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Professional Development

How to Get Your Course Approved for MLA CE or Illinois CNE Credit

MLA approves courses for MLA continuing education (CE) credit and State of Illinois continuing nursing education (CNE) credit. Approved course are listed on MEDLIB-ED, where health information professionals from around the world can find them.

To have your course considered for MLA CE only or MLA CE and Illinois CNE approval:

  1. Login to MLANET and complete the CE and CNE Credit Approval Form. If you are not an MLA member or registered guest, please create a guest account on MLANET.
    Please note: An instructor, not a sponsoring organization (e.g., an MLA chapter or a local consortium) must complete the application.
  2. Be prepared to submit this key information
    • Name, bio, contact information, and CV for each instructor
    • Course title
    • Full course description
    • Teaser (short description)
    • Audience
    • Learning outcomes
    • Instructional methods
    • Timed agenda
    • Ways of actively involving participants (during and before or after the course)
    • Sample participant handouts (optional)
  3. See options and fees below.
  4. After we receive your payment, we will review your course submission within four weeks.
  5. When your course is approved, we will list it in the MEDLIB-ED Unscheduled Courses catalog.

Instructions for Requesting Illinois CNE Approval

Courses approved for Illinois CNE must also be approved for MLA CE. The CE and CNE Approval Form allows you to apply for both approvals.

MLA has reviewed the nursing continuing educations requirements for all states to identify those we believe accept Illinois CNE. We urge you to confirm our interpretation of statutes by checking the nursing education requirements in your state, professional organization, or certifying body before assuming that offering Illinois CNE course will serve your purpose.

MLA is an Illinois Continuing Nursing Education Sponsor for courses for Advanced Practice Nurses, Registered Nurses, and Licensed Practical Nurses (License No. 236.000169). As a sponsor, we are obligated to meet and follow specific standards and guidelines.

Guidance on Courses Appropriate for Illinois CNE

We award CNE only to educational offerings for Advanced Practice Nurses, Registered Nurses, and Licensed Practical Nurses that meet State of Illinois criteria for CE course content:

  1. Contribute to the advancement, extension, and enhancement of the professional skills and scientific knowledge in the practice of nursing;
  2. Foster the enhancement of general or specialized nursing practice and values;
  3. Be developed and presented by persons with education and/or experience in the subject matter of the program;
  4. Specify the course objectives, course content and teaching methods to be used; and
  5. Specify the number of CE hours that may be applied to fulfilling the Illinois CE requirements for license renewal.

Courses submitted for CNE approval will be evaluated to determine if they meet these five criteria. Offerings in one or more of these categories may be appropriate for CNE:

  1. Offerings approved for the MLA Consumer Health Information Specialization (CHIS)
  2. Offerings that primarily serve these MLA competencies:
    • Research & Evidence-Based Practice
    • Leadership & Management
    • Instruction & Instructional Design
    • Information Management (in the areas of copyright, scholarly communication, data management)
  3. Offerings submitted by nurses
  4. Offerings with content that addresses nurses (e.g., a research course that examines a research article in the field of nursing)

Please see State Continuing Education Requirements for information on states that accept Illinois CNE.

Obligations of MLA Subcontractors for Illinois CNE

If your offering is approved for Illinois CNE, you are, thereby, an MLA Subcontractor, and you agree to:

  • Allow only individuals indicated in your application (and for whom you have submitted a CV) to teach the course. Substitutes must be approved by MLA in advance of offering a course. Please submit a note and the CV of the substitute to the MLA Professional Development Department at least two weeks prior to employing a substitute.
  • Call yourself an Illinois CNE “Presenter” in all advertisements and promotional materials. You may not imply in any document or communication that you are licensed as a CNE Sponsor.
  • Include the following in all advertisements and promotional materials:

Illinois CNE Sponsor
Medical Library Association
233 South Wacker Drive, 44th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606
License No. 236.000169

  • If you wish to offer your course more than one time during the time your course is approved for CNE, contact the MLA Professional Development Department before each time you re-offer the course, so that you and MLA together can review your course evaluations and revise the course outcomes, content, and teaching methods accordingly.

Renew Your MLA CE or Illinois CNE Approval

  1. Review your current course listing on MEDLIB-ED Note the changes you will want to make to your renewal application.
  2. Login to MLANET and complete the CE and CNE Renewal Form. You will be asked to update all information that has changed since the course was approved or previously renewed.
  3. Select the number of years you would like your course to be eligible for credit. We will forward you an invoice for the appropriate fee, if applicable. See options and fees below
  4. After we receive your payment, we will review your course submission within four weeks .
  5. When your course is approved for renewal, we will list it in the MEDLIB-ED Unscheduled Courses catalog.

Special Requirements for Renewing Illinois CNE Approval

If you taught the course for which you are seeking renewal approval during the original period of approval and did not contact the MLA Professional Development Department to review your course evaluations,you must contact the department before you submit your request for renewal so that you and MLA together can review your course evaluations and revise the course outcomes, content, and teaching methods accordingly. MLA will not renew any course for Illinois CNE approval without this review.

Schedule Your Course

Scheduling your course on MEDLIB-ED allows attendees to find your course in MEDLIB-ED, complete an evaluation, and download an MLA CE or Illinois CNE certificate. It also entitles you to receive an evaluation report. MEDLIB-ED is the sole source of MLA CE certificates and MLA-issued CNE cerificates.

You can schedule your course when you apply for MLA CE or MLA CE and CNE Credit approval or at any time prior to offering your course.

To schedule your course, please complete Schedule a Course on MEDLIB-ED. The course instructor or the sponsoring organization (e.g., an MLA chapter or local consortium) can schedule a course. Sponsoring organizations must make arrangements with the course instructor before scheduling a course.

  1. Complete the online form, Schedule a Course on MEDLIB-ED. You will be asked to:
    • provide course details (course title, location to be held, etc.)
    • provide instructor information (name and contact information)
    • agree to the terms and conditions
  2. We will forward you an invoice, if applicable. See fees below.
  3. Within two weeks after we receive your payment, your course will be listed as scheduled in appropriate catalogs. You will receive an email with a link to the course on MEDLIB-ED.
  4. The instructor for the course will receive enrollment codes and instructions that allow course attendees to evaluate the course and receive MLA CE certificates and credits, also within two weeks of receipt of payment.

MLA Hubs and Caucuses Course Approval and Course Scheduling

MLA Hubs and Caucuses may seek CE approval and schedule courses following the guidelines above. Please select the “MLA Hub or Caucus Course” track when you Submit a Course for MLA CE Approval or Submit a Proposal or Schedule a Course on MEDLIB-ED. There is no course approval or scheduling fee for Hubs and Caucuses.

To learn how you can arrange an informal educational "Meet Up" that does not offer MLA CE credits visit Caucus and Domain Hub Educational Opportunities.

 

Course Approval and Scheduling Fees

Member Nonmember
Course Approval or Renewal for 1 year - individual instructor $100 $150
Course Approval or Renewal for 2 years - individual instructor $190 $285
Course Approval or Renewal for 3 years - individual instructor $280 $420
Course Approval or Renewal for 1 year - Institutional groups (i.e. vendors, hospitals, universities) -- includes option to schedule your course 2 times/provide 50 MLA CE credits per year. Member pricing available to MLA institutional members only. Please contact us for volume pricing. $400 $600
Course Approval or Renewal for 2 years - Institutional groups (i.e. vendors, hospitals, universities) -- includes option to schedule your course 2 times/provide 50 MLA CE credits per year. Member pricing available to MLA institutional members only. Please contact us for volume pricing. $760 $1,140
Course Approval or Renewal for 3 years - Institutional groups (i.e. vendors, hospitals, universities) -- includes option to schedule your course 2 times/provide 50 MLA CE credits per year. Member pricing available to MLA institutional members only. Please contact us for volume pricing. $1,120 $1,160
Course Scheduling Fee - includes certificates for 25 individuals $50 $ 50

 

Have questions? Please contact the MLA Professional Development Department.