Nursing Education Program Approval Guide – RN and NP
Introduction
One of the professional self-regulating responsibilities of the Newfoundland and Labrador College of Nurses of is to approve nursing education programs that prepare Registered Nurses and Nurse Practitioners for licensure. Through the approval process, the College strives to promote excellence in nursing practice by ensuring nursing education programs are preparing graduates to achieve the entry-level competencies (ELCs) to practice. Programs must receive approved status from the Board to obtain the designation of an “approved program” in NL.
This guide outlines the NL College of Nurse’s Nursing Education Program Approval (program approval) process and requirements for Bachelor of Science of Nursing Programs (BScN), Masters of Science of Program- Nurse Practitioner (MScN-NP), and IEN Bridging/Re-Entry Programs.
This guide helps you understand the program approval process and how to prepare for your program’s review. Specifically, it explains the following:
- standards and indicators used to evaluate programs
- review process and documentation requirements
- approval statuses.
The Objectives of Program Approval
The objectives of the program approval process are to:
- fulfil the College’s legislative duty to approve nursing education programs for the purposes of registration and licensing
- promote the safe practice of nursing through a standardized nursing education approval process for all nursing education programs
- grant jurisdictional recognition to nursing education programs
- provide stakeholders with a transparent account of program approval
- support continuous evaluation and improvement of nursing education programs.
Program Approval Framework
The program approval process is based on the Program Approval Framework approved by the Board (see Figure 1).
There are three main standards against which nursing education programs are reviewed and evaluated:
- Structure – The program’s strategy, policies, procedures and resources support the student’s preparation to meet nursing competencies
- Curriculum – The program’s curriculum prepares students to meet nursing competencies
- Outcomes – The program consistently demonstrates outcomes of preparing graduates to meet nursing competencies
At the three points of the framework are the processes the College will use to approve programs:
- a comprehensive review process
- an annual monitoring review process
- College Board approval. At the center of the framework is the program’s effectiveness in preparing graduates to practice in a safe, competent and ethical manner.