Question: Are the nursing programs at South Central College (SCC) programs approved?
Answer: Yes! Both the Practical Nursing and Associate of Science in Nursing programs at SCC are approved by Minnesota State and through the Minnesota Board of Nursing (MBON). The state boards set and regulate standards as well as provideapproval of nursing program curriculum designed to train nursing students. The nursing programs at SCC will prepare the nursing student with the knowledge, skills, and values of an entry-level practice. The goal of both boards is for nursing students to be eligible to sit for the National Council of Licensure Examination (NCLEX) examination upon completion of their nursing education. As one of the two-year colleges in Minnesota State, SCC has been accredited by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the North Central Association of Colleges and School since 2010.
Question: Are SCC’s nursing programs currently nationally nursing accredited?
Answer: No, the nursing programs are not yet accredited by either the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or by the NLN Commission for Nursing Accreditation (CNEA).
Question: What is the current status of SCC's nursing accreditation process?
Answer: SCC is proud to announce both nursing programs are in CANDIDACY! The Associate of Science Nursing Degree and Practical Nursing Diploma programs are in Candidacy Status for accreditation by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN). Candidacy status was granted April 2017 and extends for two years, until April 2019. An ACEN accreditation site visit is scheduled for October 24 – 26, 2017. Interested members of the public will be welcome. The public meeting date and time will be posted in the future.
Question: How do I submit a comment or question to ACEN about the nursing programs at SCC?
Answer: Questions or comments about SCC from interested individuals, the nursing community, students, graduates, and the public are welcome at ACEN. Use the ACEN contact information shown below:
Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN)
33423 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 850, Atlanta, GA 30326; phone 404-975-5000. www.acenursing.org.
Question: Did SCC Nursing programs lose their national nursing accreditation?
Answer: No! South Central College is seeking their initial national nursing accreditation.
Question: What effect do NCLEX pass rates have on the national nursing accreditation process?
Answer: Eighty percent for first-time pass rates of nursing student graduates is required by ACEN. Seventy-five percent is required by the MBON.
SCC Associate of Science in Nursing: 2016 - 80% first time pass rate
SCC Practical Nursing: 2016 – 90% first time pass rate
Question: Can nursing students take their NCLEX board exams to become either an LPN or RN, even if SCC is not nationally accredited by ACEN yet?
Answer: YES! Our nursing graduates are well prepared upon completion of their nursing program at SCC to take their NCLEX board exams. Upon successful passing of boards, our SCC nursing graduates are going on to find jobs either as an LPN or an RN, depending on the type of program from which they graduated.
Question: Without having national nursing accreditation yet, can SCC graduates transfer to a four-year university for their baccalaureate of science or arts (BSN or BAN) completion?
Answer: Yes! Forty-seven percent of our ASN students reported they continued their education in our 2014-2015 survey. Ninety-two percent of our PN students reported they continued in their education for the same timeframe. A growing number of our RN graduates have successfully transferred to four-year universities to complete their BSN or BAN program. SCC has articulation agreements with several Minnesota State colleges to allow for seamless transition from our two-year college to a four-year program. SCC graduates may also transfer to private universities in pursuit of their BSN degree. Interested students should contact the college they wish to transfer into for specific BSN program requirements. At the completion of their BSN or BAN, nursing students will have graduated from an accredited nursing program.
Question: If a student graduates from a nursing program not yet nationally nursing accredited, can those graduates still get jobs as an LPN or RN?
Answer: Yes! SCC has a high placement rate of their nursing graduates in the surrounding and metro area workforces. Many clinical sites have seen our nursing students in action, know our program, and look forward to being able to offer nursing positions for our graduates. There are some employers who prefer nurses who have graduated from a nationally accredited nursing program and some employers who require it. Locally, there are many employers hiring our graduates even though SCC has yet to receive national accreditation.
Question: Are nursing programs required to have national nursing accreditation?
Answer: Yes. The MBON requires all nursing schools to be minimally in candidacy for their nursing accreditation by either ACEN or CNEA by 2018.