The Dickinson State University Department of Nursing learned in April that the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) has granted continuing accreditation to the Associate in Applied Science in Practical Nursing (AASPN) program. Thus, both the AASPN and the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) programs at Dickinson State University (DSU) remain fully accredited by ACEN.
Every few years, various boards and commissions re-evaluate the nursing programs to ensure that they are continuing to offer DSU students an excellent education. In addition to maintaining the ACEN accreditation, the nursing department also continues to meet the University’s, the Higher Learning Commission’s and the North Dakota Board of Nursing’s educational requirements for their programs.
“Because national accreditation is voluntary and a very rigorous process, it speaks to the hard work and dedication of the faculty to provide high quality nursing education programs that meet the six standards and 49 criteria established by ACEN to achieve continuing accreditation,” said Dr. Mary Anne Marsh, recently retired nursing professor and chair of the nursing department. “It is a continuous process with semester-by-semester evaluation and annual end-of-program outcome assessments for each of the [nursing] programs offered at Dickinson State, not to mention the additional annual reports that are due to ACEN for each program. It is an exhaustive process. In addition, we do much of the same to maintain ongoing approval of each program by the ND Board of Nursing, which is also required of every program in the state and is scrutinized every five years.”
Since the ACEN accreditation is voluntary, why does the DSU nursing faculty work so hard to maintain it? It greatly improves the level of education DSU nursing students receive. According to ACEN’s website (www.acenursing.org), some of the benefits of national accreditation are that it:
- Heightens faculty members’ and administrators’ awareness and responsiveness to areas needing improvement.
- Provides useful information for career and education decision making.
- Enables student eligibility for funding support from federal and state agencies, and foundations.
- Is required by many nursing programs for admission to the graduate level.
- Assists employers seeking graduates who are competent practitioners.
- Offers professional development opportunity and validation for faculty.
By being nationally accredited by ACEN, DSU’s nursing programs are able to offer students as many advantages as possible.
In addition to its being nationally accredited, the nursing programs prepare students to be successful after graduation. What they learn and experience as students makes DSU’s nursing graduates highly sought after by employers. One reason is that the AASPN program enables graduates to simultaneously complete intravenous (IV) therapy certification (which is not available in shorter certificate practical nurse programs). Having IV certification is a distinct advantage to our graduates. Another reason is their experience in working environments. The majority of students who continue their education by taking the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Completion Program also choose to work as a licensed practical nurse (LPN) simultaneously. When they graduate with the BSN degree, they have two or more years of nursing experience already. This characteristic makes the DSU BSN graduates even more-highly sought after by employers, as they have previous nursing experience as well as a BSN degree. These graduates are prepared to care for both stable and unstable patients, lead and manage, are experts in community health and participate in research.
Dickinson State is very proud of its exemplary nursing department, offering fully accredited AASPN and BSN programs. To learn more about these programs, visit www.dickinsonstate.edu/nursing.
By: Salena Loveland
