| CASN Accreditation Program Key Structures, Stakeholders and Reports | | | CASN Council
The Council is comprised of all member schools and the CASN Board of Directors. Each region in the country also has its own CASN association. The regions are: Western, Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic. The presidents of each regional group are associate members of CASN but do not carry a vote in the Council. The CASN Council approves all policies governing fee structures for the accreditation program. All other accreditation program policies are approved by the CASN Board of Directors.
CASN Accreditation Bureau
This is a 10-member Board comprised of four faculty members who are elected by the CASN Council, one representative of a service agency nominated by CNA, one academic representative nominated by the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, one community representative appointed by Executive Committee of CASN’s Board of Directors, one student /graduate representative appointed by Executive Committee of CASN’s Board of Directors, one representative of regulatory agencies appointed by Executive Committee of CASN’s Board of Directors, and the Executive Director of CASN.
Secretary to the CASN Board of Accreditation
The CASN Executive Director serves as Secretary to the Board of Accreditation and is responsible for the overall administration of the accreditation program.
CASN Manager of Accreditation
The CASN Manager of Accreditation is responsible to the Secretary of the Board of Accreditation for arranging reviews, recruiting and preparing reviewers, and assisting schools of nursing in moving through the accreditation process.
CASN Reviewers
Review Teams are made up of reviewers who are faculty nominated by CASN member institutions and serving for a two-year period. These faculty reviewers are experienced educators in baccalaureate or graduate nursing programs and have, as a minimum, a Master’s degree in nursing or related field.
CASN Member Schools
CASN member schools initiate the request for an accreditation review by submitting an application for the same. Schools of nursing being accredited prepare a self-study report indicating how each of the standards are being met within the school of nursing and the programs being reviewed. Schools of nursing then organize the schedule for the on-site evaluation by the CASN Review Team. The costs for the reviewers travel and accommodations are borne by the schools of nursing being accredited. This is in addition to the accreditation fee paid to CASN for the accreditation review.
Consumers, the Public and the Media
CASN publishes the accreditation status of member schools through its Web site, newsletters and other publications. Public access to a school’s accreditation status is becoming an important means used to consider future applications to nursing education programs in Canada.
Association of Accrediting Agencies of Canada (AAAC)
This voluntary organization of accrediting agencies serves as a network, sounding board, and source of information related to accreditation of professional education programs. It serves as a clearinghouse of information and a contact in the field of accreditation. CASN is a founding member of AAAC (1994) and remains up to date with current trends and challenges through its membership in AAAC.
Accreditation Reports
Self-study Report
The school(s) of nursing produce(s) a Self-study Report(s) according to the standards set out in the Accreditation Program (Monograph). The report(s) is/are comprehensive, describing the key information about the school(s) of nursing under review. If applicable, this report should includes how the school(s) of nursing has/have responded/moved forward/progressed with recommendations made by the Board of Accreditation in its/their last accreditation review. The School Self-study report must be provided to the reviewers at least 4-weeks prior to the on-site visit.
Verbal Debriefing Report to Dean/Director/Faculty
At the end of the on-site visit, a session is arranged for the Review Team to give a verbal report to the Dean(s) or Director(s) and any other people whom she/he/they choose(s) to have present. The reviewers give a debriefing on the strengths, vulnerabilities, and opportunities that they have noted through their review of the Self-Study Report and their interviews and observations on-site. The reviewers do not make recommendations to the Board of Accreditation or to the school(s) of nursing, and they do not indicate what they think the decision on accreditation status should be.
Written Review Team Report for Board of Accreditation
The Board of Accreditation does not read the School Self-Study Report. The Review Team Report is the primary source of information used in the decision-making process. This Report cites and incorporates information from the Self-Study Report and the on-site visit findings: for example, the results of program evaluation, school strategies for research and scholarship, evidence from interviews and documentation that support the Review Team conclusions. The Review Team Leader has the right to request additional documentation from the school(s) of nursing head(s) undergoing Accreditation Review. The Review Team will clearly indicate in the Review Team Report to the Board of Accreditation which documents were reviewed and who was interviewed during the on-site visit.
A standard format is followed for developing the Review Team Report. Any modifications in the standard format are discussed with the Review Team during the team’s orientation teleconference prior to the on-site visit. Whenever possible, the Review Team Report is completed during the on-site visit. All members of an on-site visit team are also required to sign the Transmittal Form accompanying the Review Team Report. The Review Team Leader is responsible for sending the report to the Secretary of the Board of Accreditation. This signed report is submitted within two weeks of the on-site visit.
Written Response from School of Nursing for the Board of Accreditation
The Review Team Report is read by the Secretary for completeness, grammar, punctuation, and removal of any personal identifiers, and then sent to the school(s) of nursing. The Dean/Director(s) has/have two weeks to review the report and submit a written response confirming that information in the report is accurate or correcting factual errors and misinterpretations. The Secretary of the Board of Accreditation provides the school(s) of nursing response(s) along with the Review Team Report to the Board of Accreditation at least 4-weeks prior to the next Board of Accreditation meeting.
Verbal Discussion/Teleconference with Board of Accreditation
During the Board of Accreditation’s meeting, the Review Team Leader is available for part of the meeting to discuss questions raised by the Review Team Report and the school(s) of nursing responses. The intent is to clarify issues and ensure that the Board understands the reviewers’ assessment and observations. At another time during the meeting, the school(s) of nursing dean(s)/director(s) and any other school representatives who have full knowledge of the program is/are available to discuss the Review Team’s Report and to ensure that the school(s) has/have an opportunity to discuss its/their review.
Board of Accreditation Decision Report
It is only after the Board of Accreditation has had ample opportunity to discuss the Review Team Report and school(s) of nursing response(s) that an accreditation decision is reached. The accreditation decision, and the basis for the decision, is then sent out electronically in a letter with a paper copy to the Dean(s)/Director(s) with copies to the head(s) of the degree-granting institution and the President of CASN. | | |
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