NLN for CNEA Standards and Accreditation Process Steps In Nursing Education Part I

Nursing Education & NLN for CNEA Standards and Accreditation Process Steps

National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (NLN CNEA), NLN CNEA Standards and Accreditation Process in Nursing Education, Steps in the Nursing Program Accreditation Process.

National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (NLN CNEA)

The NLN established a new autonomous accreditation division in September 2013 by vote of the NLN membership, in response to requests for additional program accreditation options within the nursing profession. The NLN CNEA will provide accreditations for all types of nursing programs including practical/vocational, diploma, associate, baccalaureate, master’s, post-master’s certificate, and clinical doctorate programs.

The NLN CNEA will not provide Title IV gatekeeping functions. Information about the NLN CNEA can be found at their web site, http://www.nln.org/cnea.

As its mission, the NLN CNEA: promotes excellence and integrity in nursing education globally through an accreditation process that respects the diversity of program mission, curricula, students, and faculty; emphasizes a culture of continuous quality improvement; and influences the preparation of a caring and competent nursing workforce” (NLN CNEA, 2015).

NLN CNEA incorporates the NLN’s organizational core values of caring, diversity, integrity, and excellence throughout the accreditation services that it provides. NLN CNEA is governed by a 15-member Board of Commissioners that is composed of nurse educator representatives (10); nursing practice representatives (3); and public representatives (2). The NLN CNEA executive director reports to the NLN CNEA Board of Commissioners.

NLN CNEA staff members report to the executive director and are responsible for supporting all board and standing committee activities as well as administration of accreditation processes and procedures.

NLN CNEA Standards and Accreditation Process In Nursing Education

There are five NLN CNEA standards with accompanying quality indicators and interpretative guidelines. The five standards are related to mission, governance, and resources; faculty; students; curriculum and teaching, learning, and evaluation processes; and program outcomes, and are based upon a model of continuous quality improvement.

As of this writing, the quality indicators and interpretive guidelines are in the process of being finalized by the NLN CNEA Board of Commissioners. The proposed standards can be found at http://www.nln.org/cnea.

The policies and processes that will govern the NLN CNEA accreditation processes are under development and can be found on the NLN CNEA website. NLN CNEA anticipates beginning to accredit nursing programs in 2016.

Steps in the Nursing Program Accreditation Process

Preparation for the programmatic accreditation process should begin 1 to 3 years prior to the planned visit for nursing programs seeking initial or continued accreditation to have sufficient time to ensure that all elements of the accreditation process have been completed.

This preparation time may vary based on the number of internal programs to be accredited within the overall nursing program. For example, a nursing program may have baccalaureate, MSN, and DNP degree options to be reviewed for accreditation. Other institutions may have only one nursing program, such as an associate or baccalaureate degree program.

A systematic program evaluation needs to be conducted that addresses all aspects of the nursing program with specified measurable performance indicators and benchmarks along with appropriate measurement tools, data analysis, and dissemination of findings (see Chapter 26).

Examples of areas to be addressed include aggregate measures such as achievement of program outcomes; quality of instruction and resources for learning; and overall satisfaction with the program by students, alumni, faculty, and employers.

Nursing programs need to have mechanisms for tracking data to support program outcomes, including program completion and graduation rates, licensing and certification examination pass rates, alumni and employer satisfaction, and graduate employment. Institutional assessment plans, including databases, analysis, and dissemination of assessment findings facilitate the work of program evaluation.

Programs will be expected to collect, trend, and analyze these data during a specified period (e.g., 3 years of aggregate data). Professional standards and guidelines need to be reflected in the program and its components. These standards and guidelines serve as building blocks for the nursing curriculum and must be consistent with the mission, goals, and expected outcomes of the program.

Professional standards and guidelines are developed by professional nursing and specialty organizations, state regulatory agencies, and nationally recognized accreditation organizations. ACEN, CCNE, and NLN CNEA support the use of professional nursing standards and expect that nursing programs can demonstrate how these standards are used within the curriculum and their consistency with overall program outcomes.

Although CCNE requires certain AACN professional standards based on program type, nursing programs have the opportunity to use other professional standards in addition to those required.