Dean Bobbie Berkowitz appointed to Institute of Medicine committee on credentialing

New York -- Bobbie Berkowitz, PhD, RN, FAAN, dean and Mary O’Neil Mundinger Professor of the Columbia University School of Nursing, has been appointed to the Institute of Medicine committee on credentialing research in nursing. The Institute of Medicine, an independent, nonprofit organization that provides health-related advice to policymakers and the public, is the health arm of the National Academy of Sciences. The standing (permanent) committee will have 13 members and examine issues related to credentialing of nurses and nursing organizations, such as individual licensure, institutional and program accreditation, education, and certification (e.g., ambulatory care nursing, cardiac vascular nursing, and more than 20 other certification programs in nursing specialties recognized by professional nursing organizations). Topics that may be addressed by the standing committee include:

• the affect of individual and organizational credentialing on improving health care
• quality and results
• priorities for nursing- credentialing research
• research approaches to nursing credentialing
• long-range planning for the future of nursing credentialing

“I am honored to have been chosen to serve on this important committee,” says Berkowitz who is a member of the Institute of Medicine. “Nurses will see our role change and expand as health care evolves. Credentialing is crucial to ensuring that we continue to deliver top-flight care even as we take on new responsibilities and address the changing dynamics of the larger environment that affect how care is delivered.” The standing committee will provide a public venue for communication on nursing credentialing among health care professional organizations, health systems and hospitals, government agencies, academic researchers, and the private sector.