Nursing accreditation: what's a librarian got to do with it?

ABNF Journal, The, March-April, 2003 by Cynthia Burke

Abstract: Nursing education accreditation visits are similar to JCAHO accreditation visits. Both types of accreditation are offered to ensure quality programs and services. The author, a librarian, describes the role of the nursing library in helping the Hampton University School of Nursing to achieve full accreditation from the two national nursing accreditation bodies. This article describes the process and outcomes of accreditation visits.

Key Words: Accreditation, Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), Hampton University, Librarians, The National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC)

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Nursing education accreditation visits are similar to JCAHO accreditation visits. Both types of accreditation are offered to ensure quality programs and services. They are labor intensive, requiring many hours of preparation from immediate employees and campus or hospital administrators. Both types of accreditation also require teamwork. This librarian has experienced both the JCAHO accreditation visit and two nursing education accreditation visits. Hospital librarian colleagues are an integral part of the accreditation process. There are specific standards that hospitals must meet that pertain to libraries and information services. Just as an unfavorable evaluation can mean doom for a hospital, a poor accreditation evaluation can mean the closure of a nursing program. The author, a librarian, describes the role of the nursing library in helping the Hampton University School of Nursing to achieve full accreditation from the two national nursing accreditation bodies.

Accreditation is seen as a sign of program competence, excellence, and quality. Institutions that are accredited can be looked up to as an example of best practices and networking opportunities. Accreditation enables institutions to apply for federal, corporate, and foundation funds. It aids schools and departments to compete with other campus programs for resources. Schools of nursing can also compete within their states for funding if accredited (Bellack, Gelmon, O'Neil, & Thomsen, 1999). The public can use accreditation as an indication that the program has the type of rigor and focus that will enable its graduates to compete in the job market and to practice effectively. Overbay and Aaltonen (2001) state the following in Nurse Educator:

   An admissions requirement of most graduate schools is
   a degree from an accredited college or university. Some
   professional organizations also require graduation
   from an accredited school for specialty certification.
   The armed forces specifically require graduation from
   a school of nursing that has professional accreditation.

Accreditation ensures that programs meet the national standards of educating and graduating competent health care professionals who will move into the workforce. The School of Nursing's theme "Caring for America's Families through Generations" reflects Hampton University's longevity in nursing education for over 110 years. The baccalaureate program was fully accredited by the National League for Nursing in 1967, and it was the first and only baccalaureate nursing program to be so recognized in the southeastern Virginia area at that time. It is currently the oldest continuous Nursing program in the State of Virginia. The Master of Science degree nursing program was initiated in 1976--the first in a predominately Black school of nursing--and was fully accredited by the National League for Nursing in 1979. The National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) reviews and accredits approximately 200 diploma, baccalaureate, and master's programs in nursing throughout the United States. It provides continuous monitoring of 1,700 programs. The National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) was the only accrediting body for nursing education from 1952-1998 (Bellack, Gelmon, O'Neil, & Thomsen, 1999).

The baccalaureate and master's programs received preliminary approval from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) in 1998. The CCNE is the accrediting body of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). The CCNE is the newest agency that accredits undergraduate and graduate nursing programs in the United States. CCNE program emphasis is on educational quality and includes a focus on program innovation. The CCNE was established in 1998 and made its first accreditation decisions in the spring of 1999 (Van Ort & Townsend, 2000).

The RN-BS distance option started in 2000. Approval to offer a doctoral program was granted by the Virginia Council on Higher Education on April 9, 1998. The doctoral program, which emphasizes family and family-related research, is offered in-person and online. The first doctoral nursing student at Hampton University graduated in May 2002.

Each accrediting agency requires a self-study report. The self-study is designed as a self-assessment of program strengths and weaknesses prior to the accreditation visits. The accreditors, who work on a voluntary basis, are nursing faculty from nursing schools throughout the country. They are instructors, program directors, administrators, and deans. The librarian, who is also a member of the faculty, was charged to chair the Resources Committee. This committee corresponded to the sections of the NLNAC and CCNE accreditation standards pertaining to fiscal, physical, and learning resources.