About Peer Review

What is a Peer Evaluator?

An ACEN Peer Evaluator is a representative of the ACEN who makes recommendations for a program's accreditation status to the ACEN Board of Commissioners (BOC). Peer evaluators may be nurse administrators, nurse educators, or nurse clinicians.

Peer evaluators are knowledgeable about common, contemporary, and best practices within the various program types, appropriate curricula, and conventions as well as current trends in healthcare, nursing education, and/or nursing practice.

An ACEN Peer Evaluator is a representative of the ACEN who makes recommendations for a program's accreditation status to the ACEN Board of Commissioners (BOC). Peer evaluators may be nurse administrators, nurse educators, or nurse clinicians.

What does a Peer Evaluator do?

Peer evaluators volunteer in two essential components of the accreditation process:

Site Visit

On-site review of a program conducted to determine the extent to which the program meets the ACEN Standards and Criteria by clarifying, verifying, and amplifying the information (narrative/evidence) presented in the program’s Self-Study Report (self-assessment). Findings are recorded in the Site Visit Report.

Evaluation Review Panel (ERP)

A panel of peer evaluators that review the Self-Study Report and the findings of the Site Visit Report to make a recommendation to the Board of Commissioners. ERP provides an opportunity to ensure recommendations are consistent amongst programs being reviewed.