**Requests to receive the documents should be sent to Rebecca Nagrodski, Accreditation Assistant, at RNagrodski@casn.ca.**

In support of our mission and position on nursing education, CASN has adopted the accreditation of nursing education programs in Canada as one of its core functions. CASN believes that accreditation promotes excellence in nursing education programs, and is the national accrediting body for nursing education in Canada. CASN has been accrediting undergraduate nursing programs in Schools of Nursing since 1987.

Accreditation seeks excellence for professional educational programs. Other methods of assuring quality include program evaluation, internal and external reviews, systems of performance measurement, and continuous quality improvement. Accreditation is recognized worldwide as an important, objective method of reviewing professional education programs in order to identify strengths, vulnerabilities, and opportunities for improvement.

During the past decade, accreditation has increased in importance and visibility for a number of reasons. The globalization of education — distance delivery, satellite and offshore programs, and mobility of students and professionals — has increased the importance of accountability for determining the quality of education programs. As well, the increasing costs of education for students, parents, taxpayers and institutions have raised the profile of accreditation as a tool for measuring the value of programs. Hence, accreditation assessments can guide important decisions about student enrolment, and changes in or continuance of programs within institutions. Finally, Schools of Nursing have found accreditation reviews helpful in identifying areas for development and for providing evidence of resource deficiencies to senior administrators.

New CASN Accreditation Program

The original accreditation program, including its standards and policies, was previously revised in 1995. The new 2005 accreditation program builds on more than 15 years of experience and evaluation of the previous programs. At the same time, this new program accommodates the many changes in nursing education, which include distance education, collaborative partnerships and new program models. The new program is the result of work undertaken by the Task Force on Accreditation (2000–2005) and also input from CASN members and a review of the CASN existing program, identified trends, and the accreditation programs of other professional groups. While the 2005 accreditation program has a new framework and expanded standards, the original philosophy and approach to accreditation have endured since 1987.

For more information on our accreditation program, please contact Rebecca Nagrodski, Accreditation Assistant, at RNagrodski@casn.ca.**

NOTE : PLEASE SEE CASN POLICY ON INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY.

The CASN Accreditation Program is the property of CASN. Only Canadian Schools of Nursing that are CASN member Schools, are eligible to participate in a CASN Accreditation peer review, are eligible to receive “accredited" status from the CASN Board of Accreditation and if they are successful in achieving accreditation status, are eligible to use “graduate of an accredited program" or “accredited" in the School’s and program’s publications. Any other use of the latter terms without written CASN approval will result in legal action.