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WISCONSIN RAPIDS –During a recent site visit to evaluate Mid-State Technical College’s (MSTC) Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) program for re-accreditation, the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) evaluators said the college has a very strong nursing program. Dr. Mary Moss, Associate Dean for the nursing program, said the purpose of the site visit was to evaluate the college's nursing program against national standards and criteria. The program was scheduled for re-accreditation this year. “The three site visitors included a nursing faculty member from Massachusetts, a Nursing Dean from Texas and a representative from a healthcare agency in Michigan,” said Dr. Moss. The evaluators spent three days at MSTC meeting with faculty, staff and students in classes and onsite at clinicals. They also met with clinical personnel and community members.
According to Dr. Moss, the evaluators focused on several key indicators including the role that the nursing program plays within the college and the community; nursing faculty qualifications and expertise; types of support services in place to enhance student success in the nursing program; student success as it relates to passing the state nursing board exam and securing jobs as RNs; the quality of the curriculum and the plans in place for evaluating the program and methods for improvement.
MSTC’s nursing faculty and students have worked diligently to prepare for the visit. Sue Akey and Kathy Lee provided the faculty leadership in preparing for the scheduled re-accreditation review. “The site visit is very important because it officially recognizes the high standards that the nursing program meets or exceeds. Through the accreditation process, it is rewarding to have peers in nursing education endorse the high standards we establish for our nursing program,” said Dr. Moss.
The site visitors identified several strengths of the nursing programs. “One area was the pervasive support within the college from administration, general education and student support services. The evaluators highlighted the work being done to support students by program counselors who work
closely with nursing faculty to help students succeed in a very rigorous program,” said Dr. Moss. She added that the evaluators also identified the dedication and commitment of the nursing faculty as a program strength. “These recognized attributes are all areas where MSTC’s nursing program exceeded the national standards.”
“This is the best accreditation review the ADN program has had. It is a great compliment to the exceptional abilities and dedication of our faculty,” said Dr. Moss. Dr. Sue Budjac, Vice President of Academic Affairs, concurred and said the evaluators’ report demonstrated an outstanding nursing program for which students and community members can be very proud. “In my twenty plus years of employment with the Wisconsin Technical College System, I have participated in a large number of accreditation visits and have never heard an external health accreditation team give so many glowing commendations to a program. The absence of recommended improvements also speaks volumes.”
Service & Health Division Dean, Eldean Walling, was pleased with the commission’s report. “We have always known our nursing program is of the highest quality. The collective efforts of the faculty, staff and students have been rewarded with this highly favorable report.” Walling offered recognition and appreciation for the community’s support. “Representatives from many area hospitals and nursing homes participated in the accreditation process. We wish to thank our friends in the community for their encouragement and understanding through this evaluation process. We are particularly grateful for the continued support of the professional guidance provided by Dr. Jack Schaller, Dr. John Thompson, Dr. Bob Johnson and Dr. Michael Mehr.”
Mid-State Technical College started the nursing program in 1991 with the program’s first graduates in May 1993. The nursing program was initially accredited in 1993 and had a subsequent visit in 1998. The October 2006 scheduled visit was planned to maintain accreditation.
NLNAC is a nationally recognized, specialized accrediting agency for all types of nursing programs and responsible for the specialized accreditation of nursing education programs including Associate, Baccalaureate and Master’s Degrees.
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