Nurse Planner Role and Responsibilities
(Primary Nurse Planner and Nurse Planner Position Descriptions)
As part of the responsibility of developing the education agenda for the association, the Wisconsin Nurses
Association Nursing Education Council has committed to maintaining WNA’s status as an approved
provider of continuing nursing education and ensuring that ANCC criteria are met for all WNA-sponsored
educational programs. An identified member of the NEC will serve as the Nurse Planner for WNAsponsored continuing education activities; act as a member of the planning committee for WNAsponsored programs; and serve as a link between the NEC and the activity planning committee,
communicating feedback and recommendations to the planning committee, NEC, and Board of Directors,
as appropriate.
Nurse Planners from WNA’s Nursing Education Council (NEC) must have a bachelor’s degree or higher
in nursing and be directly involved in planning, developing, implementing, and evaluating all WNAsponsored educational activities, for which contact hours will be awarded. This involvement could
include participation in face-to-face meetings and/or conference calls or communicating with other
planning committee members via regular correspondence (email, fax, etc.).
The Nurse Planner is responsible, in conjunction with the WNA Director of Educational Programs,
for assuring that WNA-sponsored continuing education activities comply with current American
Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC) Commission on Accreditation (COA) criteria and WNA
provider unit policies and procedures (see WNA Continuing Nursing Education Policies and
Procedures for Planning Educational Activities and WNA Operational Requirements Attestation).
Primary Nurse Planner Functions/Responsibilities:
√ Assure WNA-sponsored educational activities are planned according to current ANCC-COA and
TNA criteria, and WNA provider unit policies and procedures
√ Direct the needs assessment for the WNA provider unit
√ Oversee orientation to role as Nurse Planner and orientation to current ANCC COA and TNA
criteria, and WNA provider unit policies and procedures
√ Direct the overall provider unit evaluation process
√ Oversee application process, and assure maintenance of status as an approved provider of
continuing nursing education through an ANCC-accredited approver
√ Assure changes in criteria are communicated to NEC/WNA Nurse Planners in a timely manner
√ Assure timely communication with ANCC-accredited approver relative to: organization changes
in WNA affecting NEC; changes in the Primary Nurse Planner, CNE provider unit director, or
other Nurse Planners; changes in the contact person for the providership; reported requests of data
from the ANCC-accredited approver; and decision to terminate provider approval status
√ Assure Planning Committee Evaluation Summaries are completed by the Nurse Planner and
planning committee for each WNA-sponsored educational activity and results are shared and filed
as appropriate
Nurse Planner Functions/Responsibilities:
√ Serve as an active member of the planning committee from initiation to completion of WNAsponsored educational activities
√ Serve as a link between the Nursing Education Council and the program planning committee
√ Complete a WNA Approved Provider Activity Form as part of the activity planning process
√ Assure the planning committee for the program meets the required ANCC-COA criteria
(minimum of two people must be involved in planning the activity; one must be a registered nurse
with a baccalaureate or higher degree in nursing – WNA Nurse Planner; one must represent the
target audience; and one must be a content expert or presenter).
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Participate in the planning of the educational activity, including identifying the purpose,
objectives, content, teaching strategies, content experts/presenters, and evaluation method(s) and
category(ies)
Assure a needs assessment was conducted for the program
Assure the target audience identified is appropriate for the learning material being presented and
that the level of RN learner, location of participant, and clinical area of practice are identified
Assure Documentation Forms completed for each activity are consistent with the criteria, and
include measurable objectives, a content outline for each objective, qualified presenters, and
appropriate time frames and teaching/learning strategies for the content being presented
Assure Biographical Data Forms and Conflict of Interest Disclosure Forms are completed for
each activity planner and content expert/presenter and reflect appropriate expertise for their role
in the educational activity
Assure adult education principles are considered in the activity planning process
Assist in determining the number of contact hours to be awarded for the educational activity and
assure contact hours are being awarded according to ANCC-COA criteria
Assure the methods chosen for verifying participation in the activity and awarding contact hours
are appropriate
Assist in selecting the criteria required for successful completion of the educational activity
Assure the method chosen for evaluating the activity is appropriate, the evaluation form meets the
criteria, content experts/presenters receive an evaluation for the activity, and the summative
evaluation is completed for the program
In the event an activity is co-provided, the Nurse Planner will inform the other planning
committee members that, although some tasks may be shared, WNA has the final responsibility
and accountability to insure the criteria are met, including, at a minimum, determination of the
educational objectives and content; selection of the activity planners and content
experts/presenters; the awarding of contact hours; record keeping procedures, and evaluation
methods and categories
Assure promotional materials (brochure/flier) for the program meet the required criteria.
For WNA-sponsored educational activities receiving commercial support, the Nurse Planner will
insure the integrity of the activity is maintained and take necessary precautions to prevent bias in
the educational content (Please refer to the ANCC COA Standards for Disclosure and
Commercial Support found on the WNA website at
http://www.wisconsinnurses.org/docs/ANCCStandardsforDisclosureandCommercialSupp
ort.pdf)
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In the event that activity planners and/or content experts/presenters identify actual or potential
conflicts of interest, assist in resolving disclosed conflicts of interest
Assure all required disclosures are made to activity participants prior to start of an educational
activity, including: notice of requirements for successful completion; conflicts of interest (or lack
thereof); commercial support (or lack thereof); non-endorsement of products (or lack thereof);
and off-label use (or lack thereof)
Complete a program evaluation with the planning committee, which includes participant and
content expert/presenter evaluations, and communicate results to Primary Nurse Planner and NEC
Return completed WNA Approved Provider Activity Form with supporting documents to the
WNA office following the educational activity
All of the responsibilities noted above fall under the general responsibility of assuring compliance with
ANCC’s COA criteria and WNA provider unit policies and procedures (see WNA Continuing Nursing
Education Policies and Procedures for Planning Educational Activities and WNA Operational
Requirements Attestation).