, measurement of professional development outcomes and allows the Center to provide optimal support for the planning and hosting of all activities. 

Center Assistance

Nurse Planners are available to help from the initial planning stages through the completion of an activity. The Center is also able to offer limited administrative assistance. To learn more about what services the Center provides, see the Initial Course Contact Form.  Note: Not all resources are available for all events. The exact level of support will be discussed with your Nurse Planner. 

Planning Professional Development Activities

In order to allow for advertising and staff scheduling, we recommend allowing a minimum of 12 weeks for the planning of any educational activity.  Larger events and conferences will require additional planning time.

Five-Step Process for Awarding Contact Hours

There are five steps required for the submission of an educational activity.  Note that there are no longer separate forms for BRN and ANCC offerings.

• Step 1: Complete the Initial Course Contact Form. You will be contacted by a Nurse Planner to discuss the details of the activity.
• Step 2: Submit the Planning Template no later than 6 weeks prior to activity. Email documents directly to your assigned Nurse Planner.
• Step 3: Submit the Disclosure of Conflict of Interest Form and a CV/Resume (updated within 2 years) for each planner/presenter no later than 2 weeks prior to activity. Email documents directly to your assigned Nurse Planner (note: The Center may have a presenter's CV/Resume on file. Please check with your Nurse Planner).
• Step 4: Submit all course material, including presentations & handouts no later than 2 weeks prior to activity. Email documents directly to your assigned Nurse Planner.
• Step 5: Submit post course materials, evaluations and attendance sheet no later than 5 days after the activity. Email documents directly to your assigned Nurse Planner.

Deadlines are important to ensure the quality of course content, provide adequate time for participant registration and to allow for posting of materials online. For a more detailed description of the five steps required for all educational offerings requesting contact hours, see the Tip Sheet: Five-Step Overview.

Repeat Courses

All activities, including repeat courses with the same content, must be communicated to the Center prior to the activity.  To meet BRN & ANCC requirements, course content from repeat courses must be reviewed annually by the Course Coordinator and the Nurse Planner.  (Hint: The Planning Template can be saved, revised & resubmitted for repeat activities).

Center Educational Calendar

To select the best date to host your activity, refer to the Center Educational Calendar.  This can help avoid potential conflicts with hospital events and overbooking of the Center's support staff and equipment. To request that your event be placed on the calendar, complete the Calendar Update Request Form.

Contact Hours (ANCC & BRN)

UCLA Health offers contact hours for nurses through both the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) and the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation (ANCC).  Course Coordinators should consider offering ANCC contact hours because many certifications held by UCLA nurses require ANCC contact hours for renewal. All courses that are awarded ANCC contact hours are automatically awarded BRN contact hours. See the Tip Sheet: ANCC vs. BRN for more information on the different requirements for providing contact hours.

Statements referring to contact hours on all flyers and course material must adhere to strict guidelines.  Do not distribute materials that indicate the type or number of contact hours until approved by the Center.

Educational Activities Not Awarding Contact Hours

Certain educational activities do not qualify for contact hours.  However, it is important for the Center to be notified of all educational activities in order to adequately track nursing professional development.  To notify the Center of an activity not awarding contact hours, complete the Initial Course Contact Form and select that contact hours will not be awarded.  

Helpful Resources

Tip-Sheets on how to construct a course and for help completing the required Planning Template:

Tip Sheet: Common Nursing Professional Development Terminology
Tip Sheet: Five-Step Overview
Tip Sheet: ANCC vs. BRN
Tip Sheet: Gap Analysis 
Tip Sheet: Learning Outcome vs. Learning Objective
Tip Sheet: Learner Feedback
Sample Course Planning Template (coming soon) 

Templates for Save-the-Date and Course Flyers:  Please note: We encourage you to work with the Center to create personalized flyers and other materials to advertise your event. Contact your Nurse Planner for more information.  Statements referring to contact hours on all flyers and course material must adhere to strict guidelines.  Do not distribute materials that indicate the type or number of contact hours until approved by the Center.

Save-the-Date Template
Flyer Template

Presentation slides and other templates:

Introduction Template Slides for Educators
Conclusion Template Slides for Educators
Blank Evaluation
Blank Sign-in

Required forms for all educational activities awarding contact hours:

Course Coordinator Forms

Frequently Asked Questions: (coming soon)   

We appreciate any feedback on our website, forms and process for submitting educational activities for contact hours:
Comments & Suggestions 

For questions, contact:
Kathleen Feldman
Nursing Professional Development Specialist
Center for Nursing Excellence
kfeldman@mednet.ucla.edu