Using the ARCC Model to Implement the 2015 ANCC COA Criteria: A North Carolina Public Health Nursing Project

In July 2015, the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation released updated criteria for continuing nursing education, including updates to the Education Design Process. The primary nurse planner in the Public Health Nursing Approved Provider Unit in North Carolina's Division of Public Health applied the advancing research and clinical practice through close collaboration model and quality improvement strategies to facilitate the adoption and implementation of the 2015 criteria. This article describes an innovative approach to implementation using an evidence-based practice model and quality improvement tools and provides data regarding nurse planners' knowledge of accreditation criteria and role comfort during the first 6 months of implementation.