The ANCC Practice Transition Accreditation Program® (PTAP) sets the global standard for nurse residency and fellowship programs, accrediting several types of transition-to-practice programs, including RN residencies for nurses with less than 12 months of experience, RN fellowships for experienced nurses entering new clinical areas, and APRN fellowships for newly certified advanced practice providers. Healthcare systems that earn PTAP accreditation demonstrate an investment in nurse development, workforce retention, and high‑quality patient care. Tipton Health can walk you through the process for PTAP submission and help you earn your accreditation.
The pathway to earning PTAP accreditation includes a structured submission process designed to ensure programs meet the ANCC’s evidence‑based standards for supporting nurses as they transition into new practice settings.
- Organizations typically complete a program gap analysis to determine if its transition-to-practice program is ready to submit for accreditation.
- If deemed prepared, the organization must submit the required PTAP Application Form for their chosen cycle deadline.
- PTAP offers four review cycles a year: February, May, August, and November.
- The ANCC sets four deadlines to submit the application, each based off of one of the four review cycles.
- Acceptance of an organization’s application confirms eligibility to submit to PTAP, after which organizations prepare a comprehensive self-study written document per the PTAP manual guidelines, and submit by its review cycle deadline.
- In order for the ANCC’s appraisal to take place, the organization’s transition to practice program must distribute a required learner survey to all individuals listed on the program’s application and achieve at least a 51% response rate.
- The ANCC then conducts a detailed accreditation review, followed by a qualitative evaluation of the program, dubbed the virtual site visit.
Our team is well-versed in the PTAP documentation requirements, and we can help ensure your self-study achieves a successful appraisal. After collaborating with your PTAP submission leaders to develop a manageable writing schedule, our reviewers will evaluate your written responses to each PTAP standard’s criteria. Based on our amassed experience with the PTAP submission, our team will provide any edits and coaching for elements we believe are necessary for each self-study component to meet intent.
Our team also has experience helping organizations achieve PTAP Accreditation With Distinction (AWD), which includes submitting the standard PTAP application material, plus an additional self‑study specific to the With Distinction designation to further demonstrate exemplary performance, outcomes, and enhanced program quality.
One thing to note, should your organization consider submitting for Magnet® Designation, successful PTAP accreditation meets the entire requirement for the SE11 standard. Be sure to connect with our Tipton team to learn more about how we can support your journey to PTAP accreditation!