External examiners: Quality assurance in nursing education

External examining is a system of quality assurance in nursing education th at is quite foreign to most American nurses. The concept of an external exa miner-a visiting assessor of high academic standing and possessed of integr ity and objectivity-supports a notion of the universality of educational st andards and justice for the individual student. Potential external examiner s are appointed primarily through informal social and professional networks within educational institutions of the host country. Criteria for appointm ent, roles and functions of an examiner, and the four stages of the externa l examination process are discussed. Suggestions to facilitate each stage a s well as implications for potential American external examiners are includ ed. The manuscript concludes with insights from two American nurse educator s about their experience as external examiners.