How to Earn Contact Hours at the APNA Annual Conference
Attending the APNA 40th Annual Conference is an opportunity to strengthen your psychiatric-mental health nursing practice, connect with colleagues, and earn nursing continuing professional development (NCPD) contact hours. Whether you attend in person in Phoenix, Arizona, or participate virtually, you can earn contact hours by attending eligible educational sessions, evaluating poster presentations, and accessing session recordings after the conference.
A few simple steps before, during, and after the conference will help you maximize your learning opportunities and receive credit for the education you complete.
How many contact hours can I earn at the APNA Annual Conference?
With your conference registration, you can earn up to 115+ total contact hours through live conference activities and post-conference session recordings. Not all sessions and activities are eligible for contact hours, and your total will depend on your participation and completion of the required evaluations.
Contact hours are calculated based on 60 minutes of educational instruction or content. Here’s how you can earn them:
- During the conference: Earn up to 24.75 contact hours (including the symposium contact hour) by attending eligible sessions, completing evaluations, and evaluating poster presentations.
- After the conference: Earn up to 90+ additional contact hours at no additional cost through eligible session recordings available in the APNA eLearning Center.
Visit the APNA Annual Conference contact hours page for additional information.
How do I earn contact hours during the live conference?
Which sessions qualify for contact hours?
You can earn contact hours by attending eligible educational sessions in person or virtually. The conference offers presentations covering a range of psychiatric-mental health nursing topics, practice settings, and professional interests.
To receive full credit for a session, you must:
- Attend the entire session
- Complete the online session evaluation
- Complete the ‘Final Evaluation’
- Generate your contact hour certificate after completing all required evaluations. Don’t forget, this is done once you have completed ALL evaluations for sessions you have attended.
Contact hours are based on the number of eligible sessions you attend and the evaluations you complete. Review the conference program to plan your schedule and identify sessions that align with your professional development goals!
Can I earn contact hours for poster presentations?
Yes! Poster presentations offer another opportunity to earn contact hours during the live conference. You can earn up to 4 contact hours by viewing and evaluating eligible posters.
The evaluation system calculates your contact hours based on the number of posters you evaluate:
- 6–8 posters: 1 contact hour
- 9–11 posters: 1.5 contact hours
- 12–14 posters: 2 contact hours
- 15–17 posters: 2.5 contact hours
- 18–20 posters: 3 contact hours
- 21–23 posters: 3.5 contact hours
- 24 or more posters: 4 contact hours
Posters are listed on the evaluation site in numerical order and include the poster title and learning outcome. Before evaluating a poster and claiming NCPD contact hours, you must attest that you reviewed it.
How do I complete my session and poster evaluations?
Evaluations are completed online through the APNA Annual Conference Evaluations. This does not include the symposium evaluation.
You can complete evaluations as you go, at the end of each conference day, or after the conference. Saving your progress as you go is recommended because the evaluation system times out after 30 minutes of inactivity.
To access the evaluation system, use your APNA username and password. Your username is the email address associated with your APNA account, and these credentials may differ from those used to access the conference platform.
Important: Wait until you have completed all your session and poster evaluations before completing the final evaluation. Completing the final evaluation locks your certificate at the current number of contact hours earned.
How do I access my certificate, and when is the deadline?
Once you have completed all your evaluations, including the Final Evaluation, you can generate your contact hour certificate. Your certificate will reflect the contact hours you earned based on your completed activities.
The deadline to complete evaluations and generate your certificate for live conference activities is November 20, 2026. Evaluations for sessions viewed live during the conference will not be available after this date.
If you need assistance unlocking your certificate, visit the help desk in person or virtually, or email inform@apna.org.
Please note that symposium contact hours are administered by the symposium provider rather than APNA. Follow the provider’s separate evaluation instructions to receive credit for these activities.
How can I earn additional contact hours after the conference?
Can I earn contact hours for sessions I missed?
Yes! Approximately three months after the conference, eligible session recordings and updated PDF handouts will be available through the APNA eLearning Center at no additional cost for registered attendees.
These recordings, reviewed and edited by expert nurse educators, allow you to revisit presentations, explore topics you missed, and continue your professional development at your own pace.
To earn contact hours via recordings:
- Watch for an email from APNA at inform@apna.org with instructions for accessing the recordings.
- Log in to the APNA eLearning Center using your APNA account.
- Access eligible session recordings and handouts through your unique attendee discount code provided via email after the conference.
- Complete the required learning activities and evaluations for the sessions you watch.
- Follow the instructions provided to obtain your contact hour certificate.
The November 20, 2026, deadline for live-conference evaluations does not apply to contact hours earned through these recordings. You can complete eligible on-demand activities after the live-conference evaluation period ends.
Keep in mind that not every conference activity will be available on demand. Consult APNA’s post-conference instructions for details about eligible recordings and contact hour requirements.
How can I make the most of my contact hour opportunities?
Planning ahead can help you maximize your continuing education and avoid missing credit for activities you complete.
- Before the conference: Review the program and identify sessions relevant to your professional goals.
- During the conference: Attend entire sessions, evaluate the posters you review, and save your evaluations as you go.
- Before November 20: Complete all live-session and poster evaluations, then complete the Final Evaluation and generate your certificate.
- After the conference: Watch for APNA’s email about on-demand recordings and follow the instructions to earn additional contact hours.
Ready to plan your conference experience? Visit the APNA 40th Annual Conference website for program information, registration details, and contact hour resources.
Published October 2026
The American Psychiatric Nurses Association is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.
