Royal College of Nursing Representing nurses and nursing, promoting excellence in practice, shaping health policies

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Advanced Practice Programmes

The mark of quality and professionalism within the nursing sector

RCN Accreditation of MSc Advanced Practice Programmes

  • The only nationally recognised quality marker for Advanced Nurse Practitioner Programmes in the UK and provides a uniformity of standard and quality. 

  • Accredited programmes are assessed against the combined RCN Advanced Nurse Practitioner Accreditation and Quality Assurance Standards for programme providers, ensuring that programmes are publicly recognised as being of a high standard.  

Why should learners always look for an RCN accredited Advanced Practice Programme?

  • Nurses who graduate from RCN accredited MSc Advanced Practice Programmes, automatically gain the RCN Credential in Advanced Level Nursing Practice, at no cost for the first three-year cycle. Find out more here

  • The RCN Accreditation quality mark provides evidence of relevant and quality CPD provision.


Why should Higher Education Institutions accredit their Advanced Practice Programmes?

  • Successful accreditation demonstrates that programmes are up to date, of the highest quality and are effective in educating nurses to an Advanced Practice level. 
  • Employers in both the public and independent sectors have long recognised the quality of graduates from RCN accredited programmes, recognising their commitment to best practice.

Benefits of RCN Accreditation

  • Demonstrable evidence of adherence to RCNs quality standard, designed to promote best practice and leading to improved patient care
  • Invaluable market differentiation and competitive advantage in a crowded market 
  • Leverage the RCN brand’s reputation for excellence amongst advanced nurse practitioners, as well as their employers, who often sponsor attendance on programmes
  • Receipt of valuable, specialist feedback from the external peer review process, as well as support in the development and monitoring of programmes
  • Opportunity for benchmarking against current policy standards and workforce priorities for advanced nursing practice
  • Can be undertaken alongside an existing programme’s validation cycle, keeping administration/resources to a minimum
  • Unique marketing opportunity offered by the automatic award of the RCN Credential in Advanced Level Nursing Practice to successful MSc graduates

Successfully accredited programmes are promoted to RCN members through:

  • Listings on the RCN Accreditation and RCN Credentialing website pages
  • Use of RCN Logo and accreditation statement in providers’ marketing materials
  • Annual email promotion to RCN Advanced Nurse Practitioner members
  • RCN Regional Newsletters to members, on successful accreditation
  • Offer of discounted rates on banner advertisements.

Find out more about Accreditation


Applying for accreditation

Page last updated - 03/08/2019