Accreditation Commission For Education in Nursing Discussion Paper
Response to Renee Thomason
In order to guarantee the quality of their programs, nursing programs in the United States pursue accreditation (Billings & Halstead, 2020). The goal of nursing accreditation is to make sure that all nursing education schools in the US are held to the same high standards. This advances nursing as a profession and significantly raises the standard of nursing care as a whole. With accreditation, it is possible to guarantee that a nurse who received her education in Texas and a nurse who had her education in California are equally capable of carrying out their tasks. The distinction between national accreditation and approval by a state board of nursing should also be made clear. State board approval simply signifies that the state has given the school its stamp of approval, and in most circumstances, graduates of that program are eligible to sit for state-specific licensing or certification tests. National accreditation indicates compliance to shared quality criteria established by a body recognized by the US Department of Education (What’s the Deal with Accreditation, 2018). There are three organizations that accredit nursing education programs: the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN), the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), and the National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (NLN CNEA) (Billings & Halstead, 2020). Accreditation by the ACEN is a peer-review procedure designed to promote quality advancement in nursing education. This is a list of benefits listed by the ACEN on their website. Accreditation Commission For Education in Nursing Discussion Paper
ACCREDITATION:
Aids in student recruitment. Provides students useful information for career and education decision-making. Enables students’ eligibility for funding support from federal and state agencies, and foundations. Is required by many nursing programs for admission to undergraduate and graduate programs. Is required by some state regulatory agencies.
Assists employers seeking graduates who are competent practitioners. Heightens faculty members’ and administrators’ awareness and responsiveness to areas needing improvement.
Offers professional development opportunity and validation for faculty. Accreditation Commission For Education in Nursing Discussion Paper
Response to Renee Thomason
I commend you for the several issues you have raised concerning accreditation from the point of view of nursing practice. Among the issues analyzed is the important role that accreditation plays in upholding the quality of nursing programs in the United States. Citing the report by Spector et al. (2020), I should add that accreditation indeed serves as a crucial mechanism for making sure that the nursing education institutions across the country adhere by the set high standards. The important aspect about these standards is that they should be uniform across various states in order to guarantee consistency in the quality of education and training. According to Spector et al. (2020), this commitment to accreditation both safeguards the excellence of nursing education and also fosters public trust in the competence and preparedness of nursing graduates. Accreditation Commission For Education in Nursing Discussion Paper
Another point raised in your discussion is the importance of accreditation in achieving consistency in the capabilities of nurses trained in different states within the United States. Twhen nurses are accredited by the various accreditation bodies, they are recognized across different states making it easy for nurses to work from one location to the other with ease (Delva et al., 2019). I should also add that national accreditation should be distinguished from the state board approval. The former, as you have indicated, are required in the setting of standards for nursing programs while the latter pertains to meeting specific state regulatory requirements meaning their jurisdictions are comparatively limited. Accreditation Commission For Education in Nursing Discussion Paper
References
Delva, S., Nkimbeng, M., Chow, S., Renda, S., Han, H. R., & D’Aoust, R. (2019). Views of regulatory authorities on standards to assure quality in online nursing education. Nursing outlook, 67(6), 747-759. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2019.06.011
Spector, N., Silvestre, J., Alexander, M., Martin, B., Hooper, J. I., Squires, A., & Ojemeni, M. (2020). NCSBN regulatory guidelines and evidence-based quality indicators for nursing education programs. Journal of Nursing Regulation, 11(2), S1-S64. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2155-8256(20)30075-2 Accreditation Commission For Education in Nursing Discussion Paper