MEDIA ADVISORY – On Tuesday (Aug. 6), the College of Western Idaho (CWI) Nursing program announced it has been approved for initial accreditation with the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN), formerly the National League for Nursing Accreditation (NLNAC). The ACEN Board of Commissioners recommended initial accreditation for the program following a site review completed in late January.
“This national accreditation signifies the quality of CWI’s nursing program. Students’ graduating from the program and successfully passing NCLEX exam will be able to transfer on to bachelor and graduate nursing programs and receive preferential employability with healthcare organizations,” said Cathleen Currie, CWI Assistant Dean for Health and Human Services. “Garnering accreditation for our nursing programs involves virtually every area of our college from our One Stop Student Services team who help students through the enrollment process, to the faculty in our academic areas building the foundational skills, to the nursing instructors who provide exceptional hands-on learning opportunities for our students to succeed.”
Until now, the CWI Nursing program was considered a candidate for national accreditation. Approval of initial accreditation was awarded following a rigorous review process of CWI’s self-study report, the College catalog, curriculum review, a site visitor’s report, a recommendation by the Program Evaluators and Evaluation Review Panel. The new designation provides the program a five-year period to further develop areas of emphasis as identified by the Board of Commissioners, with an evaluation visit scheduled for spring 2018. The ACEN is responsible for the specialized accreditation of a wide variety of nursing education programs, including clinical doctorate, master’s, bachelor’s, associate, diploma, and practical programs.
“Our nursing program has been producing exceptional students with highly desirable skills,” notes CWI President Bert Glandon. “We are thrilled to have received confirmation from the ACEN for initial accreditation status and look forward to continuing to serve our community with affordable, quality educational offerings that support a strong workforce in the healthcare sector.”
For more information on the CWI Nursing program, visit cwi.edu/academics/nursing.
Contact:
Jennifer Couch
(208) 562-3508
jennifercouch@cwi.edu
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The College of Western Idaho is a public, open-access, and comprehensive community college committed to providing affordable access to quality teaching and learning opportunities to the residents of its service area in western Idaho. CWI has seven campus locations throughout Southwest Idaho providing higher education and 21st Century technical skills acquisition. The college is dedicated to improving the community’s economic well-being by responding with highly-educated and productive graduates. The foundation for the area’s only community college was created by a supermajority of voters in Ada and Canyon counties on May 22, 2007. For more information about the college, visit cwi.edu or call (208) 562-3000.
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