Program Guidelines: Data Collection at National Conference

The American Association of Nurse Practitioners® (AANP) offers researchers an opportunity to collect data at AANP’s national conference through the Data Collection Program at National Conference. Each year, a limited number of spots are available to researchers interested in sampling conference attendees. The number of accepted applications varies each year.

Upon approval, researchers are granted a table at AANP’s national conference to recruit nurse practitioners (NPs) into their study. AANP does not provide the email addresses of conference attendees to researchers.

Please consider reviewing the Data Collection Program at National Conference Grading Rubric before starting your application.

Application Requirements

Approval is dependent on the successful submission and review of a proposal (Item 1 below) and supporting documents (Items 2-7 below). All studies must receive internal review board (IRB) approval or an exemption prior to qualifying for final approval. Applicants must include:

1. Proposal.
   1. The proposal should be no more than eight pages with citations and contain the following:
      1. Purpose statement — Describe the motivation and objectives for the proposed study.
      2. Methodology — Explain the study design, including the planned sample of respondents, the data you will collect and the analytic approach.
      3. Expected outcomes and impact — Describe the expected output or outcomes and how they have the potential to positively impact the NP role.
2. Sources of Support.
   1. If a study has one or more sources of support, submit a maximum of one page with:
      1. Source name.
      2. Source type (e.g., grant, award).
      3. Reference number, if applicable.
   2. If a study has no sources of support, please submit a statement acknowledging that there are no sources of support for the study.
3. Instrument or Questionnaire.
   1. A copy of the entire instrument or questionnaire must be submitted, or the application will be considered incomplete.
4. Cover Letter and Consent Form.
   1. The cover letter and consent form can be one document but must include the following:
      1. Company or university affiliation.
      2. Purpose, eligibility criteria, methodology, duration and risks and benefits of the study.
      3. Statement of voluntary consent.
      4. Statement of confidentiality.
      5. Statement of IRB approval.
      6. Contact information.
5. IRB Approval.
   1. If the study has already received IRB approval or an exemption, submit a copy of the letter with the application. If the study is pending IRB approval or exemption, submit a statement acknowledging this and agree to submit a copy of the approval or exemption by June 1.
6. Principal Investigator’s (PI) Biosketch.
   1. Applicants, who are not the PI, do not have to submit an additional biosketch. The PI's biosketch should not exceed five pages and must include the following:
      1. Name.
      2. Position title.
      3. Education.
      4. Employment.
      5. Completed research publications.
7. STUDENTS ONLY: Faculty Adviser Approval.
   1. All students must fill out and have their adviser sign the Faculty Adviser Form. Applications submitted by students without an adviser form will not be accepted.

Application Submission

All applications are reviewed by members of the AANP Research Committee. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. Please complete the following steps to successfully submit your application:

1. Compile all the application components described above.
2. Submit all components of the application through SurveyMonkey.
3. Pay the nonrefundable application review fee by check or credit card. The application fee can be paid before or after the application is submitted. This is a separate process from the application form and must be paid before March 26, 2025.

Fees*

The only fee associated with this program is a nonrefundable review fee:

• AANP Members — $125.
• Nonmembers — $200.

*Travel fees and conference registration are not paid by AANP. Travel fees can be covered by a separate AANP Research Grant, but conference registration and the nonrefundable review fee are not covered.

Acceptance and Rejection Letters

If the application is submitted and the review fee is paid by March 26, AANP will initiate the application review process. Applicants will be notified of final decisions by May 1.

Accepted Applicants

Applicants who are selected for this program are required to submit a signed letter of agreement by June 1. They will have the option of developing and printing a poster to display at conference. AANP will provide accepted applicants with a poster template, and draft posters must be submitted electronically to AANP by June 1.

Rejected Applicants

Applicants who are rejected have two weeks from the date of their rejection letter to resubmit their application. They will not be required to submit another application fee, and their updated application components can be sent directly to the AANP Help Center. Revised applications will only be considered if there are spots available.

National Conference Preparation

When booking transportation to the conference, please know that data collectors are required to attend a mandatory meeting at the conference site on the Tuesday conference begins. Detailed information about the time, date and location of this meeting will be emailed. Data collectors who are unable to attend this meeting must inform AANP as soon as possible. Data collectors are not required to stay until the Sunday conference ends.

National Conference Data Collection

AANP makes every attempt to ensure there is traffic around the data collection area but does not guarantee a specific response rate for researchers collecting data at the conference. Small giveaways, such as candy and stickers, can be used as incentives; however, sweepstakes, raffles and giveaways are not permitted. AANP will provide each data collector with a table, chairs and a poster easel. AANP does not guarantee free access to electrical outlets or Wi-Fi.

After the data collection meeting, data collectors will be assigned to their tables and can start recruiting national conference attendees. Data collectors are responsible for bringing their own supplies, such as tablets; printed, paper-based surveys; and pens. Coffee, snacks and meals are available for purchase inside and near the conference venue.

Final Product Submission

All data collectors are required to submit their final research projects to AANP within a year. Final research projects will not be shared with the public without the consent of the data collectors. If the final research project is a peer-reviewed journal article, AANP should receive a draft of that article prior to​ its publication.