Introduction
The need for regulatory and accreditation in certain fields was occasioned by the desire to protect life and health by ensuring that required standards are upheld by all concerned stakeholders. About the dangers and harm, it becomes imperative to lockout incompetent and overly unqualified personnel. In essence, regulation in nursing is intended to guarantee health, safety while ensuring the safety of the public. Given the above roles, several accreditation and regulatory agencies are in place to enforce certain rules. The majority of their mandates are supported through legislation thereby making them have powers to vet, discipline, and terminate the practice licenses in addition to instituting legal proceedings against individuals or organizations found to contravene the regulations. In recent times, the regulatory agencies have received a bigger mandate in the development and revision of curricula used in nursing. This report will explore the regulatory agencies involved in the development and revision of curriculum content utilized in nursing education especially in tertiary institutions while explaining their effect on the overall process.
Accreditation and regulatory agencies
To start with, a curriculum refers to the general outline of a set of courses that are offered in an institution of learning and forms the core of the requirements of achieving a certain certification. Curriculum development in nursing has gained prominence due to the demand to produce graduates who can deliver quality health services and patient care. The dynamic nature of the nursing profession has occasioned regular revision of the curricula to encompass new trends and best nursing practices. An increase in the number of research and technological advancement has resulted in the development of new trends and complex situations thereby requiring upgrading of training. Curriculum development and revision has therefore become a regular process that involves the regulatory authorities, training institutions, accreditation institutions, and representatives of nurses (Billings & Halstead, 2009, p. 54).
The nursing profession in the United States has developed into one of the major health professions that attract thousands of foreign workers each year. More than 3 million nurses operate in the United States thereby bringing the essence of regulating their training and career development (Billings & Halstead, 2009, p. 54). The state governments are legally mandated to license the nurses under guidelines from the federal government. More importantly, the regulation of training lies with several bodies which work hand in hand in ensuring quality and standards are upheld.
The National Council of State Boards of Nursing brings together respective boards from the states and is mandated to regulate the overall nursing practice. The boards are also charged with the issuance of licenses and also outlining the required standards that are imperative for safe nursing. The boards of nursing are charged with the responsibility of coming up with the practice standards. In addition, they approve and carry out accreditation of all programs in nursing and related education, particularly in schools and tertiary level institutions. Moreover, the boards in liaison with other agencies come up with relevant policies, develop and recommend administrative regulations, and play a large role in the enforcement of the nursing practice act and matters regarding licensure of nurses (National Council of State Boards of Nursing, 2010, para. 4).
Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) also plays a major role in the initiation and development of baccalaureate and other graduate nursing programs in the United States. The commission is an autonomous and nonaffiliated body that is mainly charged with accreditations aimed at improving the state of public health in the United States. On accreditation, the agency, which is led by qualified professionals, is instrumental in ensuring the credibility and integrity of all programs that lead to the award of baccalaureate and graduate certification in nursing. Given its role as a watchdog, the agency assesses, identifies, and recommends nursing programs that show the major potential of transforming community health delivery services while conforming to best educational practices in the United States. Although accreditation relies on voluntary means, tertiary institutions usually seek the services of CCNE to identify loopholes in the programs. Accreditation also offers the institution leeway when carrying out revision and implementation of the curriculum thus enhancing the overall educational programs (Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 2005, para. 2).
National League for Nursing Accreditation Commission was set up with its major role of assuring quality about the present and future state of nursing education. In achieving its roles, the commission applies a holistic approach to ensure that all aspects of nursing education are overly covered in the long term. Through championing programs that emphasize peer review and embracement of self-evaluation, NLNAC intends to help as many institutions to meet and exceed the required educational standards regardless of whether the programs offered are diploma or doctorate level (National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC), 2010, para. 5).
Influencing on the curriculum
The above three discussed agencies are instrumental in influencing the overall development of curriculum, especially in radiology nursing. While their impact on influencing education is not easily quantified, there is enough proof to denote that accreditation and regulations have resulted in better and quality patient care. In particular, the regulation of all aspects of education, training, and licensing has meant that the agencies can change the nursing profession.
Through accreditation and regulation, the agencies can identify the shortcoming and areas that require improvement in the training of radiology nurses. Taking into the dynamic nature of the nursing profession, accreditation and regulation are always ahead of training institutions in coming up with the best practices that are informed by evidence-based practice. In doing so, the agencies release new guidelines and standards that integrate the newer practices and trends in nursing (Wiles & Bondi, 2002, p. 34). On their part, the training institutions are compelled to redesign their training programs thus taking into consideration the changing trends in inpatient care. In particular, the revision of curricula to accommodate technological advancements in the radiology department and to improve the efficiency of diagnostic techniques is among some of the common amendments undertaken on the programs.
On their part, the Boards of nursing play a crucial role in regulating the conduct and training of radiology nurses. The fact that they are mandated to register nurses and enforce laws touching on nursing practice, makes them useful channels for guiding the revision of the curricula to address ethical and professional standards. Through interrogation of nurses during the disciplinary hearings, the boards can identify the source of the problem thereby instituting standards that encourage balancing of lectures, practical attachments, and best practices. In addition, the boards also embark on setting guidelines on the expectations and conduct of the students and clinician lectures through relating their functioning at the hospital and facility level with the school environment (Billings & Halstead, 2009, p. 43).
The boards remain the single most advisor of the government on policies and administrative issues regarding the nursing practice. In line with this role, they are thereby at an upper hand to convince the government to embrace certain trends in radiology and policies in the management of healthcare in their respective jurisdictions. Given the policy changes, the training institutions in these specific jurisdictions are forced to align their goals and objectives to conform to the state regulations. Policy changes that impact the functioning of nursing practitioners call for the revision of the curricula to ensure the graduates and expected outcomes conform to the new policies (Wiles, & Bondi, 2002, p. 42).
More importantly, the boards play a pertinent role in advising and linking the employers with training institutions thereby influencing the duration of the training in a bid to address the problem of nurses’ shortage. The influx of nurses from foreign countries also resulted in the regulators setting entry-level examinations to assess the quality and competence of the nurses. Their regulatory mandate leads to the development of special programs with unique curriculum to address the deficiency in the training of international nurses.
Conclusion
The dynamic nature of the nursing profession and the innovation of better technologies in the medical field will continually result in the development and revision of the nursing curriculum. On the other hand, the accreditation and regulatory agencies in the execution of their mandate will endeavor to improve nursing education to address the shortcoming of practicing nurses. Given the above, tremendous changes are expected in the training and licensing of nurses. It is therefore worth noting that the training, licensing, practice, and professional development of radiology nurses are affected by the close interaction of the various factors in the health sector.
Reference list
Billings, D.M., & Halstead, J.A. (2009). Teaching in nursing: A guide for faculty (3rd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: W.B. Saunders.
Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (2005) Proposed Standards for Accreditation of Baccalaureate and Graduate Nursing Programs. Web.
National Council of State Boards of Nursing (2010). Why regulation matters. Web.
National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC). (2010). 2008 Standards and Criteria. Web.
Wiles, J., & Bondi, J. (2002). Curriculum development: A guide to practice (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.