We are pleased to announce that the Board of Commissioners has approved Policy #32 Observer on the Site Visit Team, which allows a nursing program in its initial or reaccreditation review process to designate one (1) person to accompany a site visit team. The purpose of a Site Visit Observer is to provide one (1) designated person from a nursing program the opportunity to learn from the site visit team activities and from the review process experience. A site visit team may have only one (1) observer and that observer may not have any conflicts of interest as defined by ACEN Policy #1 Code of Conduct and Conflict of Interest. All host programs must agree to have an observer accompany the site visit team. The ACEN cannot guarantee that all requests will be honored nor will all requests be approved due to the variability in the number of scheduled site visits. However, requests to have an observer accompany a site visit team will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Programs that agree to host an observer will receive priority. Neither the ACEN nor the host nursing program is responsible for any expenses (e.g., travel, lodging, meal, etc.) incurred by the observer in connection with observing the site visit team process. All expenses must be borne by the observer and/or the observer’s governing organization/nursing program.
All requests must include the completed Observer Intake Form with appropriate signatures and the prospective observer’s curriculum vitae. Both documents should be submitted by fax, ATTN: Observer, +1 (404) 975-5020. The Observer Intake Form is also available in the Resources for Nursing Programs page of the ACEN website.