New Faculty Resource from NLN

Does an NLN Accreditation Matter?

Many people are unsure about what an accreditation means to a program or a school. Accreditation is a process by which educational programs are evaluated by an outside body that determines if professional standards are being met. In a nursing school or program, one of the national organizations that have an accreditation entity is the NLN or the National League for Nursing.

NLN, a membership organization for nursing faculty and leaders in education, has created the NLNAC (National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission) that is responsible for the accreditation of nursing education schools and programs. The NLNAC, as detailed in the organization’s website, is responsible for the specialized accreditation of a wide variety of nursing programs, including clinical doctorate, master’s, bachelor’s, associate, diploma, and practical programs. The NLNAC accreditation serves to provide assurance that schools and nursing programs meet or exceed certain standards and criteria.

Other benefits of the accreditation are: enables a program to improve through self-evaluation, helps a program recruit students, assures employers that graduates have competent skills, helps guide students in their job and education choices, enables transfer of education credits, and helps students be eligible for financial assistance from government sources.

How does an accreditation affect you? Students who choose to attend non-accredited programs may not be eligible for financial aid and credit may not be transferred as well when they decide to change programs or further education. Job possibilities may also be limited for students who graduated in a non-accredited program especially in working for the government.

Therefore, an NLN accreditation does matter. You want to be confident that everything you are taught meets professional standards and you want to know that the program will prepare you to enter the healthcare industry with the most current skills and knowledge in that field. Attending an NLNAC accredited program is an investment for your future.

The NLN Accreditation’s Significance

The National League for Nursing (NLN) compose a group of nursing advocates such as educators, agencies, and other member of the public, dedicated to the success of the nursing education. The NLN has another entity that is responsible for accrediting nursing schools and programs – NLN Accrediting Commission. Various nursing programs get accreditation.

Nursing schools thrive to have NLN accreditation since it assures their students that their programs meet a or exceed criteria and standards for nursing education. Aside from this, accredited schools have across the country have been known for the large percentage of graduates who pass nursing licensure exams. Thus, employers hire nursing staff from accredited schools since they know these graduates are highly competitive and acquire the necessary skills.

Although accreditation is a sign that a nursing school is in line with quality standards, they may have a chance to loose this valuable validation. That is why schools need to maintain their commitment to the nursing education success.

When considering a nursing school, it’s important to consider an accredited school. Non-accredited programs may not qualify you for financial aid. Also, when you graduate, your employment opportunities may be limited. Employers may hire a nurse from an accredited school, if they had to pick between the two of you. Also, graduates from non-accredited schools may not have a chance to work for the government.

You may wonder, where can you find nursing schools that are accredited? Searching online through the NLN’s official website may help you find a number of schools within your vicinity. Also try to search for schools with candidate status. Candidacy is the first step that leads to NLN accreditation. So when schools offer candidate programs, they’re preparing for accreditation.

Meet Butch Sampson, 62, a homeless veteran exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam; Jenny Brown, 23, and Randy Adams, 28, who both saw action in Iraq; and Eugene Shaw, 82, a former Marine who served in Korea. They signify the new faces in the NLN’s collection of unfolding cases in the latest access into the NLN’s impressive faculty resources and development, developed in collaboration with Laerdal Medical: Improving Care Excellence for Veterans (ACE/V).

“In Apr 2012, when First Lady Michele Obama and Dr. Jill Biden were two well-known profiles calling on our country’s medical service providers to better address the serious wellness care needs of American veterans, the National League for Nursing reacted quickly,” noticed NLN CEO Beverly Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN. “The Group took part in the Obama-Biden initiative, joining forces by marshaling the best educating sources and resources then available in a website for health professional teachers to access in preparing the next generation of nurses to look after this unique population of military men and women and their loved ones.

“Now, thanks to the support provided by our associates at Laerdal, the NLN has been able to nurture this important area of nursing education with an extensive new educating resources for the treatment veterans and close relatives suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic injury to the brain, and a host of related physical, mental wellness and social problems associated with combat,” Dr. Malone mentioned. Added NLN President Marsha Howell Adams, PhD, RN, CNE, ANEF and senior associate dean of educational programs at the University of Alabama Capstone College of Nursing: “Through our experience with the NLN trademark program, Advancing Care Excellence for Seniors (ACES), we learned how the power of storytelling, along with the experiential nature of simulator circumstances, makes an effective, significant experience for students that imitate many of the difficulties presented by continuity of care. That’s why we chose to model the unfolding ACE/V cases after the well known, effective ACES unfolding cases.”