The National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) officially extended the accreditation of MSU-Northern's baccalaureate degree nursing program for an additional eight years. The Commission also granted the associate degree nursing program continuing accreditation with the condition that they submit a focused report in two years. If the focused report is accepted by the Commission, the next evaluation for their nursing degree programs will also be scheduled for spring 2013.
This accreditation is the result of a comprehensive self-study and an on-site visit by representatives from NLNAC back in March 1-3, of this year. The NLNAC is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as the national accrediting agency for nursing education programs. The commission evaluates nursing programs and determines whether they are qualified to be accredited. Students are more attracted to accredited nursing programs because they are able to enter master's programs and transfer to other programs if they choose to do so.
The report sited several strengths to Northern's Nursing program including a well defined and developed curriculum and an organized framework that is comprehensive and evidenced throughout all the course materials.
Northern's Provost Dr. Cheri Jimeno commented that, “This is a wonderful accomplishment and a feat that took a significant amount of time and effort. I want to extend hearty congratulations to Mary Pappas and the nursing faculty and staff, to our nursing students, and to our external partners. Without their commitment and hard work this would not have been possible”.
According to the committee, the administration and nursing faculty have been very responsive to needs for change and have been able to adapt to multiple changes in a short amount of time in response to internal and external demands. The committee also commended the support of the off-site locations staff, the community, and the university staff for the nursing program.
Mary Pappas , Director of Nursing since December 2003, has been instrumental in making changes to the Northern nursing program. She is currently working on earning her Doctorate in Education. According to Pappas, “We are constantly working to improve and update the nursing program. One of the goals we are working on right now is to attain more nursing faculty who are Master's prepared.”
The purpose of the Department of Nursing is to prepare Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) and Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) graduates to function in professional registered nursing roles. The programs provide a foundation of learning, which promotes integration of clinical decision-making processes into the provision of nursing care for meeting the health/illness needs of patients. MSU-Northern students have a high pass rate on the NCLEX-RN licensure exam. This pass rate is one indication that this purpose is being fulfilled.