Revisiting the Impact of Accreditation on Transition to Practice Programs: Findings From a Replication Analysis.

Abstract

Accreditation of transition to practice (TTP) programs is on the rise across the United States; however, few studies have investigated the effect of program recognition on health care organizations. Even less is known about the organizational value of residency/fellowship program accreditation and which measures support the long-term sustainability of these programs. The goal of this retrospective content analysis is to revisit the effect of accreditation by replicating a previous analysis of TTP programs. An administrative survey was distributed in 2019 to TTP programs recognized by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Practice Transition Accreditation Program® (PTAP). Directed content analysis methods were used to compare thematic results on the perceived effect of accreditation with those in the original analysis. A coding matrix was used to categorize responses into broad concept categories with subthemes. All themes from the original publication were replicated in the current analysis; additionally, new categories and subthemes emerged. Implications from this analysis may be used by nursing leaders, educators, and policymakers to increase TTP funding and recognition, engage stakeholders in organizational improvement, and expand residency/fellowship science through professional dissemination. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2021;52(11):525-533.].