“The hundreds of nursing graduates from Missouri Western that provide outstanding care to patients throughout the region, and indeed throughout the country, are the best evidence of the quality of our program, but this accreditation provides an objective measure to assure students and employers that nurses who graduate from Missouri Western are prepared for the challenges of today’s health care environment,” said Dr. Kathleen O’Connor, dean of the College of Professional Studies and former chair of the Department of Nursing and Allied Health.
The accreditation process is a thorough review of the nursing program based on four standards: mission and governance; institutional commitment and resources; curriculum and teaching-learning practices; and aggregate student and faculty outcomes. The nursing department began the process with a self-evaluation in 2011. CCNE then sent an accreditation team for an on-site evaluation in March 2013. The exit survey conducted by the accreditation team revealed that all four standards had been met and there were no deficiencies noted. The team forwarded its report to the CCNE’s Board of Commissioners, which acted to grant accreditation in November 2013.
“I think the length of the accreditation and re-accreditation says a lot about the confidence the accrediting team had in our program and the quality of our graduates.” said Dr. Stephanie Corder, chair of the Department of Nursing and Allied Health.
Nursing education at Missouri Western dates back to 1971, when a two-year associate degree program began accepting 15 students per year. The four-year program has been nationally accredited since it began in 1986, when it accepted 20 students per year. The BSN program currently enrolls 100 students per year. It is the only BSN program leading to RN licensure in northwest Missouri, and provides a blend of coursework and practical experience under the leadership of experienced faculty and healthcare professionals.
Missouri Western has also partnered with Metropolitan Community College-Penn Valley in Kansas City, Mo., to offer an RN to BSN program for registered nurses who want to complete their bachelor’s degree.