Accreditation faculty manual nursing

There is ongoing assessment of the extent to which students complete the nursing program. There is a minimum of the three 3 most recent years of annual program completion data, and data are aggregated for the nursing program as a whole as well as disaggregated by program option, location, and date of program completion or entering cohort.

The expected level of achievement for job placement is determined by the faculty and reflects program demographics. For students who do not hold a license as a registered nurse upon admission to the program, there is ongoing assessment of the extent to which graduates are employed. For students who hold a license as a registered nurse upon admission to the program, there is ongoing assessment of the extent to which graduates are employed.

There is analysis of assessment data and documentation that the analysis of assessment data is used in program decision-making for the maintenance and improvement of graduates being employed.

There is a minimum of the three 3 most recent years of available job placement data, and data are aggregated for the nursing program as a whole. Back to top. The systematic plan of evaluation contains: a. All those associated with the program s should participate in the self-study process. Broad participation leads to an understanding of the total program.

The Self-Study Report is a primary document used by the peer evaluators visiting the program, the peer evaluators on the Evaluation Review Panel, and the Board of Commissioners to understand the nursing program. The ACEN Guidelines for Written Reports are available to assist programs in preparing for an upcoming initial or continuing accreditation site visit.

Based on findings, the peer evaluators visiting the program will make a recommendation relative to the accreditation status of the nursing program s. Onsite review of the program by peer evaluators is an essential part of the accreditation process. It provides the program an opportunity to demonstrate and highlight information presented in its Self-Study Report and provides for interaction among peer evaluators and stakeholders: administrators, faculty, students, staff, and the public.

In addition, the initial or continuing accreditation site visit provides peer evaluators an opportunity to see the nursing program firsthand. The peer evaluators conduct an independent analysis and make professional judgments on the extent to which the program meets the ACEN Standards and Criteria; their judgments and accreditation recommendation are documented in the Site Visit Report. These peer evaluators verify congruence between the Self-Study Report and the actual practices of the program so that the peer evaluators on the Evaluation Review Panel and Board of Commissioners have a clear and complete understanding of the program.

The nursing education unit will prepare one Self-Study Report for all of the programs and host one site visit for all of the programs. The goal is to increase efficiency and decrease faculty workload while maximizing outcomes.

Two options are available: the collaborative and the coordinated visit. To arrange either a collaborative or a coordinated visit, the nurse administrator initiates the process by submitting a request to the ACEN. For a coordinated site visit, the program prepares materials separately for each agency team. However, the representative from another agency is not a member of the ACEN site visit team.

The ACEN peer evaluators and the other representative may participate jointly in such activities as conferences with faculty, students, and other groups. Length of the Initial or Continuing Accreditation Site Visit The initial or continuing accreditation site visit is typically scheduled for a minimum of three days.

However, the length depends on several factors, including size and complexity of the nursing program, geographical locations of the various resources used for student learning experiences, the number of nursing programs involved, and coordination of the visit with other agencies.

Correspondence from the ACEN will indicate the inclusive dates of the visit. Assignment of Peer Evaluators on a Site Visit Team Each initial or continuing accreditation site visit is conducted by a team of nursing educator peers with program-specific expertise and when appropriate, a clinician.

The number of peer evaluators on a site visit team for review of a single program typically has a minimum of three members. Graduate programs offering advanced practice nursing options will have at least one team member with current advanced practice certification. The ACEN staff will appoint the team of peer evaluators and notify the nurse administrator in advance of the visit.

The nurse administrator should contact the ACEN staff in writing if a possible conflict of interest is identified with a peer evaluator. If a peer evaluator becomes ineligible or unable to serve, another peer evaluator with comparable qualifications will be appointed. The ACEN staff will assign peer evaluators considering their expertise with multiple program factors, including but not limited to:. Team Chairperson A peer evaluator is eligible to be a team chairperson for an initial or continuing accreditation site visit after serving on a minimum of three teams as a peer evaluator.

Team Members The team member assumes the following responsibilities. The supporting evidence will be used during the initial or continuing accreditation site visit and left with the nursing program upon completion of the site visit. Peer evaluators will ask to review records of faculty and students. The student record review includes both academic and financial aid records.

Programs for which all or part of the curriculum is delivered in a language other than English should make provisions for an interpreter to be present throughout the initial or continuing accreditation site visit and to make certain that all program documents are available in English for review by the peer evaluators. Travel Arrangements See the Travel Policy for initial or continuing accreditation site visit arrangements for domestic programs.

See the Supplement for International Programs for initial or continuing accreditation site visit arrangements specific to international programs.

Agenda for the Initial or Continuing Accreditation Site Visit At least six weeks prior to the scheduled initial or continuing accreditation site visit, a tentative agenda for the site visit is prepared by the nurse administrator and sent to the team chairperson along with a copy of the class and clinical laboratory schedules and the completed technology assessment form.

Activities typically planned to take place during the initial or continuing accreditation site visit include for all locations and methods of delivery :.

Visiting Off-Site Locations of the Nursing Program Prior to the visit, programs with branch campuses or off-campus instructional sites must discuss with the team chairperson alternative methods for the visiting team to evaluate additional locations on which the program is offered. If locations are more than one hour apart in driving distance, the nurse administrator should communicate with the ACEN professional staff regarding visits to the additional locations.

The access to the courses should be provided with the Self-Study Report at least six weeks prior to the initial or continuing accreditation visit and continue throughout the visit. Internet Access while on Campus and at the Hotel The nursing program is also responsible for making sure that the peer evaluators have access to the Internet in the campus work room during the initial or continuing accreditation site visit.

Information Technology IT support should be available to the peer evaluators during the site visit if needed. The nursing program should also ensure Internet access is available at the hotel where the peer evaluators are staying during the site visit. Team members review the final report prior to submission to the ACEN.

If questions arise, the site visit team is contacted for clarification. The Nurse Administrator Response Form provides the program the opportunity to submit errors of fact within the report as well as substantive comments related to the facts at the time of the site visit.

After this decision and any necessary changes are made, the report becomes final. The peer evaluators that visited the program will also receive a copy of the final report prior to the Evaluation Review Panel meeting via email. The role of the Evaluation Review Panel is to continue the peer review process, conduct its own independent analysis on the extent to which the program meets the ACEN Standards and Criteria , make an accreditation recommendation, and to ensure the consistent application of the ACEN Standards and Criteria among programs of the same type.

Documents relative to developments occurring after the initial or continuing accreditation site visit may be used in the deliberations.

The Evaluation Review Panel also validates the work of the peer evaluators that visited the program and extends it by noting points of agreement and raising any questions where disagreement or a lack of clarity exists. The aim is to provide consistency in the findings for the program type. Nursing Program Representative Attendance at the Evaluation Review Panel Meeting The nurse administrator and one additional program representative may attend the deliberations of the Evaluation Review Panel about the program in person or the program may participate in the Evaluation Review Panel deliberations by telephone conference call.

The attendees are observers during the presentation of the program, Evaluation Review Panel deliberations, and vote; attendees will not be asked to respond to questions or to clarify information.

At the conclusion of the Evaluation Review Panel deliberations, the nurse administrator is invited to address the panel with regards to the overall process. The Board of Commissioners has the sole authority to determine the accreditation status of programs. The entire Board of Commissioners makes the accreditation decision at a regularly scheduled meeting typically, March and September.

In cases where accreditation is denied, programs have the opportunity to present their case in an impartial hearing before an independent Appeal Committee per Policy 10 Appeal Process and Submission and Review of New Financial Information Subsequent to Adverse Action.

Peer evaluators make recommendations to the Board of Commissioners. The considerations for being appointed an emeriti peer evaluator are required for someone to continue serving as an emeriti peer evaluator. After ACEN staff review of submitted materials, selected individuals will be invited to become peer evaluators and must participate in the peer evaluator professional development offered by the ACEN.

Appointment Peer evaluators are eligible to serve for an indefinite period of time if they receive ongoing positive site visit performance evaluations, remain current with the accreditation process, and continue to meet eligibility requirements; see Policy 1 Code of Conduct and Conflict of Interest and Policy 2 Representation on Site Visit Teams, Evaluation Review Panels, and the Board of Commissioners.

A list of the current program evaluators is accessible on the ACEN website. Evaluation Peer evaluators are evaluated by the members of the site visit team and the nurse administrator following each initial or continuing accreditation site visit. Appropriate assessment method s for each end-of-program student learning outcome and each program outcome.

Regular intervals for the assessment of each end-of-program student learning outcome and each program outcome. Sufficient data to inform program decision-making for the maintenance and improvement of each end-of-program student learning outcome and each program outcome.

Analysis of assessment data to inform program decision-making for the maintenance and improvement of each end-of-program student learning outcome and each program outcome. Documentation demonstrating the use of assessment data in program decision-making for the maintenance and improvement of each end-of-program student learning outcome and each program outcome.

There is ongoing assessment of the extent to which students attain each end-of-program student learning outcome. There is ongoing assessment of the extent to which graduates succeed on the licensure examination. There is a minimum of the three 3 most recent years of available licensure examination pass rate data, and data are aggregated for the nursing program as a whole as well as disaggregated by program option , location, and date of program completion.

The expected level of achievement for program completion is determined by the faculty and reflects student demographics.