The approval process for nursing education programs is essential – both for the nursing regulatory bodies and the programs themselves. However, there has historically been a lack of formal resources to guide best practices for evaluating programs, creating inconsistency – not only between jurisdictions – but even from one evaluation to the next. 

Participants will learn the best practices for conducting site visits, as well as how to identify the Quality Indicators and warning signs used by regulatory bodies to make approval decisions. Participants will also learn how to collect and track data, particularly determining which core data elements to collect on annual reports.

Evidence is the backbone of program approval decisions and participants will complete the course with a path forward to collect the data they need to make sound recommendations and develop quality improvement strategies.

Course Objectives

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Discuss the process of regulatory approval of nursing education programs.
• Write a self-study of a nursing education program.
• Collaboratively plan a site visit with the nursing program and the nursing regulatory body.
• Analyze the evidence supporting the regulatory guidelines for approval of nursing programs.
• Valuate the quality of a nursing education program using data and evidence.

Cracking the Code to Nursing Education Approval is a course designed for faculty of nursing education programs and Board of Nursing educational consultants to learn about the process of nursing program approval.

Course Information

This course will require approximately 2-3 hours of your time each week, though this estimate may vary from week to week depending on your work pace. 

• Instructor: Nancy Spector, PhD, RN, FAAN
• Course Dates: April 1 – May 24, 2024
• Delivery Method: Instructor lead
• Cost: $50 | Free for Members
• Pathway: Governance & Leadership
• Program Credit: 1
• CEs: 22.8