Northern nursing programs again earn national accreditation

From Montana State University-Northern

Montana State University-Northern’s College of Health Sciences announced that its Associate of Science in Nursing and Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs have received continuing accreditation from the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, or ACEN, for eight more years, with the next site visit in spring 2029.

“The impact our nursing program has had on rural Montana is truly significant,” Chancellor Greg Kegel said. “Many of our students come from small towns around the state. They are looking forward to becoming a nurse and returning to their home communities. National accreditation means our students can fulfill their dreams and know they are receiving a high quality education with an affordable tuition.”

“We expect our nursing students to receive an outstanding education, become the best nurse possible and continue with life-long learning through additional educational pathways of nursing knowledge and skills,” Provost and Vice Chancellor R. Neil Moisey said. “We know that being a graduate of MSU-Northern nursing program will provide our students with fantastic career opportunities for employment. Our continued national accreditation through 2029 helps us accomplish these expectations.”

Interim Dean of College of Health Sciences Jaime Duke praised the people in the program for the continued accreditation.

“The College of Health Sciences is excited that our nursing programs have received continued accreditation for the nursing programs and would like to thank everyone involved for their dedication and hard work on this accomplishment,” Duke said.

Nursing education has been an established part of Northern’s history and program offerings since the mid-1960s.  The ASN and RN-BSN programs have been accredited by ACEN, formally NLNAC, since 1991.  

ACEN’s announcement of this full accreditation is a reflection of its review and evaluation of Northern’s nursing educational practices and the commitment of its faculty.  The ACEN accreditation program is founded on the belief that specialized accreditation contributes to the centrality of nursing for the public good and provides for the maintenance and enhancement of educational quality through continuous self-assessment, planning, and improvement. Accreditation indicates to the general public and to the educational community that a nursing program has clear and appropriate educational objectives and is working to achieve these objectives.

This is a huge accomplishment for the nursing faculty, staff and administration.

“Participating in the ACEN accreditation process gives a program the opportunity to validate that it is committed to providing a quality nursing program and through the review of the program by peers — the extent to which the program meets expected standards of educational quality specific to nursing education,” the ACEN website says in a 2020 post. “ACEN accreditation requires that a nursing program continually assesses and make improvements in the educational quality of the nursing program based on data. This is done by evaluating specific Standards and Criteria, which include mission, faculty, students, curriculum, resources, and outcomes.”

Northern’s Department of Nursing remains steadfast in improving the ASN and RN-BSN programs, so that they may endure as a well-developed educational option for years to come, helping Northern continue to offer an “Education that Works.”