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When I interviewed for the position as AAOHN's Director of Education, the search committee made it clear to me that a goal of primary importance would be obtaining the American Nurses' Association's accreditation ofAAOHN asan approver and provider of continuing education. When I assumed the position, it became apparent to me that the AAOHN membership felt strongly that the Association should be accredited. In March 1980, after an intensive review process beginning in November 1979, AAOHN was accredited as an approver and provider of continuing education by ANA. Since that time, I have become aware that the meaning of the accreditation is not entirely clear to a good percentage of AOHN's membership. This article is an attempt to illuminate the ANA accreditation model and its meaning for AAOHN.
THE MODEL
The American Nurses' Association, as part of its reason for being, concerns itself with the competence of all who are licensed as registered nurses. Continuing education is one means for registered nurses to maintain their competency to practice in a health care system that is continually changing and developing. In 1974, the ANA House of Delegates passed a resolution to establish an accreditation system for nursing continuing education. By this action, the profession was assuming the responsibility for self-regulation in assuring the public that continuing education offerings in nursing are consistent with established educational standards.
The definition of accreditation employed by ANA is "Accreditation of continuing education in nursing is the process whereby the association, through designated approving bodies grants public recognition to continuing education activities that meet certain established educational standards as determined through initial and periodic evaluations."
The model of the accreditation mechanism was designed by an ad hoc committee of the ANA Council on Continuing Education. Schematically the model is represented in the Figure.
The Commission on Nursing Education is responsible to the ANA Board of Directors, who has fiscal authority for the programs of the association. The standards for continuing education established by the commission are the basis for the development of the accreditation criteria. The body charged with the responsibility of developing, implementing and evaluating the continuing education accreditation process, is the National Accreditation Board (NAB). Three committees, Eastern, Central,...