MINGLE WITH MARCY
Your CEO Answers Frequently Asked Questions
By Dr. Marcy Stoll, EdD, MSN | CEO | ACEN
Bridges, Volume XIII – Issue 3, August 2019
Is a program pursuing candidacy and initial accreditation with the ACEN required to submit substantive changes?
A nursing program seeking initial accreditation must apply for Candidacy. The ACEN encourages all nursing programs to be accredited for graduates to 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.
Programs pursuing Candidacy and initial accreditation with the ACEN must notify the ACEN of changes that occur in the program during the entire Candidacy process as both eligibility for Candidacy and Candidate status are based upon the information provided in the Candidacy Eligibility Application or the Candidacy Presentation. Changes that occur can affect the program’s eligibility to pursue the process and/or achieve initial accreditation with the ACEN. Therefore, programs must notify the ACEN of changes, which include, but are not limited to: changes in nurse administrator, change in status with the state regulatory agency or the accrediting body of the governing organization, changes in curriculum/options, potential addition of a new location, or implementation of distance education. Contact ACEN professional staff for guidance related to any change and the potential need to report a change. The ACEN must be notified of all changes no less than four months prior to the change, or as soon as possible for any unexpected changes. The notification should be in writing and should address the selected Criteria from the Candidacy Presentation related to the change (e.g., all of the Standard 4 Curriculum Criteria for a change in the curriculum and/or new option). Failure to notify the ACEN of changes may delay or jeopardize a nursing program from being approved for Candidacy, hosting an initial accreditation visit, or being granted initial accreditation by the Board of Commissioners.
Learn more about Candidacy here.
How often are programs reviewed by the ACEN after being granted initial accreditation?
Initial accreditation is the first peer review process for a candidate nursing program seeking accreditation with the ACEN. Once a nursing program is granted initial accreditation, continuing accreditation is the cyclical peer review process for an accredited nursing program to maintain accreditation with the ACEN.
The first continuing accreditation peer review process occurs five years after initial accreditation is granted, and then the continuing accreditation peer review process occurs every eight years thereafter.
There are two reasons why a continuing accreditation peer review process would occur sooner than between the customary cyclical review process.
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- The nursing program made or will make a significant change in the nursing program. This is known as “substantive change” and the change is so significant that the ACEN Board of Commissioners authorizes a focused visit. The Focused Visit Report provides information related to the program’s compliance with a selected number of ACEN Standards and Criteria. The Standards and Criteria to be reviewed are based on the reason for the focused visit, such as the addition of a new off-campus instructional site (e.g., where the didactic component of the nursing courses are taught) or implementation of distance education. Note, the addition of a clinical site is not a significant change in the nursing program, thus not a substantive change. See the ACEN Glossary for helpful definitions.The Focused Visit Report differs from the Substantive Change Prospectus. While the Substantive Change Prospectus outlines a proposed substantive change or describes a substantive change that occurred (e.g., decline in program outcomes), the purpose of the Focused Visit Report is to demonstrate a nursing program’s continuing compliance with the Accreditation Standards approximately six months after implementation of the substantive change.
Learn more about a focused visit here.
- The nursing program made or will make a significant change in the nursing program. This is known as “substantive change” and the change is so significant that the ACEN Board of Commissioners authorizes a focused visit. The Focused Visit Report provides information related to the program’s compliance with a selected number of ACEN Standards and Criteria. The Standards and Criteria to be reviewed are based on the reason for the focused visit, such as the addition of a new off-campus instructional site (e.g., where the didactic component of the nursing courses are taught) or implementation of distance education. Note, the addition of a clinical site is not a significant change in the nursing program, thus not a substantive change. See the ACEN Glossary for helpful definitions.The Focused Visit Report differs from the Substantive Change Prospectus. While the Substantive Change Prospectus outlines a proposed substantive change or describes a substantive change that occurred (e.g., decline in program outcomes), the purpose of the Focused Visit Report is to demonstrate a nursing program’s continuing compliance with the Accreditation Standards approximately six months after implementation of the substantive change.
- The second reason there may be a visit between accreditation cycles is related to follow-up. If a program is found in non-compliance with one or more Accreditation Standards and placed on conditions, warning, or good cause by the Board of Commissioners, then a follow-up report is required.Learn more about a follow-up visit here.
Schedule of Fees
The ACEN continuously looks for ways to reduce costs in order to maintain a fair and reasonable fee structure. In fact, the fee schedule for nursing programs located in the U.S. and U.S. territories has remained the same for four consecutive years, and the fee schedule for international nursing program was significantly reduced in 2019.
Candidacy is the process the ACEN uses for nursing programs seeking initial accreditation regardless of geographic location. However, the Candidacy process differs for international nursing programs. Information regarding the process for international nursing program is available here.
Candidacy is an affordable process where fees are billed in portions depending on what part of the process a nursing program is in.
- The fee schedule for nursing programs located in the U.S. and U.S. territories is available here.
- The fee schedule for international nursing programs is available here.
- An Illustration of Cost with Timeline was created to clarify the costs associated with candidacy and initial accreditation.