WVC Nursing Program receives national accreditation

The Wenatchee Valley College Nursing Program has been granted full continuing accreditation by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC), a nationally recognized accrediting agency for both post secondary and higher degree programs in nursing education.

The WVC Nursing Program also has in-state accreditation through the Northwest Commission of Colleges and Universities; the NLNAC accreditation is a specialty certification. According to Jenny Capelo, WVC Dean of Allied Health, most universities and four-year schools require that students seeking a bachelor's or master's degree come from a nationally accredited program. WVC's specialized accreditation gives students more higher education options.

The NLNAC focuses on six standards during the accreditation process: the program mission and administration; faculty; students; curriculum; resources, including all training resources that students have access to, such as computers, print material, and equipment; and a systematic evaluation plan, which includes gathering data and evaluating all components of the program. The NLNAC conducted a site visit and evaluation of the nursing program in 2010 with a follow-up visit in October 2012 that focused primarily on the program's revised curriculum.

Prior to the October visit, the WVC Nursing Program hired Donna Ignatavicius, author and nationally known nursing education expert, as a consultant for a redesign of the nursing program curriculum. The revision included re-establishment of the program's mission statement and core themes, restructured classes, a change in the number of required credits, and revised student learning objectives. The nursing program now gathers data through a variety of surveys from students, employers, faculty and advisors to guide future program revisions. Capelo said the program revisions have resulted in a more streamlined approach with less redundancy and more relevance to nursing practices.

The NLNAC will return for a site visit in eight years, the maximum amount of time allowed for an accredited program.