course accreditation, course providers

Accreditation of Courses

The NNA recognises the importance of continuing workplace-based nursing education. In line with its mission, the NNA provides nurses and healthcare providers access to a suite of professional development programmes and courses by listing them at the NNA website.

At the same time, NNA has developed Standards for Workplace-Based Nursing Education for the purpose of accrediting courses delivered by Healthcare Institutions (HCIs). Once accredited, these courses are deem to be of quality, integrity, and meet the healthcare needs of our populations. These standards are adapted from the Singapore Nursing Board's (SNB) Standards for Nursing Education (2019).

Institutions whose programmes or courses:
a) meet NNA standards;
b) align with NNA accreditation guidelines/curriculum; and
c) achieve the outcomes mapped to the established competency framework(s)

may apply to NNA for accreditation. Accredited programmes and courses will be recognised nationally across healthcare institutions in Singapore.

Accreditation Process and Approval Timeline

Course providers who wish to offer NNA-accredited workplace-based nursing courses and programmes may apply and submit course curriculum and required supporting documents for NNA's review. A summary of the accreditation process is shown below.

There are five steps in the accreditation process.

Step 1: Submission of course materials and supporting documents by training providers.

Step 2: Screening of documents by NNA Secretariat for any missing information or documents.

Step 3: Evaluation of the course submissions by NNA's Evaluators and Evaluation Panel.

Step 4: NNA Secretariat will prepare the relevant information and materials related to the application outcome for training providers following course evaluation.

Step 5: Training providers will be notified of the outcome of the review.

The whole accreditation process will take minimally 9 weeks or longer depending on whether any further clarifications are needed.

For programmes with a core curriculum, they may undergo an accelerated pathway for NNA accreditation.

There are five steps in the accelerated accreditation process.

Step 1: Submission of course materials and supporting documents by training providers.

Step 2: Screening of documents by NNA Secretariat for any missing information or documents. NNA Secretariat will also check that all minimum standards of the core curriculum have been met.

Step 3: Evaluation of the course submissions by the developers of the core curriculum (from MOH and SNB).

Step 4: NNA Secretariat will seek NNA Evaluation Panel’s endorsement.

Step 5: Training providers will be notified of the outcome of the review.

The whole accelerated accreditation process will take minimally 6 weeks or longer depending on whether any further clarifications are needed.

The list of courses/programmes with a core curriculum include:

The list of courses with core curricula are non-exhaustive. NNA will review and develop core curriculum for courses where relevant.

Documents to be submitted

The application comprises the following documents:

Submission Deadline

Applications for course accreditation can be submitted within the first week of every quarter (e.g. 1-7 January, April, July, October). An additional day will be added for months with public holidays within the first week. Applications received by this deadline will be reviewed in the same quarter. Submissions received after the deadline will be reviewed in the next cycle.

For new courses developed by training providers, the application for course accreditation must be received by the NNA secretariat at least four months prior to the programme commencement date.

Validity of Accreditation Status

When accreditation is awarded by the NNA, the accreditation status is effective on the date of the award. The validity of accreditation is as follows:

Initial or First Accreditation : three-year period
Subsequent Accreditation : five-year period

Application for re-accreditation should be made four months before the end of the existing validity period.

You may download a copy of the Accreditation Guidelines for Workplace-based Nursing Education here.

After Accreditation

Training providers are required to submit an annual report to NNA to ensure the accredited courses continue to be of high quality and are aligned with NNA's standards.

Training providers should also notify NNA of any significant changes to the accredited courses via the submission of a special report. NNA will review if the changes made will impact the accreditation status of the course.

You may download a copy of the report templates here.