National nursing accrediting organizations are recognized by the United States Department of Education. Only three jurisdictions utilize an agency other than a board of nursing for the approval process. Different mechanisms are utilized by boards of nursing for approval of nursing education programs. The board of nursing grants initial and continuing approval of nursing programs based on the board s separate and distinct review of the nursing education program. The board of nursing grants initial approval based on the board s separate and distinct review, and grants continuing approval based on the board s recognition of national nursing accreditation as a criterion for continuing approval for those programs that choose to be nationally accredited.
Boards of nursing retain their authority for program approval.
For those programs not accredited, the separate and distinct mechanism would apply. Over the past two years, data were collected from several sources regarding the approval process. The data showed similarities in responses regarding the unique role of boards of nursing in the approval process of nursing education programs. There was consistent agreement from the constituencies surveyed that boards of nursing do have unique and rightful roles in the regulation of nursing education programs. In most jurisdictions there is no alternative mechanism for granting initial approval.