Views of regulatory authorities on standards to assure quality in online nursing education

Background: With the rapid growth in online education programs in nursing, quality of education through this modality is becoming of greater importance.

Purpose: This paper aims to explore current recommendations and standards for quality in online nursing education offered by nursing regulatory, accrediting, and licensing organizations.

Method: Individual interviews were conducted with the leaders from four accrediting, licensing and certifying organizations in nursing about their perspectives on quality standards for online education.

Findings: The following themes emerged from the qualitative interviews: Theme 1- Standards are not specific to online education; Theme 2-This is not up to us - Professional organizations can offer recommendations but not responsible for regulations; and Theme 3- Each institution has responsibility to provide support and evaluate the quality of online education.

Discussion: Schools of nursing should continue to incorporate current standards for quality in online education as the methods of delivery continue to evolve in this highly technologically-oriented world.