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A conference or grand rounds series that offers accredited credit draws bigger audiences and delivers more value to every attendee. But awarding credit for a multi-session live event has its own logistics. Here is how to offer accredited CE for conferences and grand rounds without becoming an accredited provider yourself.
Why offer credit at your event?
Clinicians choose where to spend limited education time, and accredited credit is often the deciding factor. Offering CME, CNE, and CPE turns your event from optional into a way for attendees to meet license and certification requirements, which drives registration and engagement.
Conferences and grand rounds are a natural fit
Both formats are explicitly supported under joint providership. A multi-day conference can designate credit across its sessions, and a recurring grand rounds series, what ACCME formally calls a Regularly Scheduled Series (RSS), can be accredited as an ongoing activity rather than one submission per week. That makes recurring education far easier to sustain.
Planning credit for a multi-session event
A few considerations specific to larger live events:
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Session-level planning. Each session needs its own objectives and faculty disclosures, even under one umbrella activity.
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Credit designation. Credit is typically tied to the time attendees spend in accredited sessions, so the agenda drives the math.
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Interprofessional audiences. Conferences often draw physicians, nurses, and pharmacists together, which is exactly where joint accreditation pays off.
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Recurring series. Grand rounds can be handled as a single ongoing activity, reducing repeat paperwork across the year.
Give your team room to plan
Live events reward early planning. The AwardCE standard turnaround is 30 days from a signed agreement, but the clock starts when your application is complete, not when you first reach out. For a conference with many sessions and faculty, starting the conversation well ahead of your event date leaves time to gather disclosures and objectives across the full agenda.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can we accredit a recurring grand rounds series at once?
Yes. A recurring series can often be accredited as a single ongoing activity, so you are not filing a new application for every session. This is one of the most efficient ways to sustain regular accredited education.
What if faculty come from outside our organization?
That is common and fully workable. Every faculty member, internal or external, completes a disclosure that is reviewed before their session. Your CE Specialist manages that process with you.
Can attendees earn different credit types at the same conference?
Yes. With a jointly accredited partner, the same conference can award CME to physicians, CNE to nurses, and CPE to pharmacists, so every attendee earns credit that counts toward their own renewal.
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Ready to offer accredited CE?
Planning a conference or an ongoing grand rounds series? AwardCE by Quality Insights can accredit both formats under joint providership, including recurring series as a single activity. Download our free guide, How to Offer Accredited CE Without Becoming an Accredited Provider, or schedule a free consultation.
