Prácticas efectivas para la acreditación profesional en los programas de enfermería y trabajo social de la Universidad de Puerto Rico en Humacao

Abstract

This qualitative research was performed with a deep multiple case study design to inquire the best practices of the faculty of Nursing and Social Work Programs at the University of Puerto Rico at Humacao. Those practices have become effective in sustaining the professional accreditation for more than twenty years. Also, to determine if their organizational culture of evaluation is according to the collaborative leadership principles. The studied phenomenon was the organizational culture of evaluation of professional or programmatic accreditation, and the study were focused on: higher education institutions, professional accreditation, faculty leadership and collaborative leadership. The research questions were: Which are the best practices related to the regulatory and procedural aspects, the characteristics of programs, academic and administrative faculty styles that are contributing to the sustained professional accreditation?; Which are the characteristics of the organizational culture of evaluation of programs that contribute to sustained professional accreditation and the influence of the collaborative leadership of its faculty?; and, What are the best practices of the academic programs under study that results effective to achieve and maintain the professional accreditation?. Data were collected through focus group, semistructured interview, document review and field notes techniques. The study had two focus groups, one per program, and eight semistructured interview with academic and administrative leaders. Twenty professors with experience in professional accreditation participated in this study. The data were organized according to the research questions, were analyzed with the method of “Miles and Huberman”, and a cross-case analysis was done. It was found that the most effective practices instituted in both Programs were the leadership of the department director and faculty, teamwork, the program’s culture of assessment, comprehensive planning for reaccreditation, continuous faculty development, a system to collect evidence, and continuous communication between professors and leaders. It was concluded that the most effective strategies to keep the accreditation in both Programs were professor leadership and their teamwork. Participants recommend to others higher education institutions the same practices that have been proven effective to them, in addition, the commitment of the professor and institutional support. Both Programs have a culture of external evaluation of professional accreditation.