Salt Lake City - The University of Utah College of Nursing has received a 10-year accreditation of its baccalaureate (BS) and master’s degree (MS) programs and a 5-year accreditation of its Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Acknowledged as the nation’s top nursing school review body, CCNE awarded the respective College of Nursing programs the highest level of accreditation possible.
“Excellence, innovation and integrity are core values of the College of Nursing; the accreditation of our BS, MS and DNP programs is a reflection of the outstanding achievements of our faculty in these areas,” said Maureen R. Keefe, R.N., Ph.D., F.A.A.N., dean, professor and Louis H. Peery Presidential Endowed Chair. “Accreditation of these programs will allow us to continue to attract top students and prepare them to become the next generation of leaders in health care.”
The CCNE has four standards on which nursing programs are judged for accreditation. These include: mission and governance, institutional commitment, curriculum and teaching-learning practices and aggregate student and faculty outcomes. CCNE's board determined that the College of Nursing’s BS, MS and DNP programs met all accreditation standards and that there were no compliance concerns, based on a site visit conducted in March 2011 by five on-site evaluators and a written self-study submitted by the College of Nursing.
The College of Nursing received its first CCNE program accreditation in 1955 with its baccalaureate program. The 2011 site visit was a major milestone for the College as it included the initial review of the new DNP degree, which was established in 2007.
CCNE is an autonomous accrediting agency officially recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education as a national accreditation agency ensuring the quality and integrity of baccalaureate, graduate and residency programs in nursing. The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education may be contacted at this address: One DuPont Circle, NW, Suite 530, Washington DC 20036-1120; 202-887-6791; http://www.aacn.nche.edu/.