The Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN to BSN) program at Mary Baldwin University’s Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences has received full initial accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, or CCNE. Accreditation by CCNE is validation of the quality and integrity of the baccalaureate nursing education program and comes after a rigorous self-examination process.
“I am so pleased to announce that we received our official letter of accreditation,” said Drew Ellen Gogian, director of the RN to BSN program at Murphy Deming. “Although the effective date of CCNE accreditation is retroactive to the first day of the program’s on-site evaluation on October 24, 2016, it is exciting to be able to confirm this status for our inaugural class, who just recently celebrated their graduation.” Mary Baldwin’s 175th Commencement exercises were held on May 21 at MBU’s main, historic campus in Staunton.
Gogian also praised the faculty, staff, university leadership, and community partners that helped the program reach the accreditation milestone, a process that began in March 2015, prior to launching the program in August of that same year. Although a voluntary status, CCNE accreditation demonstrates that the MBU RN to BSN program meets nationally endorsed competency standards set by the profession. This achievement is significant for graduates who may want to continue to pursue advanced education and can also make them more competitive in the job market as it denotes adequate preparation for the next level of professional nursing practice to employers.