Is ZSFG accredited to provide CME credits?

We are currently not an accredited provider for CME credits
DET recommends contacting UCSF CME office to apply for CME credits. For more information, visit the UCSF CME office website.

What courses are acceptable for CE credits?_{2, 3, 4}

Homestudy courses (there’s no limit to the number of contact hours)
CME Category 1 courses
College courses: advanced courses in physical, social, and behavioral sciences; basic courses in physical, social, and behavioral sciences for RNs obtaining a baccalaureate or graduate degree or specialty certification; and related to direct/indirect patient care

What courses are not acceptable for CE credits for?_{2, 3, 4}

Self-improvement & personal appearance, weight loss, attitude modification, self-therapy
Liberal Arts courses: music, art, philosophy, financial gain
Designed for lay people for license renewal, orientation programs to inform organizational policies and procedures
CPR, BLS, basic EKG, & IV therapy similar to LVN certifications

What are the course contact hours equivalence to training time?

50-60 minutes of theory/didactic = 1 CE contact hour
3 hours of clinical practice hours = 1 CE contact hour
1 quarter unit = 10 contact hours
1 semester unit = 15 contact hours
An RN licensee is required to have 30 Board-approved CE contact hours for license renewal

What documents are required to apply for a CE course?

Completed online application form on the DET website.
Course/Training Announcement/flyer. The required elements of an announcement/flyer are:
- Course title, description, and learning objectives
- Date, time, and location of the course,
- Target or intended audience
- Registration/contact information
- Approval statement as quoted below:
  - For BRN: “Approved for CE contact hours(s) by San Francisco General Hospital Nursing Services, an approved continuing education provider by the California Board of Registered Nursing (CEP# 858).” If you choose to advertise while the application is under the review process, the following pending approval statement should be used “Continuing education credit(s) approval pending.”
  - For CDPH: “Approved for CE contact hours(s) by San Francisco General Hospital Nursing Services, an approved continuing education provider by the California Department of Public Health (NAC-1006)”
  - For PT/Speech-Language Board: “Approved for CE contact hours(s) by San Francisco General Hospital, an approved continuing education provider by the Physical Therapy Board of California [OR] Speech-Language Pathology, Audiology and Hearing Aid Dispensers Board (PDP# 204)”
- ZSFG Cancellation Policy statement: “An attendee-initiated cancellation at 10 days or more before the class date is entitled for a full refund or a voucher applicable towards a future class; a cancellation less than 10 days before the class date is not entitled for a refund or voucher. A department-initiated cancellation entitles the attendee for a full refund or voucher towards a future class. These terms do not apply to free courses.”
All instructors’ CV/resume
Teaching/presentation materials
Agenda/syllabus
Handouts and test template (if applicable)
Evaluation template
Completed Presenter(s) Disclosure of Financial Interest (this is included within the online application form but a downloadable version is available should a vendor or other instructors need to complete this requirement)
Completed Self-study & Web-based course outline for self-study & web-based course types (a fillable template can be downloaded from within the online application form)

Can an incomplete application for CE still be submitted?

It can be submitted but will not be approved nor be a priority for review

Where can these forms be accessed and/or downloaded?

Forms are downloadable from the DET website.
Downloadable forms include: Course/Training Announcement template, Presenter(s)’ Disclosure of Financial Interest, Evaluation template, Self-study & Web-based Course Outline, and Attendance template
Attendance and completed evaluation templates need to be submitted no later than 2 weeks from the course date. DET will not email CE certificates to attendees if attendance form is not received from the instructor or course facilitator.

What is the application process?

Instructors must submit the CE offerings application 2-3 weeks prior to course date. If the course will be offered multiple times within the same year, only one application is required and other planned/tentative dates should be identified on the online application form. Updated agenda is required 2-3 weeks before the subsequent dates or by the next course date.
Complete the online application form and attach the required documents:
- Course/Training Announcement
- All instructor CV/resume
- Teaching/presentation materials
- Agenda/syllabus
- Handouts and test template (if applicable)
- Evaluation template
- Presenter(s) Disclosure of Financial Interest (if vendor or other instructors needed to complete the downloaded version)
- Completed Self-study & Web-based course outline for self-study & web-based course types
If the attachment is too large to attach to the online application form, please inform the DET Manager by sending an email to Kala.Garner@sfdph.org. Other options to submit the attachments are via email attachment; file sharing using Office 365 OneDrive, Google Drive, or Dropbox; or snail mail or hand delivery of hard copies or digital copies using a thumb drive.

How long is the review process?

Review and approval can take up to 5-7 business days for applications submitted on time.
A complete but late application does not guarantee an approval.
An incomplete application will not be approved nor be given a priority for review.
If a course is denied, it can continue as a non-CE credit course and a completion certificate can be offered to attendees. DET can provide a completion certificate template for the instructor/facilitator to distribute.
DET Nurse Educator will communicate the application status by attaching a memo with the received online application and sending it to the applicant via email.

Can a course be advertised while in the review process?

If you choose to advertise while the application is under the review process, the following pending approval statement should be stated on the announcement/flyer: “Continuing education credit(s) approval pending”
It is falsely advertising to state that your course is “Approved to offer CE contact hour(s)…” while the application is under the review process. Therefore, to avoid potential complaints to the BRN or other professional associations that an advertisement and/or a course was misleading, a pending approval statement should be indicated.

Continuing Education Resources and FAQ

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