The ACEN is pleased to announce a new way to serve our nursing programs: in 2017, the ACEN will implement an online Accreditation Management System. For most of 2016, your ACEN staff have been working with a software development company, Indigo Interactive, to implement online accreditation software that is designed for the specific needs of our nursing programs and peer evaluators. The online software will transition the ACEN accreditation processes to a digital medium and provide fully online 24/7 access through a web portal; from the first step of the Candidacy application to each program’s yearly Annual Report, all accreditation processes will be streamlined for accessibility, reliability, and convenience. For example, nurse educators will see an improvement of the Self-Study Report process, with the report itself templatized within the web portal for ease of completion and submission as easy as the click of a button. Peer evaluators, too, will be able to complete Site Visit Reports through the web portal template, and all work will be saved online so that it is accessible anywhere and anytime.
The benefits of the Accreditation Management System will be seen in how it supports more organized and efficient communication. Each user will have a unique login, which will allow access to a personalized dashboard that unifies all of her/his roles within the ACEN in one centralized location. Through the web portal, the user will be able to receive automated alerts for important upcoming due dates, receive and send assignments and correspondence, and even be able to schedule site visits. Every nursing program will have access to a dedicated online document repository. The ACEN accreditation processes will truly be in the contemporary digital age with the ability to upload and download important documents, eliminating the requirement of most hard-copy submissions.
All of your ACEN staff are truly excited by what the Accreditation Management System will do to improve accreditation processes. With the unification of all processes within one web portal, the ACEN staff will be better able to serve our nursing programs, our faculty, our volunteers, and the nursing education community.
Please look for future updates on the roll-out of the Accreditation Management System!