Chapter 9

Professional Accountability: Credentialing and Accreditation

Professional Accountability • Responsibility that one assumes for their practice • Obligation to report or account for their actions – To the profession, public, and themselves

Regulation of Nursing • National, state, and local agencies – Guide regulation to protect the public’s health, safety, and welfare • Examples of each

Hallmarks of a Profession • University education • Distinct service or practice and discipline • Research-based body of knowledge • Autonomy (self-governance) and accountability • Code of ethics • Association membership

Accountability • Begins with preconditions – Ability – Responsibility – Authority – Ends in accountability • Alliance for Nursing Accreditation (ANA)

Accreditation and Approval in Nursing Education • History • Purposes • National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) • Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) • American Nurses Association (ANA)

National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) • History • Purpose • Three categories of state boards

Licensure • History • NCSBN’s role • National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) • APRNs

Mutual Recognition Model of Nurse Licensure • Goal • Nurse Licensure Compact • Impact on each state’s Nurse Practice Act

Advantages of Compact • Nurses practice in multiple states without needing multiple licenses • Collaboration between interstate boards of nursing may increase public safety • Improved access to nursing care in rural settings

Trends in Mandatory Continuing Education (MCE) • State specific • Specialty specific • Setting specific • Link between MCE and professional competence

Certification and Credentialing • American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) • Specialty organizations • Advance practice

Healthcare Accreditation • Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) – History – Purpose – Goals • Magnet Status