What kind of accreditation should a nursing program have

Department of Education as an accrediting agency for nurse-midwifery and midwifery education programs. To earn accreditation through the ACME, nurse-midwifery programs must fulfill three stages: pre-accreditation, initial accreditation, and continuing accreditation. To earn CAHME accreditation, a nursing program must be part of an educational institution that is accredited by an organization that has received approval from the Commission on Recognition of Postsecondary Accreditation.

Furthermore, among other requirements, the program must meet certain standards of educational quality and a minimum number of hours of in-person instruction. Does a nursing program have to be accredited? It is important for schools to have both institutional and program accreditation. Attending a non-accredited university or a non-accredited program can be risky for many reasons, but mainly because employers tend to prioritize graduates with accredited education.

Accreditation is voluntary, yet many nursing schools pursue accreditation because it comes with many benefits for the institution and its learners. For learners, these benefits include being eligible for federal financial aid, being able to take the licensing exams and transferring to other accredited programs as they continue their education to baccalaureate, masters, or even doctorate degree programs.

Accreditation also serves as a guarantee of qualitative education to employers and is, therefore, a great asset for a successful career. The way the accreditation system is built ensures that institutions maintain qualitative standards. Accreditation is only valid for a certain period of time, so each school is assessed every years by the accrediting body in order to maintain its accredited status.

There are two main types of accrediting organizations — the ones that accredit institutions and the ones that accredit nursing programs:.

ABHES is well known for constantly improving the quality of health care across the country, which is why ABHES accreditation is highly regarded in the educational nursing field. There are many other accrediting bodies that serve nursing institutions, but the ABHES is the only accrediting body for generalized health care education programs, which is also recognized by the U.

Department of Education. Nightingale College understands the importance of accreditation and is institutionally accredited by ABHES and its nursing programs are programmatically accredited. Accredited institutions and programs adhere to standards set by their accreditor. The metric for programmatic success may vary from one accreditor to another. Explore our accreditation FAQ page to find the answers to all the questions you might have.

Besides the accrediting bodies which serve generalized nursing programs, there are specific organizations that accredit specialized nursing programs. Here are two of the most important such accrediting bodies:. Accreditation can also be important for your career goals and financial needs. An important note is that there are different levels and types of accreditation. Approved by the U. Department of Education , there are 2 primary bodies that accredit general nursing education on the national level:.

Accreditations are usually handed down for a certain amount of time, usually between five and 10 years, and are different for each school. The difference comes down to what accreditation offers in terms of financial aid, using your credits, and career competitiveness. Accreditation helps to ensure that a nurse educated in Arizona and a nurse educated in Maine are able to perform their duties with the same level of competence. It is also important to highlight the difference between national accreditation and approval by a state board of nursing.

State board approval simply means that the state has approved the operation of the program, and in most cases, graduates of that program can sit for licensure or certification exams in that particular state. National accreditation means that the program adheres to common standards of quality set by a U. Department of Education approved agency. You should also note that specialized and professional accrediting bodies such as the bodies that accredit nursing degrees only accredit degree programs, not entire schools of nursing or institutions.

There are several reasons why attending an accredited institution is important. Firstly, you may not be eligible for federal financial aid if you attend an unaccredited institution. Additionally if you find that you need to transfer to a different institution, your credits are more likely to transfer if you are enrolled in an accredited institution. Accreditation also provides benefits after graduation.