The Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) would like to thank all of the individuals and institutions that took the time to provide feedback on the Proposed Changes to Policy #14 Reporting Substantive Changes. The Board of Commissioners has reviewed the comments provided and has determined that there will be NO changes to Policy #14 at this time.
Although the Board of Commissioners recognizes program completion as one metric of a quality nursing program, it determined that more program data should be collected and analyzed before changes are made to Policy #14. Programs are still required to collect and analyze annual program outcomes data including program completion, licensure or certification pass rate, and job placement. Nurse administrators will continue to report outcomes data on the annual report and programs are still expected to submit a substantive change for program outcomes as defined in Policy #14.
Per the ACEN definition of program completion, programs are required to collect, analyze, and report on-time program completion data. In addition to on-time program completion data, faculty are strongly encouraged to collect ultimate completion rate data and to carefully analyze the reasons students did not complete the program of study on-time. Historically the ultimate completion rate provides better context regarding program outcomes and student success. In addition, careful analysis of the reasons students do not complete on-time will provide data needed to ensure program policies and student support services are appropriate and adequate for the population of students served. Additionally, with regards to job placement, nursing faculty are encouraged to explore and document the reasons program graduates are not obtaining positions in the roles for which they are being prepared. An understanding of the reasons graduates are not obtaining positions, given the current nursing shortage, will provide faculty additional data that can be used for program decision-making and improvement.
If you have any questions about Policy #14 or program outcomes, please contact the ACEN.
The Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) supports the interests of nursing education, nursing practice, and the public by providing specialized accreditation for all levels of nursing education and transition-to-practice programs.
Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc.
3390 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1400
Atlanta, GA 30326
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