Nursing Educational Program and Decision-Making Process by the Accreditation Organization
Decision-Making Process by the Accreditation Organization in Nursing Education
Decision-Making Process by the Accreditation Organization in Nursing Education
All accrediting agencies follow similar steps in their decision-making processes, which are in part regulated by the USDE. The processes of these agencies include the following steps:
- A peer evaluation team submits a report to the accreditation agency based on compliance with the accreditation standards as demonstrated in the self-study document and verified through the on-site visit.
- The chief nursing administrator of the nursing program has the opportunity to respond to the report of the evaluation team.
- The report of the evaluation team, response of the nursing program to the report, and the self-study document are sent to the review panel of the accreditation agency. The review panel makes a recommendation regarding the accreditation decision.
- The recommendations of the review panel and all relevant materials are sent to the Board of Commissioners, which makes the final decision on whether to grant, reaffirm, deny, or withdraw accreditation.
- The final accreditation decision is communicated to the USDE, the parent institution, and appropriate accreditation and regulatory agencies. Each accreditation agency has an appeals process that the nursing program may choose to pursue based on an adverse accreditation decision.
There is a prescribed timeframe during which appeals of an accreditation decision may be generated. The appellant program may incur additional fees associated with submission of an appeal.
Accreditation of Institute in Nursing Education
Accreditation is a voluntary activity that has a 100-year history in the United States. In other countries, governments frequently provide oversight of educational institutions. Privately operated US accreditation agencies provide quality assurance and quality improvement for their accredited programs and institutions.
They also can serve as gatekeepers for accredited programs and institutions to access programs administered by the USDE or other federal agencies, including student financial aid programs.
Accreditation agencies that are recognized by federal and state governments are considered to be reliable authorities on academic quality (Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors [ASPA], 2007; Council for Higher Education Accreditation, CHEA, 2010; COA, 2014).
Accreditation is a peer process that involves granting public recognition to an institution or specialized program by a private, nongovernmental agency. The granting of accreditation indicates that the institution or program meets or exceeds nationally established standards for acceptable educational quality.
Institutions or specialized programs are evaluated based on their own stated purposes if those purposes are educationally appropriate, meet accreditation standards, and fall within the recognized scope of the accreditation agency (ASPA, 2007; Council for Higher Education Accreditation, CHEA, 2010; COA, 2014).
Accreditation exists to ensure quality assessment and to assist with quality improvement. Accreditation can apply to institutions or programs, whereas certification and licensure are related to individuals.
Accreditation does not ensure the quality of individual graduates, but provides reasonable assurance of the context and quality of the education that is offered (ASPA, 2007; Council for Higher Education Accreditation, CHEA, 2010; COA, 2014). Accreditation is of benefit to the public for these reasons:
- Reasonable assurance of the external evaluation of a program and its conformity with general expectations in the professional field
- Identification of programs that have voluntarily undertaken explicit activities directed at quality improvement
- Improvement in the professional services available to the public, resulting from evidence-based program requirement modifications
- Less need for intervention by public agencies in educational program operations because private accreditation provides resources for quality assessment and quality improvement Students benefit from these aspects of accreditation
- Reasonable assurance that the educational activities of an accredited program are satisfactory and meet student needs
- Facilitation of academic credit transfer between programs and institutions
- Provides a uniform prerequisite for entering the profession
- Establishes eligibility to seek Title IV financial aid and other federal and state programs benefit from accreditation through these mechanisms
- Accreditation provides a stimulus for self-directed improvement
- The accreditation agency may provide peer review and counsel
- The reputation of the program is enhanced because it is accredited
- Accreditation may be a mechanism that provides Eligibility for selected governmental funding programs and private foundation grants Professions benefit from accreditation in that it provides
- A means for participation of practitioners to establish requirements for professional education
- A contribution to professional unity through bringing together practitioners, educators, students, and the communities of interest in an activity that improves professional preparation and practice (ASPA, 2007; Council for Higher Education Accreditation, CHEA, 2010; COA, 2014).
Successful completion of the accreditation process is a significant achievement for all nursing programs. The components of self-review and self-assessment should be viewed as ongoing rather than sporadic. Achievement of accreditation demonstrates programmatic commitment to quality assessment and quality improvement.
With the existing agencies of ACEN and CCNE and the emerging NLN CNEA, most nursing programs will have the option to choose from among the three program accrediting agencies. Baccalaureate and higher degree programs will be able to choose to seek accreditation from ACEN, CCNE, or NLN CNEA.
Associate degree, diploma, and practical/vocational nursing programs seeking accreditation will be able to choose from ACEN or NLN CNEA. If the programs require program accreditation for Title IV funding authorization, ACEN will remain the nursing accrediting agency of choice.
Achieving accreditation from any of the three nursing program agencies is considered a mark of program quality. Although faculty members may view the accreditation process as tedious and time consuming, it is an opportunity for programmatic improvement. Accreditation agencies provide detailed guidelines for nursing programs to use in their pursuit of initial and continuing accreditation.