Nursing Excels at Northern
By Amber Gilge
Summer 2005

		Montana State University Northern's Department of Nursing continues to excel! On March 1 3rd, 2005 the National League for Nursing Accreditation Commission (NLNAC) visited the MSU-Northern campus. This commission is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as the national accrediting agency for nursing education programs. The commission evaluates nursing programs and determines whether they are qualified to be accredited. Successful accreditation is for eight years. Students are more attracted to accredited nursing programs because they are able to enter master's programs and transfer to other programs if they choose to do so. Although the final verdict of the NLNAC will not be announced until June, the members of the committee who visited Northern's campus had many positive things to say about the program.
Nursing Graduates Roberta Malek and Margaret Lidstrom light their candles before saying the nursing oath during this years nurses pinning ceremony. This celebration is one of the highlights of the year for our nursing students and professors. Northern is proud to have the highest pass rate in the state for the past two years.

According to the committee, the administration and nursing faculty have been very responsive to needs for change and have been able to adapt to multiple changes in a short amount of time in response to internal and external demands. Well developed curriculum, along with well staffed facilities, provides a range of high quality learning experiences for students. The committee also commended the support of the off site locations staff, the. community, and the university staff for the nursing program.

Mary Pappas, Director of Nursing since December 2003, has been instrumental in making changes to the Northern nursing program. She is currently working on earning her Doctorate in Education. According to Pappas, "We are constantly working to improve and update the nursing program. One of the goals we are working on right now is to attain more nursing faculty who are Masters prepared."

The purpose of the Department of Nursing is to prepare Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) and Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) graduates to function in professional registered nursing roles. The programs provide a foundation of learning, which promotes integration of clinical decision making processes into the provision of nursing care for meeting the health/illness needs of patients. MSU-Northern is pleased to announce that the high passing rate of students from Northern's nursing program indicates that this purpose is being fulfilled. For students graduating in May 2004, the Havre, Great Falls, and Lewistown sites all report a very impressive 100% pass rate on the National Council Licensure Exam for Registered Nurses (NCLEX RN).
 

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