To accomplish its work, CCNE relies on a vast network of expert evaluators who make important contributions to the accreditation process. More than 700 committed professionals—including practicing nurses, faculty, deans, and employers—serve CCNE in a variety of volunteer roles. Their participation, leadership, and integrity are vital to fostering ongoing program improvement in nursing education and residency programs.
Recognizing Achievement
Thanks to the work of our dedicated volunteers, CCNE has accredited more than 1,800 baccalaureate, graduate, and nurse residency programs for continuous quality improvement since it began operations in 1998. This snapshot highlights the collective work and accomplishments of CCNE evaluators in 2018.
2018 By the Numbers
- 593 evaluator roles filled
- 174 institutions visited
- 298 nursing programs reviewed
- 179 airports visited
- 2,434 individual flights taken
- 1.68 million miles flown
- 48 states visited
- 2 countries visited
Highlights
- “My team and I all worked together well, and the site and dean were incredibly gracious and hospitable. I very much enjoyed this visit!”
– Team Leader, Spring 2018
- “The team leader was well organized and well prepared to lead us in this effort. She was skillful in addressing our compliance concerns during the exit interview. Her representation of CCNE was a wonderful example of process and quality improvement.”
– Team Member, Spring 2018
- “When I called CCNE to ask questions, everyone was extremely helpful providing needed guidance and information.”
– Program Official, Spring 2018
- “As a newer on-site evaluator, it was important that I could ask questions and seek consultations from my teammates, as needed. This was definitely the case. My team leader was very professional, and she empowered me to confidently collect, verify, and clarify evidence within the self-study document.”
– Team Member, Fall 2018
- “The team was fantastic, and we appreciated their hard work very much. One team member had been appointed at the last minute due to an unexpected cancellation, and she did a great job.”
– Program Official, Fall 2018
- “Our team leader had a very clear approach to the evaluation and communicated this well. She was especially gifted at conveying the values of CCNE both to us and the program. Everyone was very respectful, which made for an easy teamwork environment.”
– Team Member, Fall 2018
Celebrating Service
CCNE is grateful for the many ways in which our evaluators share their time and professional expertise throughout the accreditation process. We are proud to recognize our new and seasoned evaluators for their recent service to CCNE.
CCNE is pleased to recognize the following individuals who recently served for their first time on an education or residency on-site evaluation.
Coming soon.
CCNE is pleased to recognize all evaluators who recently served on an education or residency on-site evaluation team in an accreditation term.
Coming soon.
Letter of Support
If you are a current on-site evaluator seeking a letter in support of your voluntary participation, please submit your request to craley@ccneaccreditation.org.
Becoming an Evaluator
CCNE’s work depends on the dedicated service of its pool of on-site evaluators. These volunteers participate as members of a team to evaluate nursing programs according to CCNE’s standards for accreditation. Each team brings knowledge of academic and professional practice and provides significant input into the peer-review accreditation process of baccalaureate and graduate programs in nursing and nurse residency programs.
CCNE periodically recruits and trains new evaluators to familiarize them with policies, procedures, and standards unique to specialized accreditation. Trainings are conducted separately for education and residency evaluators.
The educator who serves on the evaluation team has depth of knowledge in one or more areas of nursing expertise and is familiar with nursing education and program development. He or she is responsible for helping the team understand the special nature of nursing education and the importance of preparing safe and effective nurses. Educators assist the team in evaluating curricula, faculty roles and qualifications, internal governance, student services, and student and faculty outcomes.
The practicing nurse who serves on the evaluation team a) regularly engages, as his or her primary professional role, in nursing practice; or b) has worked full-time in nursing practice for a minimum of 10 years and maintains currency in practice by providing nursing care at least 200 hours per year. The practicing nurse has knowledge about nursing in general and depth of knowledge in at least one area of nursing practice relevant to the program(s) under review.
The practicing nurses who serve on the evaluation team have a baccalaureate or higher degree in nursing, and a graduate degree (in nursing or another field). The practicing nurses are employed by a healthcare organization that offers an entry-to-practice nurse residency program and have experience in administration of or teaching in an entry-to-practice nurse residency program.
The educator who serves on the evaluation team is typically doctorally prepared and has breadth of knowledge about the delivery of nursing care. The educator also has meaningful participation in an entry-to-practice nurse residency program that is offered through a partnership between a healthcare organization and an academic institution.
The practicing nurses who serve on the evaluation team have a graduate degree in nursing and certification as a nurse practitioner. The practicing nurses are employed by a healthcare organization, have meaningful participation in an NP fellowship/residency program, and have experience in administration of or teaching in an NP fellowship/residency program.
The educator who serves on the evaluation team is typically doctorally prepared and has breadth of knowledge about the delivery of nursing care. The educator also has meaningful participation in an NP fellowship/residency program that is offered through a partnership between a healthcare organization and an academic institution.
In their work as CCNE representatives, evaluators are expected to:
- Travel to different states and regions of the country. CCNE accredits programs in all 50 states and in the U.S. territories, so evaluators should have reasonable access to an airport and should be comfortable flying nationally. CCNE is not able to honor requests to limit assignments to certain regions of the country.
- Use current technology, such as laptop computers, printers, tablets, electronic documents, and word processing software. These tools are used in preparation for and during the on-site evaluation.
- Provide ample availability and commit to serving on at least one on-site evaluation each year, if asked.
- Work collaboratively with other CCNE representatives in the preparation and conduct of the on-site evaluation.
- Engage in professional writing for the purpose of summarizing the team’s findings in the team report.
- Participate in continuing education activities offered by CCNE, including evaluator trainings and/or webinars.
Diversity in our roster of education and residency evaluators is essential in representing today’s nursing students. To that end, CCNE seeks nursing professionals who represent a variety of institutional affiliations, experience, ethnicities, genders, ages, and regions.
New evaluators are trained on an as-needed basis. When the evaluator application opens, CCNE will email the materials directly to individuals who have expressed interest or been nominated through the Evaluator Interest Form. All individuals who are selected to represent CCNE as evaluators must participate in a CCNE evaluator training program, during which they are oriented to the accreditation review process.
Evaluator Interest Form