Running head: ACCREDITATION: ITS PURPOSE AND IMPLICATIONS

Accreditation: Its Purpose and Implications

Amy Barley

Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences

Curriculum Development

NHE 531

Joyce Taylor

July 27, 2019

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Introduction

The purpose of this paper is to review an accreditation body that evaluates nursing education

curriculum. The purpose of the accreditation body will be identified and discussed. The reasons

that a nursing education program would seek this accreditation will be explored and how a

program or institution would benefit from having this accreditation will be noted. The

accreditation body’s standards will be introduced and how these standards guide curriculum will

be discussed. Finally the implications for a curriculum to educate mental health assistants will

be outlined.

Accreditation

Purpose.

The purpose of an accrediting body is to evaluate an approve institutions or programs for

quality according to a set of standards defined by the accrediting body. According Keating &

DeBoor (2018) “accreditation agencies set the standards or criteria by which to judge the quality

of educational programs” (p. 210). The Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing

(ACEN) has a clearly developed mission, philosophy, goals, and purpose available to read on

their website. Their mission mentions:

The Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) supports the interests

of nursing education, nursing practice, and the public by the functions of accreditation.

Accreditation is a voluntary, peer-review, self-regulatory process by which non-

governmental associations recognize educational institutions or programs that have been

found to meet or exceed standards and criteria for educational quality. Accreditation also

assists in the further improvement of the institutions or programs as related to resources

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invested, processes followed, and results achieved. The monitoring of certificate,

diploma, and degree offerings is tied closely to state examination and licensing rules and

to the oversight of preparation for work in the profession (Accreditation Commission for

Education in Nursing, 2019).

The standards set forth by an accrediting body can greatly educational programs and

institutions. In an effort to prepare for an evaluation by an accrediting body, a program or

institution is motivated to meet the standards. This motivation will greatly improve the quality

of educational programs and institutions. Gopalan, Glance, Valpey, Joseph, & Shenai (2017)

studied the quality of training in women’s health in the context of psychiatry because “in 2014,

the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health emphasized the

importance of women’s health education, particularly in the realm of behavioral health” (p.

113). When an agency or accrediting body has standards to which they expect a program to

meet, those programs are motivated to reach those standards.

Reasons a Program Seeks Accreditation.

The reasons that a program would want to be accredited are because of who takes a look

at the results of an evaluation conducted by the accrediting body. The results of such an

evaluation are made available to federal and state regulatory bodies who hold educational

programs accountable to the expectations and the rules of federal and state licensing. Keating &

DeBoor, (2017, p. 210) state that “while accreditation in the United States is voluntary, failure to

be approved or accredited can lead to closure of the institution by the state regulatory agency,

ineligibility for program development funds, or disqualification of the program’s students for

Title IV financial aid support, trainee-ships, and scholarships” (p, 210). Even though

accreditation is not mandatory, it has developed into a necessity for education programs to gain
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approval from at least one accreditation body. It might be compared to a book or movie review.

While it is not necessary to be reviewed, a good review advertises that the book is worth reading

and the book then wins television air time and other approvals that increase its success.

Accreditation bodies almost do the work for the regulatory agencies by evaluating the program to

its standards which are often tied to regulatory requirements.

Standards.

Where there are no standards or expectations there will be lower quality care and more

costly results. Amirsadri, Pizzuti, Smith, Duckett & Arfken (2017) “developed, implemented,

and evaluated” a program that “improved training of direct support staff” improvement was

needed in order to reduce hospital admissions for residents cared for by direct support staff (p.

54). The researchers found that “little information exists on curriculum or training programs

focused on reducing exacerbations while promoting compassionate care” (Amirsadri et al, 2017,

p. 54). The lack of research on the impact of training and the absence of an accrediting agency

to hold the curriculum to some standards has resulted in care that is less than best. “Accreditation

agencies set the standards or criteria by which to judge the quality of educational programs”

(Keating & DeBoor, 2017, p. 210). The people who set these standards, make site visits, and

participate in recommendations and policy making” (Keating & DeBoor, 2018, p. 212) volunteer

to do so because they are experts in the nursing profession (Keating & DeBoor, 2018, p. 212).

The ACEN has a set of standards for each level of educational program that they evaluate. The

levels include clinical doctorate, masters, baccalaureate, associates, diploma, and practical

nursing. The standards are further divided into categories that include mission and

administrative capacity, students, faculty and staff, students, curriculum, resources, and

outcomes (Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, 2019). Each standard clearly
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states an expectation which the ACEN uses in order to evaluate the different components of the

program. For example the first standard listed under the category of curriculum states:

“Consistent with contemporary practice, the curriculum incorporates established professional

nursing standards, guidelines, and competencies and has clearly articulated end-of-program

student learning outcomes” (Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, 2019). To

judge whether or not a program has met a standard such as this one, “volunteers are selected and

trained according to their expertise in higher education to act as visitors to institutions

undergoing accreditation” (Keating & DeBoor, 2018, p. 211) in addition to the evaluators who

complete the formal assessment.

Implications.

The implications for developing a certificate program for mental health assistant are that

in order for the program to be sought after by prospective students and in order for the program

to meet federal and state regulations for a nursing education program, it will need to meet the

standards of the ACEN. This will entail being familiar with the standards for curriculum and

tailoring the program to meet these standards. Success in this feat will prevent the program from

being closed or canceled, from becoming ineligible for funding, and from causing its students to

be disqualified from benefits such as scholarships, etc.

Conclusion

The education of future healthcare workers is what will assure that the fields of nursing

and other medical careers will be equipped with qualified individuals. Without standards,

experts who develop standards, and evaluators to judge curriculum, the education offered would
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not be as excellent. Accreditation agencies provide a means for education programs to be held to

the highest standards to insure the best possible training for future healthcare workers.
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References

Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing. (2019). ACEN 2017 Accreditation

Manual. Atlanta, GA. Retrieved from

http://www.acenursing.net/manuals/General_Information.pdf.

Amirsadri, Alireza; Pizzuti, Albert; Smith, Daicia; Duckett, Danielle; & Arfken,

Cynthia L. (2018). Training for direct support staff at group homes

for people with chronic mental health illness. Community Mental Health.

Vol 54. Pp. 54-57. DOI 10.1007/s10597-0152-5.

Gopalan, Priya; Glance, Jody; Valpey, Robin; Joseph, Heather; Shenai, Neeta. (2018).

development of a women’s mental health curriculum and evolution to a women’s

mental health area of concentration in a psychiatry residency program. Women’s

Mental Health. Vol 21. Pp. 113-116. DOI 10.1007/s000737-017-0788-8.

Keating, Sarah B. & DeBoor, Stephanie S. (2018). Curriculum Development and

Evaluation in Nursing Education. New York, New York: Springer

Publishing Company.