NAON believes continuing nursing education (CNE) is a process designed to promote competence and expertise in clinical practice. Continuing education is essential to maintain currency in an environment of rapidly changing technology and processes.
The Approver Unit of NAON is designed to review, evaluate and critique continuing education activities developed and implemented by NAON's defined constituents and their co-sponsors.
NAON's Approver Unit provides a service to members and other parties interested in providing orthopaedic nursing continuing education for contact hour credit. The services provided by the Approver Unit include assistance with the application process, review of the application and granting approval for the applicant to award contact hours. Approval of a CNE program is good for two years from the dte of the initial approval. That means a program can be offered repeatedly during that two years. NOTE: An approved provider of CNE cannot approve any CNE activity. Specific information on the operation of the Approver Unit and the application process can be found within the online application itself and download the 2011 Guidelines for Continuing Education Development & Approval for more information about how to submit an application.
The application process can be completed via the NAON online application. You must be logged into the web site in order to view the online application and the completed application with all required documentation must be submitted a full 42 days before your continuing educational event. The application will be denied if all required forms have not been submitted with the application. Please contact the NAON National Office at 800.289.6266 or via email naon@smithbucklin.com if you do not have your login and password information or if you have any questions regarding the approver unit application.
NAON does not mail carbon-copy printed contact hour certificates for attendees. NAON will e-mail the certificate template and the letter of approval for your program to the program coordinator.
Please contact the NAON National Office (800.289.6266) if you are interested in completing a learner-directed activity. Such an activity is one in which the learner assesses his/her own learning needs, formulates learning objectives, identifies resources needed for learning, chooses and implements appropriate learning strategies, and evaluates learning outcomes. This activity can occur in the home or practice setting. The time spent in planning and developing the activity may be included in the overall calculation of contact hours. The minimum number of contact hours for approval must be no less than 0.5 hours. Forms for this activity will be emailed to the applicant for completion after discussion with the NAON Lead Nurse Peer Reviewer.
The National Association of Orthopaedic Nurses is accredited as an approver of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.