ACME Programmatic Criteria. Criterion I: Organization and Administration

Transcription

1 ACME Programmatic Criteria Criterion I: Organization and Administration Item A. This SER is an in-depth self-study written by a member(s) of the midwifery program faculty with opportunity for input by students, faculty, and administrators. The faculty and administrators actively involved in writing the SER are listed below: Elizabeth (Betsy) Portugal, DNP(c), RNC, CNM, Nurse Midwifery Track Coordinator Christine Stuart, RNC, MSN, CNM, WHNP-BC Nurse Midwifery Faculty Emily Merrill, RN, PhD, FNP-BC, FAANP, APRN Department Chair Yondell Masten, PhD, WHNP-BC, RNC-OB, Associate Dean for Outcomes Management and Evaluation The SER was reviewed by Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) School of Nursing Dean, Dr. Michael Evans, as well as Rachel Hyde, RN, MS, CNM. Student input is provided by completion of evaluation tools. Item B. The midwifery program provides opportunity to its relevant constituents for third party comment in relation to the accreditation criteria for at least two months prior to the scheduled site visit. Constituencies notified for comment prior to the on-site visit include clinic and hospital personnel, community members, Paul L. Foster School of Medicine (PLF SOM), TTUHSC, and alumni (See List of Community of Interest Constituents Invited to Submit Third Party Comments). The call for third party comments was published on the TTUHSC School of Nursing website in April, 2012 (See TTUHSC School of Nursing website showing MSN nurse midwifery call for 3 rd party comments screenshot), posted on the ACME website, and written invitations mailed to community of interest constituents. Responders were asked to provide comments directly to ACME at 8403 Colesville Rd., Suite 1550, Silver Spring, MD or as messages to jburke@acnm.org. 3

2 Item C. The midwifery program resides within or is affiliated with an institution that is currently accredited by ACME or by another agency recognized by the United States Department of Education, or it meets ACME s policy requirements for institutions based outside the United States (see Appendix B). The TTUHSC regional accreditation organization is the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and the TTUHSC School of Nursing professional accreditation organization is the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (See 2010 SACS-COC Accreditation Letter; See 2005 CCNE Accreditation Letter). The accreditation statements in the School of Nursing Catalog (p.12) are stated as follows: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor s, master s, doctoral, and professional degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia, or call for questions about accreditation of Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. The Commission should be contacted if there is evidence that appears to Support the institution s significant non-compliance with a requirement of standard. The School of Nursing Undergraduate, MSN, and DNP Program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The CCNE Office can be contacted at One DuPont Circle, NW, Suite 530, Washington, DC, or by phone at or by visiting the CCNE website at Additionally, the nurse midwifery track achieved ACME pre-accreditation in 2010 (See ACME Pre-Accreditation letter). The relationship of the MSN Nurse Midwifery track to the TTUHSC and TTUHSC School of Nursing is a traditional one. The Nurse Midwifery track is one of the MSN advanced practice nursing tracks offered by the TTUHSC School of Nursing. The School of Nursing is one of the seven schools comprising the TTUHSC, and the TTUHSC is one of three universities within the Texas Tech University (TTU) System. C.1. There is evidence of commitment to the midwifery program from key administrators in the institution and academic unit. While discussions for including a nurse midwifery track in the School of Nursing MSN curriculum have occurred over the years, the request by the Dean of the Paul L. Foster (PLF) School of Medicine in 2009 and the offer to help support the venture provided the 4

3 needed impetus to begin the process. Thus, the MSN Nurse Midwifery track within the TTUHSC School of Nursing is a partnership between PLF School of Medicine and the TTUHSC School of Nursing. PLF School of Medicine, one of the seven schools in the TTUHSC, is located in El Paso. The PLF School of Medicine Dean provides 50% protected release time for Elizabeth (Betsy) Portugal, as well as travel support, office space, and attendance of nurse midwifery (NMW) conferences (See Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between SON and PLF SOM Dean). The TTUHSC School of Nursing Dean provides administrative, technology, staff, and faculty development support, as well as Master s of Nursing core course and required nursing pre-requisite course teaching support for the NMW track. C.2. The midwifery program has sufficient fiscal resources to ensure that program objectives can be met. Nurse midwifery financial resources include Texas Legislative Appropriations based on full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment, resources dedicated to MSN tracks, as well as faculty and staff. Additionally, the TTUHSC School of Nursing provides student orientation, student affairs, SimLife Center, and Educational Support Services, and resources for providing the MSN core courses, MSN pre-requisite nursing courses, and the NMW population focus courses (See SON FY 2013 Budget). C.3. The midwifery program has input into the budget process and/or financial planning to ensure ongoing adequate program resources. The Nurse Midwifery Coordinator works closely with the APRN Department Chair for provision of nurse midwifery track, faculty, and staff support. Additionally, release time for the Nurse Midwifery Coordinator is negotiated with the PLF School of Medicine OB/GYN Department Chair and Dean (See Criterion I.C.1. Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between SON and PLF SOM Dean). C.4. The midwifery program is in an institutional environment that promotes and facilitates scholarly and professional productivity. The TTUHSC and School of Nursing support both scholarly and professional productivity. TTUHSC provides research and grant writing support through the Clinical Research Institute. The School of Nursing provides grant writing and research support through the Associate Dean for Research, a biostatistician, and achievement of faculty 5

4 promotion and tenure criteria (See Faculty Scholarly Activity: Publications and Research). Additionally, faculty role release time is provided for faculty receiving grant funding, as well as release time for APRN clinical faculty practice (See SON OP Workload Formula; See Faculty Workload Document Fall 2012). Item D. Each midwifery program is a definable entity distinguishable from other education programs and services within the institution. The MSN Nurse Midwifery track is identified as a distinguishable education track on the School of Nursing website (Link SON Prospective Student Website), in the MSN curriculum (Link MSN Curriculum Degree Plan), in the School of Nursing School Catalog (See SON School Catalog / Nurse-Midwifery Course Requirements p. 64 [p. 68 for post-msn NMW]), and in brochures (Link NMW Recruitment Brochure). For example, the MSN Nurse Midwifery track is identified in the School of Nursing Catalog in the MSN section as Nurse Midwifery, followed by the listing of Required Core Nursing Courses, Pre-Requisite Nursing Courses, and Population Focus Courses (See Criterion I.D. SON School Catalog / Nurse-Midwifery Course Requirements p. 64 [p. 68 for post-msn NMW]) D.1. The midwifery program is directed by a midwife who is clearly identified by title and position, meets institutional qualifications for appointment to that position, and is responsible to insure all elements of the ACNM Core Competencies for Basic Midwifery Practice are included in the curriculum. The faculty member who directs the NMW track is the NMW Coordinator, Elizabeth (Betsy) Portugal, DNP(c), RNC, CNM, is an actively practicing CNM who completes her Doctorate in Nursing Practice in December, Institutional requirements for graduate faculty are the earned doctorate (See SON OP Graduate Faculty Status [page 2, items and 2.2.1]). School of Nursing requirements for advanced practice faculty include the following (for tenure track and non-tenure track rank criteria for the Clinical Service focus): Clinical Service Focus Tenure Acquiring Positions 6

5 Education Preparation and Professional Experience Current license to practice in Texas, as appropriate, professional nursing licensure in Texas, including continuing education requirements for nursing faculty Minimum of three (3) years teaching experience at Assistant Professor level Maintain state recognition or national certification in area of clinical expertise, recognition as an Advanced Practice Nurse required for nursing faculty Earned Doctorate Teaching Demonstrates competency in content area, and in development, presentation, and evaluation of instruction Acts as internal mentor/consultant/innovator Successfully fulfills role of course facilitator Assumes leadership in curriculum delivery, development, and evaluation Academically-Related Public Service Serves as elected/appointed member of local/state committees or officer of professional organization Serves as a member of national professional organizations/committees Services as chair of school/institutional committees or task forces Consistently assists with faculty recruitment and mentoring new faculty members Clinical Service Maintains an income-generating clinical service with an approved position which supports the Mission of the School of Nursing as evidenced by annual productivity report Provides mentorship to nurse colleagues and/or students in clinical service role Serves as clinical service consultant in local and state agencies other than own clinical service site Participates in the utilization of research findings in clinical service Assumes leadership in developing new approaching to providing care Scholarship At least one (1) article accepted to peer-reviewed journal every two (2) years Demonstrates at least two (2) or more scholarly activities (e.g. write or edit a book; write a book chapter; media development, web-based continuing education development, innovative approaches to direct/indirect care of clients or poster presentation at local/state level within the past three (3) years 7

6 Clinical Service Focus Non-Tenure Acquiring Positions Education Preparation and Professional Experience Current license to practice in Texas, as appropriate, professional nursing licensure in Texas, including continuing education requirements for nursing faculty Minimum of three (3) years teaching experience at Assistant Professor level Maintain state recognition or national certification in area of clinical expertise, recognition as an Advanced Practice Nurse required for nursing faculty Earned Doctorate Teaching Demonstrates competency in content area, and in development, presentation, evaluation of instruction Provides structured and develops unstructured learning experiences for students related to clinical service area Acts as internal mentor/consultant/innovator Successfully fulfills role of course facilitator Assumes leadership in curriculum delivery/development/evaluation Academically-Related Public Service Serves as elected/appointed member of local/state committees or officer of professional organizations Serves as member of national professional organizations/committees Serves as chair of school/institutional committees or task forces Consistently assists with faculty recruitment and mentoring new faculty members Clinical Service Maintains an income-generating clinical service within an approved position which supports the Mission of the School of Nursing as evidenced by annual productivity report Provides mentorship to nurse colleagues and/or students in clinical service role Collaborates with team members in developing new approaches to providing care Assists in developing additional clinical service sites Scholarship At least one (1) article accepted to peer-reviewed journal every two (2) years 8

7 Demonstrates at least two (2) scholarly activities (e.g. write or edit a book, write a book chapter, media development, web-based continuing education development, innovative approaches to direct/indirect care of clients, or poster presentation at state/national level within past two (2) years Patient Care Delivery Focus Non-Tenure Acquiring Positions Education Preparation and Professional Experience Current license to practice in Texas, as appropriate, professional nursing licensure in Texas, including continuing education requirements for nursing faculty Minimum of seven (7) years experience in area of clinical expertise Minimum of three (3) years experience at Assistant Professor level or earned doctorate Maintain state recognition or national certification in area of clinical expertise, recognition as an Advanced Practice Nurse required for nursing faculty Teaching Obtains commendable ratings in incidental teaching activities from students and/or faculty peers Contributes to planning and selection of specific course content as requested Academically-related public service Serves as elected committee member or officer of local, state or national organizations Clinical Service Makes recommendations to the Faculty Research and Clinical Services Committee regularly Maintains an income generating clinical service within an approved position which supports the Mission of the School of Nursing as evidenced by annual productivity report Demonstrates expertise in area of specialty documented by commendable ratings in annual client evaluations Provides quality health care services through participation in the development of research-based protocols for clinical service Provides leadership in clinical service through initiation of continuous quality improvement activities 9

8 Scholarship with Clinical Service Purpose Initiates collaborative activities to improve delivery of health care services Makes recommendations to the Research/Clinical Services Committee regularly (See Qualification of Faculty Appointment Rank criteria for tenure and non-tenure / Clinical Services Focus [p. 1 Guidelines for Qualification of Faculty Rank Tenure Acquiring Positions, Clinical Service Focus and p. 1 of Guidelines for Qualification of Faculty Rank, Non-Tenure Acquiring Positions, Clinical Service Focus]; See Faculty Memorandum of Appointment; See Faculty Continuing Appointment Letter; See Letter of Appointment 2010; See Elizabeth (Betsy) Portugal Nurse Midwifery transcript) D.2. Policies, requirements, and public disclosure data for the midwifery program are accurately described in the institution s representations to the public about its education offerings in the following aspects (D.2.a-D.2.e): D.2.a. Current accreditation status from the Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education (ACME) (formerly the ACNM Division of Accreditation), including the address, telephone number and electronic address for ACME. The TTUHSC School of Nursing MSN NMW track began with admission of the first cohort in 2010, thus, only the ACME pre-accreditation process has been achieved. The ACME pre-accreditation status is posted on the SON Website (See ACME preaccreditation statement screenshot) and listed in the NMW Recruitment Brochure (Link NMW Recruitment Brochure). The ACME pre-accreditation statement reads, The Nurse Midwifery education program is pre-accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education (ACME) formerly the American College of Nurse Midwifery (ACNM) Division of Accreditation. This organization establishes the criteria for preaccreditation and accreditation of educational programs in Nurse Midwifery in the United States. For more information contact: Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education, 8403 Colesville Road, Suite 1550, Silver Springs, Maryland , by phone at or fax at or by visiting The exact wording of the credential on the diploma reads, Master s of Science in Nursing (See TTUHSC Diploma,-Redacted Example). 10

9 D.2.b. Certificate or degree that may be earned. On the student s official transcript, the degree narrative reads, Master s of Science in Nursing with Population Focus of Nurse Midwifery. The wording on the Post-MSN Certificate reads, Post-Master s Certification with Population Focus of Nurse Midwifery. APRN examples for the MSN diploma and Post-MSN Certificate are as follows: APRN Master s of Nursing Degree (See APRN student transcript - redacted) APRN Post-MSN Certificate (See August 2012 Post-MSN Certificate Redacted) The TTUHSC is granted the legal authority to grant the Master of Science Degree in Nursing and post-msn certificate by the Texas Legislature, as indicated by the statement, Texas Tech University School of Medicine was created by the 61 st Texas Legislature in May, 1969 as a multi-campus institution with Lubbock as the administrative center and with regional campuses at Amarillo, El Paso, and Odessa (See Criterion I.D. SON School Catalog, p. 10) and by the statements, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) has degree-granting authority for all institutions of higher education in Texas and has authorized TTUHSC to grant multiple degrees at the baccalaureate, master s, doctoral, and professional levels. The THECB requirements for degree programs are defined in Title 19 Texas Administrative Code, Part 1, Chapter 5, and the list of degrees that TTUHSC is authorized to grant is found in the THECB Program Inventory. TTUHSC only confers degrees in the State of Texas. D.2.c. Academic policies, such as admission, continuation, and graduation requirements, and possible patterns of progression through the program. The policies and procedures for admission, progression, and graduation requirements are listed in the SON School Catalog. The policies for admission are listed and the link for each policy is located on the School of Nursing Faculty and Staff website ( TTUHSC School of Nursing Full Admissions Policy, OP (See SON OP Full Admissions Policy) TTUHSC School of Nursing Offer of Admissions Policy, OP (See SON OP ) TTUHSC School of Nursing Provisional Admissions Requirements Policy, OP (See SON OP ) TTUHSC School of Nursing Graduate Progressions Policy, OP (See SON OP ) 11

10 TTUHSC School of Nursing Graduate Graduation Policy, OP (See SON OP ) D.2.d. Tuition and fees, with their relevant refund policy, and related costs, such as required texts and technology, and clinical site expenses. Evidence of publication of tuition and fees, refund policy, and related costs are published in the School of Nursing Catalog on the School of Nursing Current Student website. The narrative is included in the table of Estimated Tuition and Fees Per Semester based on nine semester credit hours as a full academic load for Texas residents and non-residents. Costs are listed for tuition, fees, books/supplies, housing/food, transportation, personal/miscellaneous, and total cost (See Criterion I.D. SON School Catalog / Table of Estimated Tuition and Fees per Semester. p. 24). The Refund Policies for Tuition and Fees are listed in the School of Nursing Catalog with the notation, Information concerning payments and refunds can be obtained from the TTUHSC Bursar s Office website at or call ext. 332 or 333. D.2.e. Transfer of credit policy. The TTUHSC School of Nursing transfer of courses from policy criteria and narrative are stated in the School of Nursing Catalog and the Transfer of Credit Policy (See SON OP Transfer of Credit Policy) as follows: The decision to award transfer credit is based on the TTUHSC Transfer Credit Guidelines and Procedures. The decision is made by the Department Chair after a thorough review of the applicant s transcript for evidence of satisfactory course work completion and review of the degree granting institution course catalog descriptions and/or course syllabi as necessary to determine course equivalency. Generally, credits earned at a regionally accredited college or university are accepted for transfer provided course content is equivalent to TTUHSC SON course content and a grade of B or higher has been earned in the course. Courses previously taken as Pass-Fail will not be transferred for credit if the course is required for a School of Nursing degree. The majority, or over 50%, of the required credits toward a TTUHSC School of Nursing graduate degree must be earned at TTUHSC as stipulated in the following narrative from the SON Catalog: 12

11 Students requesting courses to be considered for transfer credit will: Submit official transcripts for courses considered for transfer credit Submit course descriptions and course content for each course (See Criterion I.D. SON School Catalog / Nurse-Midwifery Course Requirements p. 64 [p. 68 for post-msn NMW]). 13