Performance improvement in higher education: adapting a model from health care agencies.

Because a nationwide nursing shortage continues to affect consumers of nursing education, it is currently more important than ever for nurse educators to continue to define and evaluate the quality of their programs. The authors propose that a model used by an industry leader in health care accreditation, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, can be adapted to evaluate the quality of nursing programs. This model is improvement oriented and data driven, targeting program functions and processes, rather than being problem focused.