School of Nursing Accreditation

University of Kansas School of Nursing is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.

In August 2007 we were reaccreditated for four years - until August 31, 2011.

This voluntary process certifies that the program has been evaluated by professionals, that it meets or exceeds established standards and is achieving its own goals. The College chose to apply for accreditation and complies with national standards established by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

All participants are required to register at the beginning of each session. A certificate of completion will be available to all activity participants based on documentation of actual attendance time and meeting minimum attendance requirements specific to the activity.

Continuing education is provided through KU HealthPartners, Inc., a clinical enterprise operated by the University of Kansas School of Nursing and the School of Allied Health. The mission of this 501(3)c organization is to provide clinical services that promote and support the educational, research, and community service endeavors of both the University of Kansas School of Nursing and the University of Kansas School of Allied Health.

Continuing Nursing Education

In keeping with ANCC revised guidelines, a contact hour is a measurement that denotes 60 minutes of organized learning.

ANCC defines continuing education as "learning activities designed to augment the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of nurses and therefore enrich the nurses' contributions to quality health care..." (ANA, 2000, p. 24). The "knowledge, skills, or attitudes gained from continuing education activities can be applied regardless of the employer of the activity participant" (ANCC, 2009, p. 5).

In contrast, "staff development (in-service and orientation) activities are typically designed to enhance performance in participants' current job roles, and are based on a specific facility's policies and procedures, equipment, and resources" (ANCC, 2009, p. 5), and do not, therefore, meet the definition of continuing education.

Role of the Nurse Planner

The ANCC critieria stipulate that all continuing nursing education activities must be planned collaboratively by at least one designated Nurse Planner and one other planner. Each member of the planning group should represent at least one of the following areas: the relevant content expertise; the target audience; responsibility for adherence to ANCC accreditation criteria. Each planning committee must have representation of all of the these three area. Nurse Planners contribute oversight and must be actively involved in both the planning and the analysis of evaluation data for the educational activity.

In accordance with ANCC guidelines, the University of Kansas School of Nursing has designated the following individuals as Nurse Planners:

• Mary Gambino , RN, PhD - Lead Nurse Planner
  Assistant Dean for Community Affairs
  Director of Nursing Continuing Education
  Phone: (913) 588-1695
  Email: mgambino@kumc.edu
  
• Mary Beth Warren, RN, MS - Nurse Planner

ANCC Accreditation Program Core Values

A set of core values underlie the activities of the ANCC Accreditation Program and the standards from which its criteria are derived. These values state that the program and its representatives will:

• Maintain the integrity of the accreditation process through a consistent, fair, and honest application of the criteria;
• Promote and maintain competence in relation to standards, criteria, and components of lifelong learning;
• Foster the peer review process and mentoring within ANCC and by its consumers;
• Maintain a high level of accountability and responsiveness to the community of interest of the accreditation process;
• Value and encourage innovation in the accreditation process and in the delivery of continuing education;
• Maintain an accreditation process that is purposeful, relevant, and responsive to the community of interest;
• Focus on providing quality in the accreditation process and in the provision of continuing education;
• Recognize and value diversity in the community of interest;
• Promote inclusiveness throughout the accreditation process;
• Assure fiscal responsibility and accountability of the accreditation process;
• Value and be engaged in life-long learning;
• Promote inter-professional continuing education activities by entities that hold accreditations for more than one health-related profession and where nursing is a major participant; and,
• Recognize the unique qualities of continuing professional education that integrates discipline-specific concepts and content and fosters collaboration across heatlh-related disciplines, and enhange continuity, quality, and cost-effective care delivery systems.