Monitoring, evaluating, and reporting program completion data is one of three program outcomes required by the ACEN. The ACEN Board of Commissioners approved a revised definition of program completion during its March 2021 meeting and is effective now. The new definition of program completion will ensure that all nursing programs are using the same metric for program completion and the complexity of monitoring and calculating program completion should be simplified for all program types. In addition, the Commissioners approved a revised definition of program options to increase clarity of what is meant by a program option, particularly when it relates to disaggregation of program completion data. This webinar explains and describes these new definitions for implementation by ACEN-accredited programs, effective now.

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This presentation is a portion of the Peer Evaluator Training program for new site visitors and only provides a review of the Standards and Criteria. Though this review is intended for site visitors, faculty may find the information in this webinar helpful when preparing the Self-Study Report, potential evidence, and a site visit. Objectives:

• Examine the 2017 Accreditation Standards and Criteria.
• Explore the essential elements and meaning of each Criterion statement.
• Distinguish how a program may describe compliance with each Criterion statement it the Self-Study Report.
• Describe methods and means for evaluating a program’s compliance with each Criterion statement.
• Identify examples of Supporting Evidence related to each Criterion statement.

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The purpose of this webinar is to orient you to the ACEN peer review process used to evaluate nursing education programs. Objectives:

• Describe the purpose of accreditation
• Describe the mission, goals, and benefits of the ACEN and ACEN accreditation.
• Name the steps in the ACEN accreditation process.
• Describe the peer review process.
• Explore the nursing education program’s role in preparing for a site visit.
• Describe the possible accreditation decisions.
• Identify available ACEN resources.

No registration required. 

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Accreditation is a peer-review, self-regulatory process by which non-governmental associations recognize educational institutions or nursing programs that have been found to meet or exceed standards and criteria for educational quality. It is a distinction that nursing education programs are committed to excellence. Most importantly, accreditation focuses on the student results from those investments and assists in the further improvement of the nursing programs as related to the resources invested, processes followed, and results achieved. To learn more about accreditation, join Marcy Stoll in this one-hour webinar. Brought to you in collaboration with the Organization for Associate Degree Nursing and the National Education Progression in Nursing Collaborative (NEPIN).

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Candidacy is the beginning process for a nursing program seeking accreditation with the ACEN. The ACEN encourages all nursing programs to be accredited so graduates have the maximum educational and career benefits of their education. Contrary to rumors, a nursing program does not have to have graduates or outcomes data BEFORE being accredited by the ACEN. All existing nursing programs should seek initial accreditation as soon as possible and all new nursing programs should seek initial accreditation so the first cohort of graduating students graduate from an accredited nursing program so students have the maximum career and educational benefits from their nursing education. To learn more about candidacy, join Nell Ard in this one-hour webinar. Brought to you in collaboration with the Organization for Associate Degree Nursing and the National Education Progression in Nursing Collaborative (NEPIN).

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An outcome is a statement that reflects the achievement of an identified goal. Each ACEN-accredited program has an identifiable, discrete set of specific end-of-program student learning outcomes and program outcomes (licensure/certification examination pass rate, completion rate, job placement rate). Assessing outcomes helps program leaders and faculty demonstrate program effectiveness and promotes improvement by understanding the extent to which students achieved each end-of-program student learning outcome and each program outcome. To learn more about assessing outcomes, join Keri Nunn-Ellison for a one-hour live webinar.

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The ACEN accreditation process (e.g., Self-Study Report, Site Visit, Evaluation Review Panel, and Board of Commissioners Decision) is a quality improvement practice that empowers faculty to examine programmatic and institutional educational processes and systems.  The outcome of this accreditation process results in a decision that offers program/institution strengths, areas needing development, and areas of noncompliance.  Therefore, the faculty play a crucial role in maintaining accreditation after the accreditation decision.  Interestingly, the hours, days, and weeks immediately following the receipt of the accreditation decision are perhaps the most opportune times to maintain engagement in programmatic evaluation.  To “keep the momentum going,” the faculty should continue their commitment to refine educational processes and systems to improve the program. Brought to you in collaboration with the Organization for Associate Degree Nursing (OADN) and the National Education Progression in Nursing Collaborative (NEPIN).

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As defined by the ACEN a substantive change is a significant modification or expansion of the nature and scope of a nursing program and/or nursing education. Changes that may be considered substantive include but are not limited to curriculum changes, decreases in program outcomes, the implementation of distance education, the addition of new instructional sites, and adding or closing programs or program options. Per ACEN Policy #14 and federal regulation, ACEN-accredited nursing programs are responsible for notifying the ACEN of major (substantive) changes in a nursing program to ensure that accreditation is maintained and students are protected. However, not all changes a program plans to implement are substantive.

To learn more about maintaining accreditation, join Suzette Farmer in this one-hour webinar. Brought to you in collaboration with the Organization for Associate Degree Nursing (OADN) and the National Education Progression in Nursing Collaborative (NEPIN).

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