ACEN Position Statement Related to Graduate Nursing Education Programs
The ACEN has been accrediting nursing education programs for over 80 years. Under ACEN practice, a master’s nursing program can also include post-master’s certificate (PMC) program options. In 2012, the ACEN began accrediting clinical doctorate programs (DNP), and in 2019, the ACEN added a DNP Specialist certificate as a component of the DNP degree.
The ACEN has accredited graduate nursing programs regardless of the specialty area(s) offered within the program; specialty areas are referred to as program options by the ACEN. The ACEN firmly believes that the level of nursing offered by an institution should be in congruence with the institutional philosophy and meet the needs of the institution’s communities of interest. Therefore, the ACEN will continue to accredit all APRN and non-APRN program options at the master’s level and DNP level.
The ACEN also accredits nurse educator program options offered as part of either a master’s or DNP program of study. The ACEN Board of Commissioners (BOC) firmly believes that the nurse educator role is a nursing practice specialty and that preparation at the graduate level is appropriate. The future of quality nursing programs is dependent upon having knowledgeable and skilled individuals with expertise in educational practice; thus, graduate programs should continue to offer well-designed nurse educator program options.
Learn more about ACEN accreditation standards, policies & processes…
Spring 2023 Self-Study Forum
April 12-13, 2023 – Atlanta, Georgia
Are you preparing for a site visit? Do you and your faculty need to dive deeper into the ACEN Standards and Criteria? The Spring 2023 Self-Study Forum will focus on the new 2023 Standards and Criteria. During this 1.5 day workshop, the ACEN in-house nurse educators review all six ACEN Standards and assist you in gaining a deeper understanding of each Criterion within the Standards. The goal is to support nursing faculty and administrators with demonstrating compliance and provide guidance for writing the Self-Study Report for individual programs in preparation for the ACEN site visit.
REGISTRATION OPENING SOON
2023 Standards & Criteria Approved by ACEN Board of Commissioners
At their July 20, 2022, meeting the ACEN Board of Commissioners approved the 2023 Standards and Criteria.
The review process began in August 2021, which included numerous individuals working throughout the past year on the 2023 Standards & Criteria.
Mingle with Marcy
Chief Executive Officer
In the United States, one of the major strengths of nursing education is the diversity of educational opportunities for individuals aspiring to be a practical nurse, a registered nurse, or an advanced practice nurse. Opportunities abound in a variety of educational settings at all levels of licensure, and for eight decades the ACEN has been a supportive partner and the leading authority for nursing education accreditation for every educational setting and all levels of licensure. Over those 80 years, as nursing education changed to keep pace with the evolution of the nursing profession, the ACEN progressed too. There have been many crossroads over those 80 years, and we are at another crossroad today.
There are some voices advancing their viewpoint that only graduate-level nursing programs that prepare students to be an advanced practice nurse (nurse practitioner, midwife, nurse anesthetist, or clinical nurse specialist) should be the only practice roles included in an accredited master’s in nursing (MSN), doctorate of nursing practice (DNP), or other graduate-level nursing programs that prepare students for practice roles such as nurse educator, nurse manager/leader, nurse researcher, and health informatics; instead these practice roles belong in a different type of graduate degree program (e.g., MA, PhD) or should be a post-graduate certificate program. Those voices also believe those nursing programs with both APRN and non-APRN practice roles that only the APRN practice roles should hold accreditation. Additionally, this debate is often entwined with decades-held beliefs by some that only certain educational settings should offer a nursing program (e.g., university, four-year college) and based on the type of education (e.g., diploma, associate, baccalaureate), the level of licensure a nurse should hold.
BECOME A PEER EVALUATOR!
There is an opportunity for you and your colleagues to serve nursing education and the nursing profession by becoming a peer evaluator. The ACEN is growing; the number of site visits per semester has increased from an average of 80 visits to 120 visits.
Your ACEN needs you to volunteer to be a peer evaluator.
Every ACEN-accredited nursing program benefits from having at least one nurse educator serving as a peer evaluator, and there is no limit to the number of peer evaluators from a nursing program. Many consider serving in the role of peer evaluator as an opportunity for service and as a professional commitment.
ACEN Announces Accreditation as a Provider of Nursing Continuing Professional Development
The Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) is pleased to announce its accreditation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) as a provider of nursing continuing professional development, as of February 16, 2021.
The leading authority for nursing education accreditation proudly brings you Transition-to-Practice (TTP) program accreditation. Transition to practice is a critical time during which a nurse develops the skills and attitudes necessary for autonomous nursing practice within her or his level of licensure. Transitions in nursing practice occur when an individual completes a nursing education program and obtains initial or a new level of nursing licensure, when a practicing nurse transitions to a new nursing role/responsibilities at the same level of licensure, or when a nurse re-enters the workforce after an extended absence. Current research suggests that successful transitions to practice result in improved patient safety and a better quality of nursing care.