Continuous Improvement Progress Report (CIPR) Template Standards for Accreditation of Baccalaureate and Graduate Nursing Programs Official Name of Institution: Simmons College
Continued Compliance with CCNE Standards & Key Elements Introduction In one page or less, summarize under Program Response major events that have occurred at the institutional and/or program level since the most recent CCNE on-site evaluation. Include a description of changes at the parent institution if they have had a significant impact on the program. In 2010, the School of Health Sciences was transitioned to the School of Nursing and Health Sciences (SNHS). Dr. Judy A. Beal, the chief academic nursing officer and chair of nursing, was appointed Interim Dean while a national search was conducted. In 2011, Dr. Beal was appointed Inaugural Dean of the School of Nursing and Health Sciences. The Nursing Department remains the largest department of the three programs within SNHS which also includes Nutrition and Physical Therapy. The impact of this name change has had a positive impact on the department in terms of visibility both internally and externally, fundraising, and partnership initiatives. In 2010, we transitioned our well established Adult-Geriatric-Women s Health, and Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Programs to exclusively a Family Nurse Practitioner Program. On October 14, 2013, we launched Nursing@Simmons which will prepare family nurse practitioners and grant the MSN degree. This program is offered totally on-line with one on-site immersion weekend required. The on-site Boston based program continues. On August 26, 2013, Simmons filed a substantive change memo detailing this new program and compliance with CCNE Standards. Additional information was requested and provided in February 2014. We have received notification of approval of this substantive change on June 1, 2014. Simmons is partnering with 2U Inc. an educational technology company that partners with universities and colleges to provide technology, infrastructure support and capital to transform on-campus programs into state-of-the-art web-based programs. 2U develops state-of-the-art technology platforms that give universities the ability to deliver traditional offline curricula in a unique online learning environment. Simmons retains total control over curriculum, admissions decisions, faculty hiring, preceptor placement, academic support, student retention, and outcomes. The on-line program will deliver the exact same curriculum under the exact same policies as the Boston based program. The addition of an on-line program will result in an increased number of students. We anticipate an increase in student enrollment of approximately on average 500 students per year. This in turn necessitates an increase in the number of faculty members and preceptors to maintain the quality and rigor of the program. The program had a very successful launch on October 14, 2013 with 175 new enrolled students. Since October we have had three additional cohorts launch (January, March, and May) with a total of 400 students enrolled. We anticipate five cohort launches per academic year. We have been successful in hiring 82 additional faculty from 28 states for a student faculty ratio of 1:15 in each didactic course section and 1:6 in each clinical seminar. We have been equally successful in recruiting 30 preceptors as of May 9 for 48 students who will start primary care clinical in July. We will maintain a 1:1 student: preceptor ratio. 1
All CCNE Standards for Accreditation and all National Task Force Guidelines for NP Education will be adhered to in the online program as they have consistently been adhered to in the onsite program. Please see Appendix I for a PowerPoint presentation that was given during the April 2014 Nursing@Simmons faculty orientation that gives a snapshot of this new program. 2
Assessment by Standard Following each key element statement, briefly summarize under Program Response any pertinent changes or program improvement initiatives that have occurred since the last comprehensive on-site evaluation by CCNE. If no change is reported, please provide support for continued compliance with the standard. Before completing this template, refer to CCNE s FAQs and Guidelines for Preparing the Continuous Improvement Progress Report. Were you requested to address any specific areas of focus/concern (e.g., a compliance concern at the key element level) according to the most recent CCNE accreditation action letter? If so, please note the specific areas of focus/concern here by indicating which key element(s) this translates to in the 2013 CCNE Standards: We received no such requests. [Please contact CCNE if you need a copy of the most recent accreditation action letter. Refer to the reminder email to access the Crosswalk Table showing the relationship between the former (2009) CCNE Standards and the current (2013) CCNE Standards.] A response must be provided for each standard and key element below. Give special attention to any specific areas of focus/concern that were identified previously in the CCNE accreditation action letter. 3
Standard I Program Quality: Mission and Governance The mission, goals, and expected program outcomes are congruent with those of the parent institution, reflect professional nursing standards and guidelines, and consider the needs and expectations of the community of interest. Policies of the parent institution and nursing program clearly support the program s mission, goals, and expected outcomes. The faculty and students of the program are involved in the governance of the program and in the ongoing efforts to improve program quality. I-A. The mission, goals, and expected program outcomes are: congruent with those of the parent institution; and consistent with relevant professional nursing standards and guidelines for the preparation of nursing professionals. Elaboration: The program s mission statement, goals, and expected program outcomes are written and accessible to current and prospective students, faculty, and other constituents. Program outcomes include student outcomes, faculty outcomes, and other outcomes identified by the program. A mission statement may relate to all nursing programs offered by the nursing unit or specific programs may have separate mission statements. Program goals are clearly differentiated by level when multiple degree/certificate programs exist. Student outcomes may be expressed as competencies, objectives, benchmarks, or other terminology congruent with institutional and program norms. The program identifies the professional nursing standards and guidelines it uses. CCNE requires, as appropriate, the following professional nursing standards and guidelines: The Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice [American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), 2008]; The Essentials of Master s Education in Nursing (AACN, 2011); The Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice (AACN, 2006); and Criteria for Evaluation of Nurse Practitioner Programs [National Task Force on Quality Nurse Practitioner Education (NTF), 2012]. A program may select additional standards and guidelines. A program preparing students for certification incorporates professional standards and guidelines appropriate to the role/area of education. An APRN education program (degree or certificate) prepares students for one of the four APRN roles and in at least one population focus, in accordance with the Consensus Model for APRN Regulation: Licensure, Accreditation, Certification and Education (July 2008). The program remains in full compliance with this key element. This is the case for all programs including the new Nursing@Simmons online program. The mission, philosophy, goals/objectives and expected outcomes remain the same as in the on-site program. Program review of the on-site program as well as the online program occurs regularly and consistently at multiple times during the semester. The faculty and students in the online program will be provided the same opportunities for participation in the governance of the program as the onsite students and faculty. Participation will occur virtually. The exact same admission, progression and academic policies at the Boston campus are applied to on-line students. The mission, philosophy, goals/objectives, and expected outcomes are written and accessible to current and prospective students during informational sessions, on the web-page, and in the Student Handbooks. The mission, philosophy, goals/objectives, and expected outcomes of the baccalaureate and master s programs remain congruent with those of the parent institution 4
and are consistent with relevant professional nursing standards. The mission of the College focuses on preparing students for the professions and leadership through the integration of theory and practice and active learning. In 2013 the faculty approved mission of the SNHS is to prepare students to become expert practitioners, scholars, and leaders in the health professions. The Nursing Department offers student-centered transformative programs preparing students to become compassionate patient and family centered clinicians and exceptional leaders to care for diverse populations. Our graduates engage in nursing practice that is exemplified by scholarship, leadership, advocacy, and public policy. Since the 2008 self- study and accreditation site visit, the Nursing Faculty have reviewed and revised the vision, mission, core values, and expected outcomes of our programs, re-endorsed our program philosophy, and found them to be congruent with those of the College and School of Nursing and Health Sciences. Our mission statement and philosophy relate to all nursing programs offered by the nursing unit and program goals are clearly differentiated by level. The Nursing Department includes both baccalaureate (generalist/pre-licensure) and master s (specialist) degree granting curricula. Graduates of the baccalaureate programs are prepared as generalists who are able to incorporate professional nursing standards and research into their practice, collaborate as members of an interdisciplinary health care team, apply the concepts of diversity and community service in their practice, and utilize leadership skills to influence change in the health care delivery system. The programs provide the prerequisite knowledge base essential for graduate study. Students in the graduate programs utilize the knowledge acquired in their undergraduate education to synthesize knowledge from the advanced study of the natural, behavioral and applied sciences and expand their nursing knowledge for the purpose of advanced practice nursing. The Nursing Department programs fulfill the College s mission of an education for lifetime success and its goals to prepare students for citizenship, leadership, and the professions. Table I presents a comparison of the Simmons College mission and goals with the Nursing Department s mission, philosophy, and learner outcomes at both the baccalaureate and master s levels. The guiding statements are explicitly congruent with those of the College reflecting the values of professional education, leadership, diversity, citizenship, critical thinking and writing, and lifelong learning. The Nursing Department s curricular plans support the College s belief in the importance of an educational strategy that embraces active learning, combines theory and practice, and integrates a liberal arts and sciences curriculum with professional preparation. Expected student outcomes for the baccalaureate program were revised in 2010, are clearly articulated and are expressed as objectives that are aligned with the AACN Essentials for Baccalaureate Education, QSEN Competencies and MASS Nurse of the Future Core Competencies. Expected graduate student outcomes were revised in 2010 when we revised the curriculum to focus on the preparation of family nurse practitioners only. These expected outcomes are stated as objectives and align with the AACN Essentials for Graduate Education. Table II details the cross walk between the expected learning outcomes and competencies. Our master s level APRN program prepares students of the role of nurse practitioner in the population focus of Family, in accordance with the Consensus Model for APRN Regulation: Licensure, Accreditation, Certification, and Accreditation (2008). Both the baccalaureate/pre-licensure/generalist and master s/specialist curricula draw upon the American Nurses Association (ANA) Social Policy Statement (2012), Standards of Clinical Nursing Practice (1998), and the Nursing Code of Ethics (2010). The baccalaureate curriculum is further supported by the Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice (AACN, 2008). Since 1995, the master s curriculum has drawn upon the National Organization of Nurse 5
Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) Curriculum Guidelines and Program Standards for Nurse Practitioner Education. It is supported further by the guidelines of the following documents: Essentials of Master s Education for Advanced Practice Nursing (AACN, 2011), the US Department of Health and Human Services Division of Nursing Nurse Practitioner Primary Care Competencies in Specialty Areas (HRSA, 1995,2002,2006) and The National Task force Criteria for Evaluation of Nurse Practitioner Programs ( 2012). These standards have been chosen by the faculty to serve as the foundation for professional preparation in nursing. The master s program in nursing administration is guided by the AACN Essentials of Master s Education and the American Organization of Nurse Executive Nurse Executive Competencies (2010). I-B. The mission, goals, and expected student outcomes are reviewed periodically and revised, as appropriate, to reflect: professional nursing standards and guidelines; and the needs and expectations of the community of interest. Elaboration: There is a defined process for periodic review and revision of program mission, goals, and expected student outcomes. The review process has been implemented and resultant action reflects professional nursing standards and guidelines. The community of interest is defined by the nursing unit. The needs and expectations of the community of interest are reflected in the mission, goals, and expected student outcomes. Input from the community of interest is used to foster program improvement. The program remains in full compliance with this key element. The baccalaureate and graduate faculty meets at least once a month and at the end of each semester to review curriculum and student outcomes and to make revisions as necessary. Once a year, the core faculty and the Departmental Evaluation Committee review mission, goals, and expected outcomes for articulation with the AACN Essentials documents for Baccalaureate and Graduate Education and the Criteria for Evaluation of Nurse Practitioner Programs (2012). The SNHS mission, values, and expected learning outcomes were revised during the academic year 2012-2013 and found to be in congruence with the mission, values, and expected learning outcomes of the college and the nursing programs, including the DNP program. Key stakeholders of the Nursing Program include the departmental Advisory Board, alumni, employers, and students. The Advisory Board meets once every other year and alumni, students, and employers are surveyed regularly to evaluate achievement of program outcomes, competence and satisfaction with the program. These evaluation data are positive and are reported in Standard IV. Examples of how stakeholder feedback has made programmatic improvements include the development of three dedicated education units, the commitment to the FNP specialty exclusively, enhanced leadership and management content in the senior undergraduate capstone course, the shortening of the accelerated BSN program to 14 months from 18 months, increased emphasis on IPE on the graduate level, and an ongoing discussion around revisions to the MSN in Nursing Administration to include more of a care management perspective. At the 2008 site visit for the program, we afforded the communities of interest the opportunity to submit 3 rd party comments to CCNE and will do so again prior to our 2019 visit. I-C. Expected faculty outcomes are clearly identified by the nursing unit, are written and communicated to the faculty, and are congruent with institutional expectations. 6
Elaboration: The nursing unit identifies expectations for faculty, whether in teaching, scholarship, service, practice, or other areas. Expected faculty outcomes are congruent with those of the parent institution. The program remains in full compliance with this key element. The faculty roles in teaching, scholarship, and service are clearly articulated in the Simmons College 2012-2019 Faculty Policy Manual (FPM). Faculty roles in teaching, scholarship, service and practice are more specifically detailed in the SNHS Implementation Guidelines of the FPM. With the exception of practice, the expected faculty outcomes for nursing faculty are congruent with those of the institution. The majority of nursing faculty practice clinically and we have a strong commitment to practice and service that we believe enriches our teaching and further supports our mission and goals to prepare expert clinicians and leaders. Faculty teaching in the baccalaureate and master s programs has extensive expertise as educators, clinicians, and scholars in the courses they lead. While Simmons is a student-centered environment where teaching is the paramount responsibility of the faculty, the nursing faculty have made significant scholarly contributions to the profession. Table A in Standard IV-F aggregates the achievements of all Nursing Department faculty. Since 2008, the numbers of publications and scholarly presentations by faculty have increased significantly as shown in this table. The number of tenure track/tenured faculty has increased from 5 in 2008 to 8 in 2013. Simmons faculty has had a consistent national presence at NONPF and AACN contributing to the ongoing dialogue about curriculum, program evaluation, and cutting edge pedagogy and technology. Nursing faculty have presented nationally and internationally on simulation initiatives, teaching pedagogy, reflective journaling, development of clinical scholarship, evidence based guidelines for sexually transmitted diseases, malarial research, and the electronic medical record. For example, three faculty presented at the 2013 Sigma Theta Tau Annual Research Conference in Prague. Others have presented at the CDC, WHO, and the Massachusetts Medical Society just this year. Simmons faculty continue to earn national honors. For example, since the last accreditation, three faculty have been inducted into the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, six into the National Academies of Practice, and one into the American Academy of Nursing. Nursing faculty remains very involved in service to the college, SNHS, and the professional associations. Many have assumed leadership roles. For example, Dr.Beal has served two elected terms on the Board of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, was recently elected as AACN Secretary, and is active in state-wide nursing leadership. Drs. Barron and Rissmiller have both served the elected position of Simmons Faculty Senate President. I-D. Faculty and students participate in program governance. Elaboration: Roles of the faculty and students in the governance of the program, including those involved in distance education, are clearly defined and promote participation. Nursing faculty are involved in the development, review, and revision of academic program policies. The program remains in full compliance with this key element. Nursing faculty roles are clearly defined and promote participation of faculty in program governance. Nursing faculty are not only involved in the development, review, and revision of academic policies, they own this responsibility. 7
Boston based faculty meet at least once a month and for extended program reviews at the end of each semester. Nursing@Simmons course leads meet weekly via Adobe Connect with their section instructors. Students in all programs have multiple opportunities to provide feedback about the program and faculty through course evaluations, completion surveys. In Boston, there are undergraduate student representatives to the faculty meeting. We are in the process of adding student representation to the undergraduate curriculum committee. Graduate students meet regularly with the faculty, chair, and dean to discuss issues of concern in the classrooms. Focus groups are conducted with random samples of Boston based students about to graduate each year. Alumni participate in one and five year evaluation surveys. As Nursing@Simmons grows, we are exploring ways to virtually involve students and faculty in program governance in addition to the focus groups that will be run at every Boston based immersion weekend for online students. When the School of Health Sciences became the School of Nursing and Health Sciences with a dean from nursing, we re-organized the school based leadership structure. The Dean appointed an Associate Dean for undergraduate curriculum and student affairs who is a nursing faculty. She then appointed a new Chair for Baccalaureate Nursing and a Chair for Graduate Nursing. This nursing leadership team meets weekly. The SNHS Leadership team, which is comprised of all chairs and program directors from SNHS meets monthly. Nursing has an active voice in the governance of the department, SNHS, and the college. Faculty continues to be actively involved on standing committees and task forces at the departmental, school and college levels. Drs. Rissmiller and Barron have served as President of the College Faculty Senate. Nursing faculty sit on all SNHS committees and continue to serve on college wide committees including: the IRB, College of Arts and Sciences Curriculum Committee, Academic Administration Board, Honor Board, Technology Committee, Faculty Fiscal Affairs, and the Hearing Committee. Nursing faculty have an active voice in school and college governance. I-E. Documents and publications are accurate. A process is used to notify constituents about changes in documents and publications. Elaboration: References to the program s offerings, outcomes, accreditation/approval status, academic calendar, recruitment and admission policies, grading policies, degree/certificate completion requirements, tuition, and fees are accurate. Information regarding licensure and/or certification examinations for which graduates will be eligible is accurate. For APRN education programs, transcripts or other official documentation specify the APRN role and population focus of the graduate. 1, 2 If a program chooses to publicly disclose its CCNE accreditation status, the program uses either of the following statements: The (baccalaureate degree in nursing/master's degree in nursing/doctor of Nursing Practice and/or post-graduate APRN certificate) at (institution) is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 530, Washington, DC 20036, 202-887-6791. The (baccalaureate degree in nursing/master's degree in nursing/doctor of Nursing Practice and/or post-graduate APRN certificate) at (institution) is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.aacn.nche.edu/ccne-accreditation). 1 Consensus Model for APRN Regulation: Licensure, Accreditation, Certification and Education (July 2008). 2 Criteria for Evaluation of Nurse Practitioner Programs (National Task Force on Quality Nurse Practitioner Education, 2012). 8
The program remains in full compliance with this key element. All promotional materials are reviewed and revised annually with the chairs of undergraduate and graduate nursing, Dean of SNHS, the SNHS Associate Dean for Undergraduate Curriculum and Student Affairs, the Director of Undergraduate Admissions, and the SNHS Director of Admissions and Marketing. For the Nursing@Simmons program, the core online team which includes the Dean and program chairs from nursing, reviews all promotional materials for consistency. Polices for all programs are supportive of the achievement of the program mission, goals, and expected student outcomes. They are reviewed regularly for fairness and consistency and revised as needed. Polices for students are clearly stated in the Student Handbook which is reviewed and revised annually and available to all nursing students on the program web-site. Any changes are communicated to constituents through marketing materials, email, through weekly nursingnews emails, and on our website. For our FNP MSN program, transcripts and other official documents specify nurse practitioner role preparation as a family nurse practitioner. Our web-site accurately reflects our CCNE accreditation status. I-F. Academic policies of the parent institution and the nursing program are congruent and support achievement of the mission, goals, and expected student outcomes. These policies are: fair and equitable; published and accessible; and reviewed and revised as necessary to foster program improvement. Elaboration: Academic policies include, but are not limited to, those related to student recruitment, admission, retention, and progression. Policies are written and communicated to relevant constituencies. Policies are implemented consistently. Differences between the nursing program policies and those of the parent institution are identified and support achievement of the program s mission, goals, and expected student outcomes. A defined process exists by which policies are regularly reviewed. Policy review occurs and revisions are made as needed. The program remains in full compliance with this key element. The nursing faculty develops, reviews, and revises all policies of all programs at least once a year and as needed to ensure that they remain fair and equitable and congruent with those of the parent institution. All policies are written, included in the Student Handbook, and are communicated to relevant constituencies as necessary. The faculty, department Academic Review Board, and dean ensure that all policies are implemented consistently. 9
Standard II Program Quality: Institutional Commitment and Resources The parent institution demonstrates ongoing commitment to and support for the nursing program. The institution makes resources available to enable the program to achieve its mission, goals, and expected outcomes. The faculty, as a resource of the program, enable the achievement of the mission, goals, and expected program outcomes. II-A. Fiscal and physical resources are sufficient to enable the program to fulfill its mission, goals, and expected outcomes. Adequacy of resources is reviewed periodically and resources are modified as needed. Elaboration: The budget enables achievement of the program s mission, goals, and expected outcomes. The budget also supports the development, implementation, and evaluation of the program. Compensation of nursing unit personnel supports recruitment and retention of qualified faculty and staff. Physical space is sufficient and configured in ways that enable the program to achieve its mission, goals, and expected outcomes. Equipment and supplies (e.g., computing, laboratory, and teachinglearning) are sufficient to achieve the program s mission, goals, and expected outcomes. A defined process is used for regular review of the adequacy of the program s fiscal and physical resources. Review of fiscal and physical resources occurs and improvements are made as appropriate. The program remains in full compliance with this key element. The Dean ensures that the budget enables achievement of the program s mission, goals, and expected student outcomes and supports the implementation and evaluation of the program. The fiscal and physical resources are currently adequate. The Dean, Associate Deans, and program chairs, regularly review adequacy of resources and the Dean discusses concerns with the Provost and President. The Dean prepares the budget and has full control of it. All faculty have private offices, computer hardware and software, and a telephone. Faculty salaries have consistently been comparable (between the 50 th and 75 th percentiles) to those of similar AACN member programs in the New England region and are at the 80 th percentile according to AAUP standards. The faculty salaries were recently benchmarked and some faculty received raises to bring them into alignment with competitor programs. While no faculty or staff at the College has received merit raises for two years, the college plans to benchmark all faculty salaries in the fall of 2014 and a 3% cost of living raise will be given to all faculty and staff in January 2015, June 2015, and June 2016. This past summer, two faculty members retired; one of whom was the DNP Program Director and one of whom the Director of the FNP program. Another faculty member took the position of Director of the online Nursing@Simmons program. The Dean was able to secure funding for all of these positions in the budget and lobbied successfully to hire the Hollander Group to conduct a national search. This demonstrates significant administrative support for the SNHS and the Nursing Department as never before in the history of Simmons College has a search firm been used for faculty positions. As of May 1, 2014 the positions have been filled and we are currently advertising for an additional part time graduate level faculty member to teach in the FNP program. Significant and additional resources have been provided and will continue to be provided by Administration and our partner to support the online program. These include support for the hiring of additional faculty and staff, preceptor recruitment, state authorization, student learning, career advancement, technology support, access to library and student and academic support. We have hired a faculty recruiter and are working with the Hollander Group to hire faculty from across the country that have expertise in on-line teaching. We are fully staffed with an adequate number of faculty for the first four cohorts of students. Since October 2013, we have hired 82 new faculty 10
from 28 states for this program. We plan to maintain a 1:15 faculty to student ratio in all didactic sessions. The Chief Academic Nursing Officer for the online program as well as the onsite program remains consistent. All of the Boston based graduate program faculty are involved in the online program curriculum oversight, delivery, and evaluation. Additional faculty members hired specifically to teach in the online program are academically and experientially qualified and adequate in numbers to support the increase in student enrollment. See Table III for faculty profiles for both Boston and online programs. For FY 15 we have budgeted for three full time Nursing@Simmons faculty, one of whom will manage clinical education. We regularly evaluate resource needs for this program and will scale up as necessary to provide adequate support. Significant resources are provided to the Nursing@Simmons Programs. This includes support from 2U in terms of 22 admissions counselors, 6 academic advisors, 6 preceptor placement team members, 10 program coordinators, and 1 faculty recruiter. In addition 2U offers support for state authorization and has a program director overseeing all of Nursing@Simmons support and operations. The college provides dedicated support for Nursing@Simmons in terms of 2 instructional designers, 2 student financial services officers, 1.5 FTE registrar, 1 faculty recruiter, and has hired the Hollander Group to recruit and source faculty applicants. II-B. Academic support services are sufficient to ensure quality and are evaluated on a regular basis to meet program and student needs. Elaboration: Academic support services (e.g., library, technology, distance education support, research support, admission, and advising services) are adequate for students and faculty to meet program requirements and to achieve the mission, goals, and expected program outcomes. There is a defined process for regular review of the adequacy of the program s academic support services. Review of academic support services occurs and improvements are made as appropriate. The program remains in full compliance with this key element. The nursing faculty regularly review academic support services and have consistently found them to be excellent and adequate for students to meet expected outcomes. Students and alumni concur that these supports are more than adequate. In the fall of 2013, the college adopted a centralized advising office for all incoming freshmen. This highly professional centralized model of advising works well for nursing students, who after the first year are assigned nursing faculty advisors. There is one professional advisor who is specifically assigned to nursing majors. She knows the program well and regularly consults with the Nursing Chair. Thus far, the model has shown to be efficient and effective For the Nursing@Simmons online program, 2U has an academic support team of six and Simmons has hired two academic advisors. Students in this program have access to all academic supports offered on site. Additionally, we are providing specific academic supports for these online students including peer-peer mentoring and additional section instructors to provide support as needed. A bridge program has been developed and is required for students whose application is otherwise strong but limited in science preparation. The need for increased resources is evaluated on a weekly basis and is currently adequate. 11
II-C. The chief nurse administrator: is a registered nurse (RN); holds a graduate degree in nursing; holds a doctoral degree if the nursing unit offers a graduate program in nursing; is academically and experientially qualified to accomplish the mission, goals, and expected program outcomes; is vested with the administrative authority to accomplish the mission, goals, and expected program outcomes; and provides effective leadership to the nursing unit in achieving its mission, goals, and expected program outcomes. Elaboration: The administrative authority of the chief nurse administrator is comparable to that of chief administrators of similar units in the institution. He or she consults, as appropriate, with faculty and other communities of interest to make decisions to accomplish the mission, goals, and expected programs outcomes. The chief nurse administrator is perceived by the communities of interest to be an effective leader of the nursing unit. The program provides a rationale and a plan to come into compliance if the chief nurse administrator does not hold a graduate degree in nursing and a doctoral degree (if applicable). The program remains in full compliance with this key element. Dr. Beal was named Interim Dean of the new School of Nursing and Health Sciences in 2010. Dr. Beal was selected as the Inaugural Dean of the SNHS after a national search signaling her effective leadership. She meets all criteria listed in this key element. Since the 2010 DNP site visit, she has accomplished the following: Elected to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing ( AACN) Board of Directors twice Elected in March 2014 as Secretary of AACN Completed the RWJ Executive Nurse Fellows Program Been appointed to the AACN/AONE co-chair position of the Academic-Practice Partnership Committee Been appointed to statewide leadership committees including the MA Action Coalition. In the past year she has published 7 peer-reviewed articles, edited a column to the American Journal of Maternal Child Nursing 4 times a year, presented nationally at 9 conferences, and received funding in excess of $3.5 Million. Cumulatively, Dr. Beal has more than 90 publications, 100+ presentations, and has received funding in excess of $8.5 Million. Been inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and the National Academies of Practice. Named one of the 90 Most Influential Alumni at the Yale School of Nursing Recently received a $3.1 Million gift from an alumna to fully support 20 Israeli students in the Nursing@Simmons program. This includes full scholarships; two faculty positions; travel for students and faculty; computers, books, and supplies for all students; marketing; and overhead for both Simmons College and the Henrietta Szold School of Nursing in Jerusalem, Israel. Dr. Beal continues to have full budgetary, decision-making, and evaluation authority comparable to that of the four other Deans at Simmons. She continues to consult as appropriate with faculty and key stakeholders as necessary to ensure that the mission, goals, and expected outcomes of the nursing unit are met. Feedback from the Nursing Advisory Board is supportive of her leadership and vision for nursing. II-D. Faculty are: sufficient in number to accomplish the mission, goals, and expected program outcomes; 12
academically prepared for the areas in which they teach; and experientially prepared for the areas in which they teach. Elaboration: The full-time equivalency (FTE) of faculty involved in each program is clearly delineated, and the program provides to CCNE its formula for calculating FTEs. The overall faculty (whether fulltime or part-time) is sufficient in number and qualifications to achieve the mission, goals, and expected program outcomes. Faculty-to-student ratios ensure adequate supervision and evaluation and meet or exceed the requirements of regulatory agencies and professional nursing standards and guidelines. Faculty are academically prepared for the areas in which they teach. Academic preparation of faculty includes degree specialization, specialty coursework, or other preparation sufficient to address the major concepts included in courses they teach. Faculty teaching in the nursing program have a graduate degree. The program provides a rationale for the use of any faculty who do not have a graduate degree. Faculty who are nurses hold current RN licensure. Faculty teaching in clinical/practicum courses are experienced in the clinical area of the course and maintain clinical expertise. Clinical expertise may be maintained through clinical practice or other avenues. Faculty teaching in advanced practice clinical courses meet certification and practice requirements as specified by the relevant regulatory and specialty bodies. Advanced practice nursing tracks are directly overseen by faculty who are nationally certified in that same population-focused area of practice in roles for which national certification is available. The program remains in full compliance with this key element. Faculty members are currently sufficient in number and are adequately and experientially qualified to accomplish the mission, goals, and expected student and faculty outcomes in all programs. Please refer to Table III. We have appointed a DNP Director, hired a new FNP Director for the Boston campus, and a new FNP Director for Nursing @Simmons. Both of these FNP directors are nationally certified family nurse practitioners with extensive experience in the role and in education. All faculty who are nurses hole current RN licensure. Faculty supervising adjunct clinical faculty in clinical practicum courses are experienced in the clinical area of the course and maintain relevant clinical expertise. All clinical faculty practice on average one day per week in their specialty. We have conducted a full workload analysis, that indicates that we are adequately staffed for faculty positions on the undergraduate level and need one additional part time (50%) position on the graduate level for the Boston based campus. We remain concerned and vigilant about pending retirements and the need to hire additional tenure stream faculty. The former provost was not willing to consider tenure of DNP educated faculty, however the new provost is willing to discuss this possibility. This is an ongoing goal and the numbers of tenure stream faculty have increased slowly but steadily since 2008. For the newly launched Nursing@Simmons online program, we are also in full compliance with this key element. We have retained the Hollander Group and have hired a full time faculty recruiter to help us access our increased faculty needs. We intend to maintain a faculty to student ratio of 1:15 in all didactic course work and 1:6 in clinical seminars. We use the same criteria for faculty hiring in this program as we do on-site with the additional requirement of experience with on line teaching and validate all credentials using Hire Right a comprehensive background check company. As of May 1, we have hired 82 additional adjunct faculty from 28 states. To date, all course developers are Simmons Boston based faculty who have converted all courses from the on the ground program to the online format. All course leaders are either Boston based faculty or Boston program alumni who understand our program, curriculum, and standards of excellence. All Boston based faculty are compensated for their work as overloads to their traditional teaching loads at $1600 per course 13
credit. All course developers are paid $3000 for their work in design. For the AY 14-15, we have budgeted three additional full time contract faculty for the Nursing@Simmons program in order to enhance faculty participation in governance and to further ensure quality and rigor. II-E. Preceptors, when used by the program as an extension of faculty, are academically and experientially qualified for their role in assisting in the achievement of the mission, goals, and expected student outcomes. Elaboration: The roles of preceptors with respect to teaching, supervision, and student evaluation are: clearly defined; congruent with the mission, goals, and expected student outcomes; and congruent with relevant professional nursing standards and guidelines. Preceptors have the expertise to support student achievement of expected outcomes. Preceptor performance expectations are clearly communicated to preceptors and are reviewed periodically. The program ensures preceptor performance meets expectations. The program remains in full compliance with this key element for all nursing programs. On the undergraduate level we utilize preceptors in the senior capstone experience in the undergraduate program and in the clinical sequence in the graduate program. The credentials of all preceptors in all programs are evaluated to assure that they are academically and experientially qualified. The role of preceptors in all programs is clearly defined in the preceptor handbook distributed to all preceptors. Expectations for performance are clearly communicated by the preceptor placement office and by course coordinators. Course coordinators meet regularly with preceptors to discuss student performance and the use of preceptors is congruent with MA Board of Registration in Nursing and National Task Force guidelines (2012). The program ensures that preceptor performance in all programs meets expectations through student evaluation and faculty oversight. In the Nursing@Simmons program, 2U provides a team of 6 preceptor recruiters who recruit preceptors from every state that has received program approval (N=32). Preceptors and clinical sites are approved by the program director and graduate chair using specific criteria that align with NTF Guidelines (2012) and are consistent with our Boston based program. We are currently designing an online preceptor development module for our Nursing@Simmons preceptors that will also be utilized with Boston based preceptors. Due to a shortage of clinical sites and preceptors in Massachusetts, we have limited the number of Massachusetts residents in the Nursing@Simmons program to 10 students per year in an attempt to not erode our preceptor base in the Commonwealth. II-F. The parent institution and program provide and support an environment that encourages faculty teaching, scholarship, service, and practice in keeping with the mission, goals, and expected faculty outcomes. Elaboration: Institutional support is available to promote faculty outcomes congruent with defined expectations of the faculty role and in support of the mission, goals, and expected faculty outcomes. For example: Faculty have opportunities for ongoing development in the scholarship of teaching. If scholarship is an expected faculty outcome, the institution provides resources to support faculty scholarship. If practice is an expected faculty outcome, opportunities are provided for faculty to maintain practice competence, and institutional support ensures that currency in clinical practice is maintained for faculty in roles that require it. If service is an expected faculty outcome, expected service is clearly defined and supported. 14
The program remains in full compliance with this key element. Institutional support remains adequate to promote faculty outcomes. Each full time nursing faculty member receives $800 a year to attend conferences and while this may seem low, it is one of the highest reimbursements in the College. In addition to that funding from the SNHS Budget, faculty has access to the College Faculty Development Fund. Other supports for faculty teaching and scholarship include: the newly established Center for Excellence in Teaching, the President s Fund for Research, course release vouchers for tenure track faculty members, sabbaticals for tenured faculty, and faculty development releases for professors of practice. All nursing faculty practice and are given one day a week to do so with no expectation of financial reimbursement to the College. The Nursing Department workload formula requires that a full time faculty member dedicate three full days to Simmons responsibilities including teaching course preparation, student advisement, and service. The two additional days per week may be spent in practice or on scholarship. Our evidence-based workload formula is supportive of faculty teaching, service, scholarship, and practice. Faculty are highly productive scholars and leaders in the profession. As the Nursing@Simmons program grows and we employ more full time faculty, these faculty will be held to the same expectations of scholarship and service as the Boston based faculty. They will be provided with the same institutional resources to support faculty outcomes. 15
Standard III Program Quality: Curriculum and Teaching-Learning Practices The curriculum is developed in accordance with the program s mission, goals, and expected student outcomes. The curriculum reflects professional nursing standards and guidelines and the needs and expectations of the community of interest. Teaching-learning practices are congruent with expected student outcomes. The environment for teaching-learning fosters achievement of expected student outcomes. III-A. The curriculum is developed, implemented, and revised to reflect clear statements of expected student outcomes that are congruent with the program s mission and goals, and with the roles for which the program is preparing its graduates. Elaboration: Curricular objectives (e.g., course, unit, and/or level objectives or competencies as identified by the program) provide clear statements of expected learning that relate to student outcomes. Expected outcomes relate to the roles for which students are being prepared. The program remains in full compliance with this key element. The curricula both at the baccalaureate (pre-licensure/generalist) and master s (specialist) programs are guided by program goals and learner outcomes derived from the Nursing Department s mission and philosophy statements; these having been derived from the College mission and goal statements. Table1 addresses this congruence. These values guide the learner outcome objectives and expected results for all programs which, in turn, guide the development of course objectives, teaching learning activities and experiences, as well as the evaluation measures. Since the 2008 self- study and accreditation site visit, we have reviewed and revised the vision, mission, core values, and expected outcomes of our programs, re-endorsed our program philosophy, and found them to be congruent with those of the College and School of Nursing and Health Sciences. III-B. Curricula are developed, implemented, and revised to reflect relevant professional nursing standards and guidelines, which are clearly evident within the curriculum and within the expected student outcomes (individual and aggregate). Baccalaureate program curricula incorporate The Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice (AACN, 2008). Master s program curricula incorporate professional standards and guidelines as appropriate. a. All master s degree programs incorporate The Essentials of Master s Education in Nursing (AACN, 2011) and additional relevant professional standards and guidelines as identified by the program. b. All master s degree programs that prepare nurse practitioners incorporate Criteria for Evaluation of Nurse Practitioner Programs (NTF, 2012). Graduate-entry program curricula incorporate The Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice (AACN, 2008) and appropriate graduate program standards and guidelines. DNP program curricula incorporate professional standards and guidelines as appropriate. a. All DNP programs incorporate The Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice (AACN, 2006) and additional relevant professional standards and guidelines if identified by the program. b. All DNP programs that prepare nurse practitioners incorporate Criteria for Evaluation of Nurse Practitioner Programs (NTF, 2012). Post-graduate APRN certificate programs that prepare nurse practitioners incorporate Criteria for Evaluation of Nurse Practitioner Programs (NTF, 2012). Elaboration: Each degree/certificate program incorporates professional nursing standards and guidelines relevant to that program, area, role, population focus, or specialty. The program clearly demonstrates 16