International Nursing Student must know

By: http://www.skybluecross.org/

There are many International nursing students got terrible lost caused by Nursing School Scam; How to avoid this kind of lost? actually, it is very simple just by checking with Nursing Accreditation

Accreditation is a form of independent, professional certification that focuses on schools and programs in a particular field. Accreditation of nursing schools and programs therefore assures you and your parents that the school adheres to high quality standards. Which means the programs are delivered by qualified faculty and are constantly updated to follow the changes and meet the needs of the industry and working world. Attending an accredited school or program is often thought to make you more competitive on the job market.

Accreditation in the US takes place at different levels. First you have governmental and other agencies that govern and recognize the accrediting bodies. The US Department of Education, the Council for Higher Education Association (CHEA) and the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors (ASPA) grant power to associations that oversee accreditation at the regional, institutional or program level.

  Regional and Institutional: The US Department of Education recognizes 6 distinct higher educational regions, each of which is overseen by a different accrediting body. This is the type of accreditation most commonly referred to and is for a university or college as a whole, not for individual programs. Accreditation by these regional agencies isn't automatic: this is voluntary accreditation, and some of these agencies may also restrict the types of schools they will accredit, such as only degree-granting institutions. Depending on the kind of university or college it is (e.g., private, technical, etc.) it may also be accredited by institute-type specific agencies.

  Specialized: Specialized accreditation is a type of national accreditation that focuses on specific areas of study and individual programs. This is sometimes called professional accreditation, because it means specific programs meet the national standards for that field of study. There are hundreds of specialized accrediting bodies in the US.

Accrediting Agencies

The goal of accreditation is to ensure that higher education institutions meet acceptable levels of quality. Accrediting agencies are private educational associations of regional or national scope that develop criteria and conduct peer evaluations to assess whether or not those criteria are met. Institutions or programs that meet an agency's criteria are thereby "accredited."

This is a listing of the regional, national, and specialized accreditation agencies recognized by the US


Why Accreditation?

The goal of accreditation is to ensure that education provided by institutions of higher education meets acceptable levels of quality. Accrediting agencies have no legal control over institutions or programs; they promote certain standards and approve or renew membership of institutions that apply and meet the accreditation standards or criteria. Certain licensing programs may require that you've been through a course of study with specialized accreditation, because it ensures that you have been taught by faculty qualified to teach in that field. The US Secretary of Education and CHEA each maintain and publish a list of nationally recognized accrediting agencies, and most institutions attain eligibility for Federal funds by holding accredited or pre-accredited status with one of the recognized accrediting agencies.





When assessing quality, you can also look at whether a school or program has any memberships in, or endorsements by, discipline-specific professional associations which reflect certain standards of quality, but this is not the same as official accreditation. Below, are most used Accrediting Agencies:



Accrediting Agencies

Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)

Established: 1996

Location: Washington, DC

Web: www.aacn.nche.edu/accreditation/index.htm

Scope: Accredits bachelor's and master's degree programs in the US and its territories.



National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC)

Established: 1997

Location: New York, New York

Web: www.nlnac.org

Scope: Accredits postsecondary nursing schools and programs leading to certificate, diploma and professional degrees (associate's, bachelor's, master's).



Some program-specific accrediting agencies

American Dietetic Association, Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education (CADE-ADA): Accredits associate's, bachelor's and master's degree dietetic and dietetic technician programs.



Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools

As a leader in health education accreditation for over 40 years, ABHES has been nationally recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education as a private, non-profit, independent accrediting agency since 1968. It has been at the forefront of advancing the quality of health education programs throughout the country.



ABHES enhances the quality of education and training and promotes institutional and programmatic accountability through systematic and consistent program evaluation. Its key is to assure the quality of the programs it accredits, and assist in the improvement of the programs. This quality-determination is accomplished by rigorous and systematic evaluation based on valid standards.



The goals of ABHES focus on three key areas: recognition, resources, and service; all of which it believes are essential and paramount to achieving its mission.



Carol Moneymaker, Executive Director

7777 Leesburg Pike, Suite 314N

Falls Church, VA 22043

Phone: (703) 917-9503

Fax: (703) 917-4109

E-mail: CMoneymaker@abhes.org

Reference:www.aacn.nche.edu