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AAQEP Accreditation 2022

Standard 4 Aspect D

4d. Investigates available evidence and trustworthy evidence regarding completer placement, effectiveness, and retention in the professions and uses that information to improve programs.


School Nurses obtain a preliminary credential in order to work in the school setting and while working on site have 5 years to complete an accredited SNSC program.  In order to obtain a professional clear credential in school nursing services from the CCTC, candidates must complete the approved curriculum as recognized by the CCTC.  There is no exam requirement for credentialing. 

Licensing
School Nurse Candidates are licensed registered nurses prior to admission to the School Nurse Services Credential Program and do not have a final licensing exam at program end.  Individualized School Nurse National certification is optional but not widely recognized in California.

Place of employment 
We do not collect information on individual school nurse competency from their place of employment.  School nurse completers have been employed in their districts for 2 to 5 years at SNSC program entry and separating  knowledge learned from work experience vs credential coursework would be difficult.  End of the program data from the Employer/Supervisor survey states candidates are able to incorporate their learning experience into the school nurse role to improve effectiveness.

Employer/Supervisor and School Nurse Advisory Feedback
The Employer/Supervisor Survey response is used to confirm program effectiveness from the employers’ standpoint and narrative is used to assess curriculum areas.  In the School Nurse Advisory meetings, which consists of local School Nurse administrators who work with local completers, discussion is presented on SNSC challenges, potential program changes, ideas for innovation and input as to curriculum and practicum areas is gathered and used for program updates.  Many employers do not understand the school nurse role and are unable to effectively evaluate the effectiveness of the program and more education as to the professional school nurse role is needed.  

In the future, it was decided to simplify the Employer/Supervisor survey and move it online.  As school nurse candidates have already been employees in their districts/school sites for 2 years or more and are not new hires, we decided in the future to send the survey out to post candidate supervisors 6 months after the program ends (January) of each year.  As school administration moves frequently between schools the goal would be to capture the data while the supervisor/school nurse relationship is still intact.

Program Improvement Data Resources

Data Source 1 

Data Source: Employer/Supervisor Survey of Program Effectiveness

Type of Data: Survey given to employers six months to one year after program completion

How use data to inform program practices:
The Employer/Supervisor Survey response is used to confirm program effectiveness from the employers’ standpoint and narrative is used to assess curriculum areas.

Data Source 2

Data Source: California Commission on Teacher Credentialing Data

Type of Data: Survey response of completers 1 year after program completion

How use data to inform program practices: 
The CCTC (California Commission on Teacher Credentialing) Survey of program completers is used to confirm program effectiveness from the candidate standpoint and narrative is used to assess curriculum areas.

Data Source 3:  A SNSC Completer Program Effectiveness Survey (to be developed)

Data Source:  Completer End of Program Survey

Type of Data: Online

How to use data to inform program practices: To give completers a voice on program effectiveness and potential changes.

Summary of Findings 4d
The SNSC program supports completer entry and/or continuation into their professional roles, as appropriate to the credential or degree earned as evidenced by the Program Improvement data resources gathered from the California Commission on Teacher Effectiveness, Candidate Employers/Supervisors, and the School Nurse Advisory feedback.  A Completer Program Effectiveness End of Program Survey will be developed in the future to capture Candidate data.

Aspect E →