This paper begins by discussing the differences between regulation and accreditation in the field of nursing and then gives a short overview of two examples of different agencies: one regulatory, the other responsible for accrediting institutions. It examines the degree to which accreditation is a voluntary process and the overall impact of regulatory agencies on patient health and safety.
Regulation in Nursing
Regulatory and Accreditation Body Paper
Regulatory and accrediting bodies and how they impact nursing education
What is the difference between regulation and accreditation? Because regulatory and accreditation bodies are often spoken of in the same breath, it is easy to confuse the two. Both are pertinent to the role of nursing faculty, given that a nursing educator must prepare her students to conform to the standards of the nursing profession, including obtaining licensure. The nursing profession is regulated in the sense that there are barriers to entry even after a nurse has completed a course of study, and faculty must keep this in mind when designing instructive materials. Additionally, nursing programs themselves must receive accreditation from an outside source to ensure they meet specific curriculum standards in terms of the education they provide. There is widespread acknowledgement for the need for both regulation and accreditation to ensure patient safety and to pressure individuals and institutions to uphold high standards (Warburton 2009).
Regulatory body
"A regulatory body is an organization that sets the standards and practices of a regulated occupation… Regulated professions [such as nursing] "as a rule, are usually the ones that play an important role in the safety and protection of the public" (FAQ, 2013, AAAC). Technically, nursing licensure is granted by states, not by a national, federal authority. However, "nursing has conveniently gotten around this fact by, among other things, creating the Council of State Boards of Nursing (CSBN). This body has allowed for national uniformity in testing and related criteria (between and among states) while technically skirting the fact that each state is legally free to write its own licensure rules and examinations" (Barnum 1997). However, while depriving the state regulatory agencies of some freedom, this has a great advantage to nurses in some respects, making it easier for nurses to travel from one state to another, given that the regulatory standards for licensure do not vary very much.
The CSBN has considerable indirect influence on nursing curricula across the country because virtually all nurses must meet certain specific standards to become licensed, whether they are LPN or RNS. "On the whole, because of our contrived uniformity from state to state, basic licensure (for RNS and LPNs) is relatively simple" (Barnum 1997). The greatest variation between states is the degree to which RNS are given the ability to operate autonomously from physicians. Regardless, the most important distinction of a regulatory body is its ability to exercise 'rules' over the actions of practitioners, including the ability to practice in the first place.
Accreditation body
While regulation pertains to the ability of individual nurses to practice, accreditation refers to the ability of an institution to meet certain standards. Accreditation is a vital concern of all educational nursing programs. Having a legitimate accrediting body is a statement to students who desire to enter into the profession -- regardless of the particular nursing degree they pursue -- that they can graduate with confidence that the degree will enable them to function in an optimal fashion in the workplace and that their degree will be accepted by future employers as legitimate.
The need for accreditation is technically voluntary, unlike the need to receive a license. "Most accreditation programs testify to the institution's achievement, rather than merely guaranteeing safety [like licensure]. Accreditation, like nurse certification, is voluntary -- but not quite" (Barnum 1997). Few students will want to attend a non-accredited institution and spend their money on a degree which could severely compromise their employment prospects. Also, "in nursing master's education, most programs will not admit a nurse who graduated from an unaccredited program, even if the program was licensed by the state" (Barnum 1997). An autonomous national accrediting agency, "officially recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education" called the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) was created to ensure "the quality and integrity of baccalaureate, graduate, and residency programs in nursing" (CCNE Accreditation, 2013, CCNE). Students looking to pursue a degree within the field can look for CCNE accreditation a guarantee of the legitimacy of their degree.
The difference between regulation and accreditation
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