18 Apr Nursing Accreditation
The importance of nursing accreditation in educational institutions that are offering quality training programs is that it creates an air of legitimacy that will eventually benefit nursing students. Accredited educational institutions can allow students to benefit from programs that are funded by the Federal and State governments. Only graduates of accredited schools will also have the chance to take the State required certification examination that will allow them to seek gainful employment in various medical facilities in the State.
Nursing students must also realize that the availability of advanced studies will only be presented to those who have successfully completed training programs from accredited educational institutions. Considering that the employment market of the medical industry is growing exponentially, taking advantage of these enormous opportunities for financial and meaningful careers can be made easier with training programs from accredited educational institutions. Three of the bodies that award nursing accreditation are:
When it comes to nursing accreditation, the CCNE boasts of holding an official recognition from the Secretary of Education of the United States. This affirms and legitimizes its role as a national accrediting body that has an autonomous function in ensuring its contribution to the continued improvement of the public health sector to benefit more people. This body is dedicated to ensuring the preservation of integrity and quality in various nursing related training programs.
The interest of the public is protected through the efforts of the organization to identify and assess the various programs to make sure that they will yield efficient training practices. Self-assessment is highly encouraged by the organization as it pertains to the execution of collegiate as well as post graduate studies in the field of nursing. This is intended to result in sustaining the growth of this sector of the medical industry.
As an autonomous organization, the accreditation process is held as a nongovernmental peer review that is based on the recognized standards established nationwide for all nursing related training programs within the United States. The organization wants to make sure that its five-point agenda is accomplished.
- Ensure that nursing programs remain accountable to the interests of the community. This means that the goals, mission statements, and end results achieved by the nursing profession should be in consonance with the needs of employers, consumers, higher education, nursing students, nurse residents, and families among others. This will allow the individuals to effectively function in their expected roles.
- The success of all nursing programs should be evaluated based on its declared goals, mission statements, and projected end results.
- It is imperative that the nursing programs are assessed in conjunction with the established accreditation standards.
- The public must be made aware not only of the purpose, but also the importance of accreditation to ensure that all nursing programs adhere to accreditation standards.
- Institute continuous improvement of nursing programs to establish a more professional practice.
This organization is responsible for the accreditation of almost all types of nursing programs that would include associate, baccalaureate, and diploma training. The nursing education units will be considered in the accreditation process where the initial step is to attain candidacy status. Once the eligibility requirements have been satisfied, a member of the professional staff will be assigned to serve as the mentor. This mentor service is vital in facilitating self-review and planning.
The nursing accreditation of NLNAC also covers specialized nursing programs like masters, practical, and clinical doctorate training programs. This commission carries the authority as well as accountability for the application of criteria and standards pertinent to the accreditation process including the management, affairs, general administration, and policy-making functions of the body.
As one of the nationally recognized accreditation bodies for nursing programs, it covers both high degree and post-secondary training like in the case of clinical doctorate, master’s degree, baccalaureate, associate degree, diploma, and practical training in nursing.
Each of these disciplines covered by the accreditation process is represented as subcommittees under the Committee for Accreditation Standards and Criteria. Every committee is tasked with handling, and discussing comments, feedbacks, and recommendations that are received during a specific period. These will be entertained and considered during a time of revision and editing that will create a substantial effect on the entire accreditation process.
Organizations committed to increasing the quality of nursing education in the United States have been recognized by the ANCC since 1974. This is its contribution to ensuring the quality and professionalism of the healthcare industry in general and the nursing practice in particular. The accreditation process is guided by a set of defining standards geared towards the development as well as the delivery of continued training and assessed through a voluntary peer review to ensure compliance.
As a subsidiary of the ANA (American Nurses Association) its mission is the promotion of nursing excellence using credentialing programs to achieve globally acceptable healthcare standards. The ANCC is a nursing accreditation organization that is internationally renowned because of its credentialing programs that is focused on certifying and recognizing nurses individually based on specific fields of practice.
Healthcare organizations are likewise recognized for their participation in promoting excellence in the field of nursing through increasing the quality of patient care by ensuring that a safe and positive working environment is produced in healthcare facilities, which benefits both patients and healthcare practitioners. Aside from providing and approving continued nursing training, healthcare organizations can also be accredited based on successfully achieving this goal.
The ANCC puts an emphasis on high quality and continued nursing training programs, and as such, they provide educational materials that can support not only individual nurses, but healthcare organizations also to achieve program goals. The accreditation awarded to healthcare organizations also focuses on skills competency and furthering the knowledge of nurses taking the training programs.
This means, in order to benefit from the accreditation, nurses must be able to effectively demonstrate that they have attained specialized expertise. It is also vital that the expertise and knowledge are validated not only by the employers, but patients as well, through the delivery of excellent patient care. Examinations are likewise required to ensure that they are adeptly informed of the latest practice standards of in the nursing industry.