Approved Provider (AP) Status

Individuals or organizations can seek approval as a provider of nursing continuing professional development. An approved provider (AP) must meet “structural and operational components of the Approved Provider” (ANCC, 2025, p. 53). Eligibility requirements must be met by the applicant, and evidence to adhere to structural capacity, educational design, and quality outcomes of processes must be demonstrated in the application.  Approved providers are eligible for status a maximum of three (3) years.

*Target NCPD activities to nurses in a single HHS region and its contiguous states (based on the HHS regions ›). Applicants whose target audience is in multiple regions or in states that are not confined to a single region and its contiguous states for more than 50% of its activities may not be Approved Providers. Instead, it must apply to ANCC as an Accredited Provider through the ANCC NCPD Accreditation Program.

Note: If you are new to the process, you must first meet criteria for the 3 Individual Activities approved by NCNA within a 12-month period prior to applying for Approved Provider status.

North Carolina Nurses Association is accredited as an approver of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

Approved Provider Process

1. Verify Eligibility and Submit

Download AP Eligibility to Apply or Re-Apply for Approved Provider Status › 

*Upon submission of a completed eligibility form, you will be invoiced for the approved provider application fee. See fee structure below.

2. Approved Provider Self-Study and Activity Files

You will be instructed to complete and submit the following documents in PDF format with bookmarks (4 PDF files)

Download Approved Provider Self-Study Template › 

3. Complete Activity Files

Activity files must be submitted in PDF format with Structured Abstract as the beginning document. Bookmarks are required. See Checklist for required bookmarks.

Approved Provider Structured Abstract for Activity file (first document in activity file PDF)

Approved Provider Activity File Planning Template (next document in activity file PDF)

Include and bookmark supporting documents in the PDF according to the Checklist and Bookmark list at the end of the Activity File Planning Template.

Reminder: Please submit your self-study documents to NCNA via our Online Portal ›
Your documents must contain self-study section PDF and then three individual activity PDF files.