ACEN Accreditation Manual – Policy 26

ACCREDITATION MANUAL  •  SECTION I GENERAL INFORMATION  •  SECTION II POLICIES  •  SECTION III STANDARDS AND CRITERIA  •  GLOSSARY

ACEN Accreditation Manual – Section II Policies

POLICY #26
Professional Staff Relationship to the Board of Commissioners and Evaluation Review Panel

Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) staff are expected to advise and inform the Evaluation Review Panel and the Board of Commissioners on matters relative to a nursing program. They may offer advice or provide information at their own initiative or at the request of the Evaluation Review Panel and Board of Commissioners. Such advice and information do not supplant the peer review process but rather provide additional insight in reaching an informed judgment.

Procedural Guidelines

  1. In order to maintain the strength and consistency of the process, ACEN staff provide information and advice as appropriate when assisting the Evaluation Review Panel in making a recommendation on the accreditation status of a nursing program as well as the Board of Commissioners in making a decision on the accreditation status of a program. Particularly germane is historical information on similarly situated nursing programs as well as procedural and substantive advice on how the ACEN policies and Standards and Criteria have been interpreted and could be applied to a program’s case, including possible action and follow-up. This information is presented orally during the Evaluation Review Panel and the Board of Commissioner’s discussion.
  1. The ACEN staff role in the deliberations is an active role. ACEN Directors provide information and advice, which may include evidence and evidence-based professional opinions on a nursing program’s patterns, progress, and suggested action.
  2. The ACEN staff’s role in the process may not supplant the peer review and decision-making process.

Policy #26 History
Developed July 2015
Edited June 2023

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