Regulatory and Accrediting Bodies in Nursing Education - Research Paper Example

Regulatory and Accrediting Bodies in Nursing Education Introduction Standards in education should be maintained, in such a way that it would produce globally competitive graduates whose skills and knowledge of their field are mastered. In order to protect this aim, the regulatory and accrediting bodies are created. The regulatory and accrediting bodies in nursing education are organized to assure quality health care, support professional members, and monitor standards of nursing education. Although there are several reasons why these organizations were created, the core impetus which inspired it is the assurance of public health and safety. Though the end point boils down to a common goal, the regulatory and accrediting bodies differ in their function and scope. The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education--an accrediting body, and the National Council for States Boards of Nursing--a regulatory body, will be examined through their functions and scope in their paper. Regulatory Body According to Harvey (2004a), a regulatory body in higher education is “an external organization that has been empowered by legislation” to take hold of the educational processes through restrictions and rules designed by the organization to maintain a specified standard. The importance of a regulatory body is nondiscriminatory when what is at risk is the common good. Habgood and Welter (2000) expressed the role of regulatory body through the regulations they make as “[assurance of] public protection by administering enactment of the passed law.” In this note, one may say that legislations influence the regulations of the regulatory bodies in such a way that the public is given the most benefits. In the context of nursing education, where public health is the main concern, it is essential to be very selective of the persons of whom a license would be entrusted. This goes to the assessment of what kind of training a nursing graduate has and how equipped and worthy is he/she to become a “registered nurse.” Of the different nursing regulatory bodies, it is the National Council for States Boards of Nursing to perform this task. National Council for States Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) Purpose. The NCSBN was founded in 1978 as a non-profit organization conceptualized by the American Nurses Association (ANA) Council on State Boards of Nursing. The creation of NCSBN comes from the realization that in order to fully concentrate on the safety of the public and assurance of a quality workforce of nurses, “the regulation of nurses needed to be a separate entity from the organization representing professional nurses” (NCSBN, n.d.b). If such professionals would not be regulated, then public health and public safety would be jeopardized; an instance which NCSBN prevents. To materialize their goals, NCSBN formulated the Guiding Principles of Nursing Regulations which include: protection for the public, competence of all practitioners regulated by the board of nursing, due process and ethical decision making, shared accountability, strategic collaboration, evidenced-based regulation; response to the marketplace and healthcare environment; and globalization of nursing. Through their guiding principles, the NCSBN is able to regulate all aspects of nursing practice; from the selection of the human resource to establishing an above average competence which can compete globally. Ethical standards are also given emphasis to the benefit of both practitioners and clients, so that a balance decision-making, in case of alleged malpractice and such circumstances is assured. Scope. NCSBN’s primary roles are to provide rules, administer licensure examinations and regulate professional nursing practice. Since the NCSBN is state-based, rules may vary depending on the qualifications of the state (NCSBN, n.d.a); such as in each regulatory agency, “the regulatory authority may vary according to the purpose of approval and the particular jurisdiction” (Bible et al. 2010). Licensure is the main task of the NCSBN; therefore, nursing graduates who wish to practice their profession legally should adhere to the regulations of the board in their chosen state. Accrediting Body Accreditation may be a common term in the educational arena, but its definition can often be confused with ‘regulation’ because both aim for assessment of qualifications. However, accreditation is more about the ‘admission’ of a specific organization to belong in a particular group. For a more profound definition, the American Heritage Dictionary (1993) defined accreditation as the “recognition of an institution of learning as maintaining prescribed standards requisite for its graduates to gain admission to other reputable institutions of higher learning to achieve credentials for professional practice” (as cited in Delegate Assembly, 1997). Consequently, an accrediting body is responsible for the “decision making, about the status, legitimacy or appropriateness of an institution, or programme” (Harvey, 2004b). In the nursing higher education, alongside with the regulations of licensure, it is imperative for an institution to have met all the necessary criteria to foster high quality education. Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) Purpose. The Commission in Collegiate Nursing Education was created to protect quality education in several nursing programs, ranging from the baccalaureate degrees to the graduate school. Just like the regulatory body, the goals of the commission centers on the security of public health, “through assessing and identifying programs that engage in effective educational practices” (CCNE, 2009). In the commission’s mission statement and goals are their five main purposes. First is to hold nursing programs parallel to the needs of the community and follows a guided principle through the mission and vision statements, and desired outcome. Second would entail the evaluation of the nursing programs if it successfully follows their goals stated in their vision and mission, and consequently follows-up if the institution has met the criteria needed for accreditation. Following this is the commission’s obligation to “inform the public” whether or not the institution has qualified to teach nursing education, and finally, “foster continuing improvement in nursing programs – and, thereby, in professional practice.” In the light of the stated purposes, it can be concluded that an accrediting body in nursing education is about the monitorial duties for the nursing education. Scope. Under the rules of the commission are all the higher education institutions (including distance education) and the acute care hospitals in the United States (CCNE, 2009). Institutions exercising nursing educational programs should adhere to the criteria being imposed by the commission if they should want to pass accreditation standards. In doing so, CCNE conducts a “peer review process in accordance with nationally recognized standards established for the practice of accreditation” within the United States territory. Similarities and Differences of Regulation and Accreditation The regulatory and accreditation bodies both aim to preserve and improve instruction in education. However, they differ in their function and jurisdiction. Regulatory bodies are the mediators of the people in order to legally practice their profession through licensure exams, and thus, ‘regulating’ professionals. Through this, there is little to no chance of the public to be exposed to incompetent individuals. On the other hand, accreditation is the process done in institutions to maintain quality education within institutions. The CCNE, for example, conducts assessment, reviews, and school visits to have an eye to the performance of a nursing institution as a whole: ranging from monitoring laboratory equipments to the kind of discussions given to students. Conclusion In the context of higher education in nursing, the regulatory body and the accreditation body act to keep the standards appropriate for the benefit of public health. However, their means of enacting and jurisdiction differ. The mandatory requirements of both organizations do not only benefit the professionals themselves, but a more important and long-term advantage is the quality health care service the nurses can give to the public. However, accrediting bodies are the ones to strengthen nursing skills through monitoring before one attempts to take a state board. References Bible, C. et al. (2004). On the state of the art approval/accreditation process in the boards of Nursing. National Council for States Boards of Nursing [NCSBN]. Retrieved from https://www.ncsbn.org/Final_11_05_Approval_White_Paper.pdf Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. (2009). CCNE mission statement and goals. American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Retrieved from http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Accreditation/mission.htm Delegate Assembly. (1997). The National Council States Board of Nursing position paper on approval and accreditiation: Definition and usage. National Council. Retrieved from https://www.ncsbn.org/ApprovalandAccreditationPaper.pdf Habgood, C.M., & Welter, C.J. (2000). Importance of regulatory process and regulation. AORN Journal. Retrieved from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FSL/is_3_71/ai_64424017/ Harvey, L. (2004a). Regulatory body. Analytic Quality Glossary. Retrieved from http://www.qualityresearchinternational.com/glossary/regulatorybody.htm Harvey, L. (2004b). Accrediting body. Analytic Quality Glossary. Retrieved from http://www.qualityresearchinternational.com/glossary/accreditationbody.htm National Council of States Boards of Nursing. (n.d.a). Boards of nursing. Retrieved from https://www.ncsbn.org/boards.htm National Council of States Boards of Nursing (n.d.b). History. 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