History

The Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing (formerly, the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing, CASN) took on the mandate of developing an accreditation program in the early 1970s. CASN Council struck a Committee on Accreditation. This was the policy and program development body created by the Council and tasked with developing the new program. The result was the accreditation program which began formally in 1987. As part of the policy framework, there was to be a periodic review of the accreditation program - policies and procedures - by the Committee on Accreditation.

The Board of Accreditation was created in 1987 to take decisions on the basis of the review team reports, within the policy framework of the 1987 program. When the program was revised in 1995, the Board of Accreditation continued to meet once a year, as required, to take decisions on the basis of review team reports, within the new policy framework.

The Committee on Accreditation existed until 1995 as the body which evaluated the accreditation program, identified gaps and issues, monitored the activities of the Board of Accreditation and review teams during their early days, and proposed any policy changes to the Council. That Committee was also the body which undertook a revision of the accreditation program policies and procedures from 1992 to 1995. The revision was approved at each step along the way by the Council and resulted in the updated accreditation program monograph dated 1995.

From 1987 to 2002, CASN had limited staff resources to support the work of the Board of Accreditation (and, until 1995, the Committee on Accreditation); therefore, it was the Executive Director who acted as Secretary to the Board of Accreditation and carried out the management of the program on behalf of and with the Board of Accreditation.

In 1995, when the Committee on Accreditation was dissolved, there was a change in the Constitution and Bylaws which made the President-elect responsible for a periodic review of the accreditation program and development of policies or procedures which would be reviewed and approved by Council.

By 1999, it was clear to Council members, the President-elect, the Board of Accreditation and the Executive Director/Secretary to the Board of Accreditation that the new nursing programs, modalities and partnerships were presenting situations which were not covered by the 1995 monograph (policy and procedure framework). The Council mandated the President-elect to form a Taskforce on Accreditation and to begin a review and revision of the policies and procedures.

In the meantime, as different circumstances were presented to the Board of Accreditation, the Executive Director/Secretary identified the policy gaps, redundancies or conflicts to the President-elect and Taskforce on Accreditation for consideration. Sometimes, the Board of Accreditation would have suggestions for resolution of the problem areas for the Taskforce to consider. At other times, the Board of Directors sought direction and policy decisions on the problem areas. In either case, any major policy or procedure changes were always taken to the Council for review and approval by the President-elect and the Taskforce - and then the Board of Accreditation proceeded to manage within the new policy guidelines. The Chair of the Board of Accreditation was, and continues to be, invited by Executive Committee to make a report to Council each year on the reviews undertaken and other related activities of the Board.

In early 2002, CASN created the new position of Director of Accreditation to manage the program within the policy and procedure framework set out in the 1995 monograph and to support the work of the Taskforce on Accreditation. While the Director of Accreditation worked with the Board of Accreditation, that position reported to the Executive Director. The position was created in recognition of the fact that the number of CASN members has grown rapidly over the past 10 years and the number of reviews has increased yearly. Because of the situation in Ontario, documents and information sessions had been prepared for the schools and reviewers and further work needed to be done in this area by the Director of Accreditation. The Director of Accreditation position worked within the framework of the historical evolution of policy development, decision-making and management of the CASN accreditation program.

The Taskforce on Accreditation had also necessitated another staff person to help the Executive Director support the work of the Taskforce. The Director of Accreditation worked with the Executive Director, to plan and record meetings and conduct some research and document preparation in support of the Taskforce.

The Board of Accreditation continued (and continues) to be responsible for managing the current accreditation program according to the policies set out within the CASN Accreditation Program (1995) manual and other policies approved, from time to time, by the Council. The Board of Accreditation has operated, and continues to operate, as a committee of CASN, albeit at arms length from Council.

The Taskforce on Accreditation is mandated to review and revise the current policies and procedures and create a new approach for the CASN accreditation program. Since 1999, the Taskforce has been undertaking a complete review and rethinking of the current program.

The Taskforce, Executive Director and Executive Committee recognized that there needed to be a strong communication link between the Taskforce and the Board of Accreditation as the work proceeds; therefore, the Executive Director is a communicating link and organizes face-to-face sessions between the President-elect, the Executive Committee, the Taskforce with the Board of Accreditation to ensure that each bodies was aware of issues as the revisions proceed. The Executive Director is also on the Taskforce on Accreditation and Executive Committee has appointed a member of the Board of Accreditation to be on the Taskforce, to promote communication and linkages and to avoid misunderstandings. At times, the Taskforce has received suggestions for policy development from the Board of Accreditation. At other times, the Taskforce has asked the Board of Accreditation for advice; however, it is the mandate and responsibility of the Taskforce to develop new directions and policy proposals and it is the role of Council to accept and approve them.

The Board of Accreditation is not the policy-generating body.

Present

During the past two years, CASN has undergone another major review and revision of its structure, constitution, membership, etc. This has resulted in new Board of Directors with responsibility to review and approve policies related to the accreditation program, on behalf of Council. The Taskforce on Accreditation continues to be the body developing policies and procedures for implementation of the new program, anticipated for 2004/05. New policies and processes proposed by the Taskforce for the new accreditation program or for modification to the existing program will be reviewed and approved by the Board of Directors, on behalf of Council (and usually in consultation with members).

The Board of Accreditation continues to operate under the current policy framework (1995) and any policy changes approved by the Board of Directors prior to 2004/05. The Board of Accreditation makes decisions on candidacy and accreditation reviews within the framework proposed by the Board of Accreditation and approved by the Board of Directors in November 2002. Any appeals by the member schools continue to be made to the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors for resolution.

Approved by Board of Directors, November 2002

Reviewed by Board of Accreditation, December 2002

Updated by National Office, January 2003