Continuing Education Policies

1. Administrative authority for continuing education will be a professional nurse meeting the University of Iowa requirements for an academic faculty appointment with excellence in clinical nursing, teaching and administration.  Masters degree required, doctorate preferred.

Explanation:  Due to the elimination of the Coordinator of Continuing Education position (a faculty position), the administrative authority was delegated to a professional and scientific staff member.  This staff member is not a nurse.

The administrative authority for continuing education will be a bachelor’s prepared professional staff member knowledgeable in adult education principles with skills in program development, implementation and evaluation.  This person must be familiar with the Iowa Board of Nursing rules and regulations governing continuing education.

2. Major and supporting faculty for each continuing education offering shall be qualified academically and/or experienced in the content area of said offering.

3. Faculty presenting a conference that involves off-campus travel and/or overnight lodging are compensated as follows:

• Faculty fee plus mileage at current University rate, or air coach fare (the lesser will be paid), lodging and meals at current University per diem.
• Use of state car is limited to University of Iowa faculty with cost charged to the conference account.

4. Faculty presenting a one day (or less) off-campus conference not involving overnight lodging are advised that vouchers submitted for meal reimbursement will affect their taxable income.  Unless otherwise requested payment will be limited to fee plus travel expenses.

5. Faculty traveling for continuing education are subject to all rules and regulations governing faculty travel for the University of Iowa as described in the Faculty Handbook and Operations Manual.

6. The CEU Advisory committee will be comprised of a faculty member from each of the three areas and the program associates from each of the three areas. 

Explanation:  The CEU Advisory committee is no longer functioning since the three Areas of Study were dissolved in the recent collegiate restructuring.  In its place an administrative advisory committee will function to review financial stability of programming and guide future program development.

The Continuing Education Advisory Committee will be comprised of the administrative authority, the Assistant Dean for Finance and Operations, the collegiate Business Manager.  The role of the committee is to manage the continuation of a successful CE program and oversee the financial stability of programming.

7. Continuing education offerings are designed by a planning committee comprised of nurses and other health professionals with expertise in the content area.  A designed nurse with minimal masters preparation will be appointed to chair the planning, implementation and evaluation of the offering.

8.   All offering promotion/publicity will include date, location, program title, purpose and objectives, target audience, credentials of major faculty, program schedule, costs and items covered by cost, refund policy, CEU credit awarded for completion of said program, and any other information required by the Iowa Board of Nursing, Chapter 5 rules and regulations.  All publicity will include the College of Nursing provider number.

9.   Iowa Board of Nursing criteria for appropriate subject matter (1-6) will be listed on the Conference Planning and Record form of every program file.

10. Faculty presenting course content may receive CEU credit only for the first time the course/content is presented.

11. For those programs requiring preregistration, telephone registration is possible, however, enrollee registration is assured only following receipt of the designated fee.

12. Attendance monitoring procedures are the responsibility of conference coordinator and/or professional staff or designated nurse planner.

13. Offering registration forms advise enrollee that the personal identifier and nursing license number are requested for CEU recording purposes only.

14. College of Nursing faculty and emeriti may be granted special faculty fees at the discretion of the planning committee or conference coordinator.

15. Offerings considered appropriate for student enrollment will specify a special student fee.  Student fees are determined at the discretion of the conference coordinator/or planning committee.

16. If a registration is withdrawn prior to opening of offering the fee, less a handling charge, will be refunded.  No refunds will be made after the offering has convened.  Handling charges vary from program to program and are listed in the program brochure.

17. An enrollee may appeal the refund policy to the conference coordinator, giving details of the identified grievance.

18. Continuing education offerings reserve the right to cancel a scheduled offering for lack of enrollment needed to support it.  Cancellation will be determined one week prior to scheduled date.  Offerings canceled because of inadequate enrollment other non-controllable factors influencing conduct of activity will include notification of faculty and notification of preregistered enrollees with full refund of paid registration fees.

19. Syllabi and other handout materials prepared for continuing education offerings adhere to the current copyright laws.  Materials from conferences are considered part of the registration fee for the offering and are not for resale.

20. Programs developed for continuing education credit will meet with one or more of the Iowa Board of Nursing criteria for continuing education:

      a.   Nursing practice related to health care of patients/clients/families in any setting.

      b.   Professional growth and development related to nursing practice roles and designed to enhance the delivery of patient care and health service.

      c.   Sciences upon which nursing practice, nursing education or nursing research is based, i.e., nursing theories and biological, physical, behavioral, computer, social or basic sciences.

      d.   Social, economic, legal and ethical aspects of health care

      e.   Management or administration of health care, health care personnel, or health care facilities.  

      f.    Education of patients or their significant others, students, or personnel in the health care field.

21. Complete conference records will be on file in a secure location for each offering including planning, records, purpose, objectives, schedule, faculty with qualifications designated, list of enrollees, budget, evaluation report, bibliography and other requirements as mandated by the Iowa Board of Nursing.

22. In addition to compliance with Iowa’s Nurse Practice Act, Chapter 5 (continuing education requirements for relicensure) and other credentialing criteria, the provider unit maintains procedures guiding compliance with laws related to employment, occupational safety, civil rights, confidentiality/privacy, and assisting disabled persons.

23. Offerings with limited enrollment will be specified in program publicity.

24. Admission to offerings with limited enrollment (and so published) will be granted registration on a first come, first served basis.

25. All offerings of The University of Iowa provide equal opportunity and comply with the Discrimination and Accessibility statement of The University of Iowa.  The current statements will be printed on all continuing education brochures.

26. Enrollee attendance records will not be released without written request of the individual in question.  Such requests are directed to the attention of the Operations Coordinator in a secure location at the College of Nursing.

27. Continuing Education Unit (CEU) records are on permanent storage in a secure location The University of Iowa College of Nursing.

28. Cosponsoring programs must meet the criteria required of all accrediting bodies as well as the policies and procedures of The University of Iowa College of Nursing.

29. Enrollee comments regarding continuing education offerings are invited on evaluation forms with any additional comments accepted by sponsoring department of by writing directly to the Iowa Board of Nursing.  The address of the Board of Nursing shall be listed on the evaluation form, or in the syllabus information for every program.

30. Continuing education offerings are designed for registered nurses.  Offerings may be attended by LPNs with the understanding that the offering has been designed specifically for registered nurses.

31. CEU cards will be accepted only at the closing session of each conference.  CEU cards will not be accepted after the date of scheduled conference.

32. Enrollee CEU cards will include the following:  offering title, offering number (for internal use), dates of offering, CEU award and IBN provider number.  Other information may be requested for internal use.

33. Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are awarded only for those enrollees attending the entire offering.  Exceptions may be made by the conference coordinator.

34. CEUs are awarded for course content only.  Refreshment breaks, luncheons, exhibit times, etc. are not considered content periods.

35. Units of measurement used for continuing education courses shall be as follows:  1 contact hour = 50 minutes of didactic instruction, work on learner designed self-study, and clinical or laboratory practicum in an informal offering.  1 CEU = 10 contact hours of instruction.

36. Individual CEU records are identified by enrollee name, personal identifier (birth day, birth month and last four digits of Social Security number) and nursing license number.  Participants are advised that this information is used for processing CEU records and that no one outside the University is routinely provided this information.

37. Continuing education enrollees shall be advised (at each offering) regarding attendance requirements for CEU award and of their responsibility in keeping personal records as required by mandatory continuing education for relicensure in the state of Iowa, i.e., four years.

38. Conference attendance records shall not include names/addresses of any participant requesting this information be withheld from records prepared, provided attendees thus placed in the public domain.

39. Continuing education enrollment lists are considered confidential and may not be related to other agencies.

40. Requests for release of enrollee name/address from outside interests will not be considered.  Matters of confidentiality/privacy of each enrollee are strictly adhered to.

41. All conference records will be kept on file for a minimum of four years.

42. Specific procedures have been developed for design, implementation, evaluation and record keeping of offerings within the framework of the Iowa Board of Nursing rules and regulations, Chapter 5:  Nurse Practice Act.

43. The policies of Continuing Nursing Education are coordinated and compatible with procedures and policies of the College of Nursing and the University of Iowa.

44. The College of Nursing Continuing Nursing Education policies are reviewed annual by the administrative authority.

45. Other educational institutions, or health care agencies, or groups inviting the College of Nursing to conduct continuing education offerings in cooperation with their agency for both on or off campus offerings are advised of the following:

a.   The offering will be identified as a University of Iowa College of Nursing continuing education offering jointly sponsored or in cooperation with the host agency.

        b.   Co-sponsored offering will meet the criteria of the Iowa Board of Nursing.

46. University of Iowa colleges/departments/faculty seeking College of Nursing approval for CE offerings for purpose of utilizing CEUs under the College of Nursing’s Iowa Board of Nursing providership shall apply for this privilege during the initial planning of the offering and prior to any publicity of said offering.  “In cooperation” applications will not be accepted post-planning or advertising.

47. Cosponsored programs require that a College of Nursing designated nurse planner by directly involved in the planning and that the College of Nursing grant its approval to the following:

1)   Selection of program content and objectives as determined by a needs assessment of potential participants.

2)   Selection of faculty

3)   Development of evaluation materials

4)   Any promotional advance materials distributed to potential registrants

5)   Contact hours/record keeping

48. If funds available to host cosponsor/cooperating agency are used to defray conference expenses, the brochure should indicate the conference is partially supported by these funds.