Bruin Brief 2021-08-27: BRN delay

Why is the BRN Brief changing its name to the Bruin Brief?

We started the BRN Brief to help us all prepare for the California Board of Registered Nursing report and site visit scheduled for November 2021.  That report and site visit typically happens every five years and authorizes UCLA SON prelicensure and MSN-APRN academic programs. But the timing of the BRN report and visit is changing. In a recent video conference with the BRN leadership we learned that the visit will not take place this year, and is delayed for an indefinite period of time.  We may need to supply an interim report of some kind, and we are awaiting further details.

Rather than use our weekly newsletter to prepare for the BRN visit, we’re retitling the newsletter. Same format.  Same purpose. The SON Bruin Brief from Academic Affairs will distribute bits of news about academic programs, quality outcomes, and continuous improvement opportunities within the education mission of the school. Why did the BRN decide not to visit us?

There is one good reason why the BRN is changing the schedule: We were recently reaccredited by CCNE. Accreditation by CCNE assures that UCLA SON programs meet national standards for quality and effectiveness.  In a similar vein, the BRN is mandated by state regulation to assure citizens of the state that quality nursing programs produce safe nurses. There’s some overlap between accreditation and BRN review.

It is asking a lot of faculty and administrators in schools of nursing throughout the state to prepare for both accreditation and BRN approval.  The California Association of Colleges of Nursing wrote a letter asking for a more simplified BRN review to reduce duplicative effort. Similarly, the University of California Deans of the Schools of Nursing and Chief Nursing Officers at the five UC Academic Health Centers also asked for changes in BRN processes and reviews. It’s wonderful to see the BRN responding to these concerns, and updating regulatory processes and modernizing the review.

Can we sit back and relax now that the BRN review is delayed?

No. We are just starting to systematize the ever-ready processes in academic programs and student services. We will use data and information about our educational programs, curricula, faculty, students, and graduates. We will build knowledge about our strengths and weaknesses. And then we will use wisdom to improve in a continuous cycle. That’s how we’ll be ever-ready for review by the BRN, CCNE, the Academic Senate, or any of our other stakeholders.

Thank you to all the staff, lecturers, faculty, and students who contribute to the work of ongoing assessment and evaluation. We are well on our way to a sustainable and ongoing process.