Accreditation

Accreditation Update - College of Nursing Alumni Board Meeting May 8, 2009

UT is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral degrees.

The Baccalaureate and Master’s programs in the College of Nursing are approved by the Tennessee Board of Nursing.

Tennessee Board of Nursing
227 French Landing, Suite 300
Heritage Place Metro Center
Nashville, Tennessee 37243
phone: 1 800 778-4123
tn.gov/health

The Baccalaureate and Master’s programs in the College of Nursing are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).

Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 530
Washington DC 20036-1120
phone: (202) 887-6791
fax: (202) 887-8476
www.aacn.nche.edu/Accreditation

Nurse Anesthesia

The MSN Nurse Anesthesia program is accredited by The Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs.

Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs
American Association of NurseAnesthetists
222 S. Prospect Avenue
Park Ridge, IL 60068
Phone: (847) 692-7050; FAX: (847) 692-6968
www.aana.com

What is CCNE?

The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) "is an autonomous accrediting agency, contributing to the improvement of the public's health. A specialized/professional accrediting agency, CCNE ensures the quality and integrity of baccalaureate and graduate education programs preparing effective nurses. CCNE serves the public interest by assessing and identifying programs that engage in effective educational practices. As a voluntary, self-regulatory process, CCNE accreditation supports and encourages continuing self-assessment by nursing education programs and supports continuing growth and improvement of collegiate professional education".

Accreditation by CCNE is intended to accomplish at least five general purposes:

To hold nursing education programs accountable to the community of interest - the nursing profession, consumers, employers, higher education, students and their families - and to one another by ensuring that these programs have mission statements, goals and outcomes that are appropriate for programs preparing individuals to enter the field of nursing.
To evaluate the success of a nursing education program in achieving its mission, goals and outcomes.
To assess the extent to which a nursing education program meets accreditation standards.
To inform the public of the purposes and values of accreditation and to identify nursing education programs that meet accreditation standards.

To foster continuing improvement in nursing education programs - and thereby in professional practice.

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Nursing Continuing Education Program is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

CCNE Accreditation Update – September 26, 2009
Currently the College is engaged in preparing for our 10 year evaluation review of the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program and initial review of the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program by CCNE. Even though we have had a practice doctorate program since 1999, accreditation of DNP programs was not available until very recently.

In December 2007 we began conducting a self-study process which will generate a self study document that addresses the extent to which the MSN and DNP programs are in compliance with the CCNE standards for accreditation. The self study report will also address our strengths and areas for continuous improvement.

An on-site resource file is being compiled for on-site inspection by the CCNE evaluation team. This file will contain evidence of compliance with accreditation standards. Examples of evidence include faculty qualifications and accomplishments, promotional and recruitment materials, academic policies, curricula, syllabi, samples of student course work, degree completion rates, job placement rates, certification pass rates, and other measures of success of our graduates.
Timeline for Accreditation Activities

December 8, 2008 - Dr. Jean DeMartinis will conduct a mock site review
December 15 - The college will notify all of our constituents that the accreditation review is scheduled and inform them of the opportunity and process to submit third party comments on our qualifications for accreditation to CCNE
March 9, 2009 - The CCNE self study document will be submitted to CCNE.
April 27-29, 2009 - A CCNE evaluation team consisting of four individuals who are either educators or practicing nurses will conduct a site review. The purpose of the visit is to validate the findings of the self study and to assess compliance with the CCNE standards for accreditation. Acting as a fact-finding body, the evaluation team will prepare a report for the college and for CCNE.
July 30- August 1, 2009 - The CCNE Accreditation Review Committee will review the team’s report, the self-study and the college’s response to the team’s report. The ARC will formulate a recommendation regarding proposed action to be taken by the CCNE Board.
October 1-3, 2009 – The CCNE Board of Commissioners will meet and decide whether to accept the recommendations of the ARC. Hopefully, at that time they will approve the reaccreditation of the MSN program and initial accreditation of the DNP program. The MSN program can be approved for a period of 10 years. However, since the DNP program is seeking initial accreditation the maximum period of approval is 5 years.

ANCC Accreditation Update – November 14, 2008

What is ANCC?
The College of Nursing has been actively engaged over the past year in self evaluation and accreditation of the Continuing Education Unit.
The self study document for the Continuing Education Unit in the College of Nursing was submitted to the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) in July 2008.
Site appraisers Amy Bernard, Director of Nursing Education and Nurse Planner at Western Schools, West Bridgewater, MA and Barbara Petrie, former Director of the Nursing Education Program New York State Nurses Association were on campus November 12 and 13 to evaluate the College of Nursing’s Continuing Education Unit. They will submit a report of their findings to the ANCC Review Commission and the college will be notified of continuing accreditation status in approximately three months.

Quick Links

Contact Information

UTHSC College of Nursing
877 Madison Avenue
Memphis, Tennessee 38163
901-448-6128
Fax: 901-448-4121
Toll Free: 800-733-2498
Nursing Webmaster