Accreditation UpdateQuality Education Through Accreditation
Section snippets
Approval Versus Accreditation
Some nursing programs may be contemplating the decision to seek national nursing accreditation, whereas others are required to seek national nursing accreditation. Communities of interest may not understand the differences between a nursing program that is approved by the state regulatory agency for nursing (e.g., Board of Nursing) versus a program that is both approved and accredited.
All prelicensure nursing programs must receive approval from the state regulatory agency for nursing. The state
Benefits of Accreditation
Accreditation provides several benefits to a nursing program and to the graduates of an accredited nursing program. The first benefit is that the accreditation provides recognition that a nursing program has been evaluated and is periodically reevaluated by a qualified, independent group of peers. A second benefit is that accreditation is the gateway for licensure or certification; in some states, graduates are not eligible to take the licensure examination without having graduated from an
Development of Accreditation Standards
Similar to the development of the licensure examination test blueprint, accreditation standards are developed by experts in the field of nursing education and nursing practice. The ACEN Standards and Criteria were developed by groups of nurse educators and nurse clinicians. The Standards and Criteria are reviewed at least every 5 years to verify that the standards reflect current, contemporary nursing education and nursing practice.
During a revision, the Standards and Criteria are initially
Guidance and Support
In alignment with the organizational mission, the ACEN is committed to being a supportive partner with nursing programs to improve nursing education through the functions of accreditation. The ACEN staff are aware that navigating the accreditation process and preparing for an accreditation site visit can feel overwhelming. Therefore, the ACEN provides several resources to assist programs with meeting their accreditation goals. These resources include professional staff members, candidacy
Resources
ACEN-accredited programs have access to the ACEN professional staff. These staff members are seasoned educators committed to helping programs navigate the accreditation process. This support includes mentorship for programs seeking candidacy for initial accreditation with the ACEN. The professional staff members can also assist accredited nursing programs as they prepare for an upcoming reaccreditation visit or the submission of a substantive change report. The professional staff members can be
Site Visit Observation
Recognizing a correlation between adult learning styles and a vital need for nurse administrators and faculty to understand the accreditation review process, the ACEN Board of Commissioners approved Policy #32 Observers on a Site Visit Team. As a result, the ACEN Board of Commissioners established an optional learning opportunity for representatives of nursing programs seeking initial accreditation and representatives from nursing programs who are in the process of continuing accreditation to
Advisory Review
The purpose of an advisory review is to provide targeted assistance to an ACEN-accredited program preparing for the continuing accreditation process. This review is a one-time opportunity for the program to receive feedback from an ACEN professional staff member. The program's nurse administrator sets the advisory review agenda, depending on the specific needs of the program, and may include a focus on process details, specific standards, or review of draft documents.
An advisory review is an
Conclusion
In summary, the ACEN Board of Commissioners has made it possible for nurse administrators and faculty to use various forms of learning to comprehend the ACEN accreditation process. Examples of opportunities include the candidacy mentoring program, the observer opportunities, and the advisory reviews. Once again, the ACEN has created supportive services to benefit nursing programs. Please take advantage of these current and any future learning opportunities.
Since this will be a recurring column
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