Approval of Nursing Education Programs

Why do U.S. nursing regulatory bodies approve nursing programs?

Licensure in nursing is a two-pronged system. In order for nursing graduates to be eligible to take the NCLEX, the U.S. nursing regulatory model dictates that the new nurse must show evidence of graduating from a nursing regulatory body that is an approved nursing program. By making students eligible to take the NCLEX, nursing faculty verify that nursing students are clinically competent to safely practice nursing. Therefore, nurse educators have enormous power in the licensure model in the U.S. nursing regulatory bodies rely on each other to make sound program approval decisions so that mobility across jurisdictions can be as seamless as possible.

Requirements of National Nursing Accreditation for Prelicensure Programs

This map depicts which nursing regulatory bodies (NRBs) currently require national nursing accreditation by rule or statute.