Our professional CE team will consult with you to ensure your activity meets all the necessary requirements for accreditation. Please contact the National Center OICPD at ipceapps@umn.edu as early in the planning process as possible. To avoid a rush fee, submit applications for credit at least 45 days before the activity. Accreditation compliance reviews take time and therefore, the National Center OICPD must receive the application no less than 30 days before the activity to be considered for approval.
To get started, a planning team should be established based on the need (area of focus or concern) you want to address. Interprofessional learning is a priority, therefore, an activity that is accredited interprofessionally must have an interprofessional planning committee that represents each member of the targeted audience, if possible. The presenting team must also include representation from the target audience and include, at a minimum, at least two professions. For example: a nurse and a physician or other professional combinations.
The National Center OICPD will also accredit uniprofessional activities, those designed for one profession’s scope of practice.
For questions or to arrange a consultation, please contact ipceapps@umn.edu.
How to Apply
To begin the process, send an inquiry to ipceapps@umn.edu with the information below. One of our CE coordinators will contact you to discuss your activity.
- Contact Information: Who will be the main point of contact for the activity program?
- Activity Information: Title, date(s), location, how the content will be delivered
- Audience Information: Anticipated number of attendees, composition of target audience
- Financial Information: How the activity/program will be funded, potential educational support (financial or in-kind)
- Services Requested: What types of services will be sought from the National Center OICPD
Based upon the conversation, the National Center OICPD will provide a customized Proposal for Services outlining the requested services, roles, and responsibilities, and a financial quote prior to the signing of a services agreement.
Planning Resources
The following resource guide provides additional information about required elements of the application process.
Disclosures
As a Jointly Accredited Provider of Interprofessional Continuing Education Credit, the National Center OICPD complies with the Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education. For an accredited CE activity, every planning committee member, presenter, evaluator, and moderator must disclose whether they have had a financial or ownership/employment relationships with ACCME-defined ineligible companies within the past 24 months, regardless of the amount.
It is the policy of the National Center OICPD to ensure that accredited continuing education serves the needs of patients and the public, is based on valid content, and is free from commercial influence in all of its educational activities. All individuals who have control over education content are required to disclose to the learners any financial relationships with ineligible companies. An ineligible company is one whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients (Examples of Eligibility). An individual who does not complete the disclosure form may not participate as a planner or presenter for the activity. Failure of planners or presenters to complete the disclosure process may jeopardize the accreditation of the activity at hand.
CV, Resumes, NIH-Style Biosketch
Anyone that is required to complete a disclosure for an activity is also required to submit either a CV, a resume, or an NIH-Style Biosketch. These are used by the CE coordinator to help mitigate possible influence on the accredited continuing education content.
Peer Review Process
Members of the ICPD Advisory Committee conduct peer review of activities to be accredited. For profession-specific activities, the peer reviewer will be from the same profession as the credit being issued. For interprofessional activities, 2 or more peer reviewers will represent 2 or more of the professions for which credit is being issued.
Evaluation
The National Center OICPD requires an evaluation of a continuing education activity in alignment with accreditation standards. The National Center OICPD has required Evaluation Questions for every activity, recapped by activity and rolled up to a program-level.
Learning Objectives
Clear, measurable learning objectives are required for every continuing education activity. Learning objectives are a description of what the participant will know or be able to do at the conclusion of the activity. Objectives should be specific, address identified audience needs and educational gap, and facilitate measuring the educational activity success. Learning objectives help identify the intended results in terms of knowledge (facts and information) that help to build competence (knowing how to do something), and improve performance (what one actually does in practice) and ultimately lead to improved patient outcomes.
In writing objectives, use clear and attainable measures to answer the question: “What should the participants be able to do?” These objectives should focus on knowledge/skill acquisition or reinforcement. Each objective should focus on only one desired action or outcome. On average, a one to two hour session may have three learning objectives. Activities that are longer than three hours will likely have three to five learning objectives.
The recommended wording format for creating objectives is: “Upon completion of this activity, the learner should be able to…” This phrase is followed by a specific performance verb (i.e. apply, analyze, describe, evaluate, etc) and the desired learning outcomes.
Standards for Educational Quality and Independence
Jointly accredited continuing education providers must meet rigorous standards for educational quality and independence – including the Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education. Through Joint Accreditation, we seek to assure the public that healthcare teams receive education that is designed to be independent, free from commercial bias, based on valid content, and effective in improving the quality and safety of care delivered by the team.
You can learn more about Joint Accreditation by visiting their website.
Defining Practice Gaps and Educational Needs
A practice gap is the difference between health care processes or outcomes observed in practice and those potentially achievable on the basis of current professional knowledge. Practice gaps exist in knowledge, skills/strategy, and performance and can be identified by the difference between "what is" and what "should be;" i.e., what is the gap between what the audience does know or do and what the audience should know and do?
- Gaps in knowledge: target audience does not have the information or knowledge about the topic being addressed
- Gaps in skills/strategy: target audience has the knowledge about the topic being addressed but does not know how to apply it
- Gaps in performance: target audience has the knowledge about the topic being addressed and how to apply it, but are not doing so
- Gaps in patient outcomes
Sources of Justification
Examples of Supporting Documentation
- Audit reports, chart reviews
- Summary of notes, meeting minutes
- Summary of requests or surveys
- Abstracts, full journal articles, government-produced documents describing educational needs and practice gaps
- Board review, updated requirements
- Description of new procedure, technology, treatment, etc.
- Copy of safety goal and/or competency
- Practice Guideline Updates
- NIH, www.guideline.gov
An educational need is the knowledge and training which will address the identified practice gap. (What education is needed to address the problem? Why does the gap exist?)
References
Commendation Criteria
Joint Accreditation offers accredited organizations the option of demonstrating compliance with a menu of criteria that go beyond the core Joint Accreditation criteria. The National Center OICPD has received Joint Accreditation with Commendation for its commitment to:
- Engage patients and students as planners and teachers
- Address factors beyond clinical care, such as social determinants of health, that affect the health of patients
- Collaborate with organizations to address population health issues
- Optimize communication skills of learners
- Create opportunities for learners to develop individualized learning plans
Use of any of the full list of Joint Accreditation commendation criteria is encouraged in CE activity applications.