PBSC nursing bachelor’s degree earns accreditation
The Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at Palm Beach State College has earned accreditation from the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing.
ACEN accreditation signifies that a nursing program has met the highest national standards. ACEN is recognized as the accrediting body for all types of nursing education by the U.S. Department of Education, the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and several other organizations and governmental entities.
In a rigorous three-year process, the College’s B.S.N. faculty, administration and staff demonstrated that the program met or exceeded standards in the areas of mission and administrative capacity, qualified and credentialed faculty and staff, student services and policies, curriculum, educational resources, and outcomes.
“Their perseverance and hard work brought this process to a successful conclusion,” said Dr. Anita Kaplan, dean of PBSC bachelor’s degree programs. “It does indeed take a ‘village’ to work successfully through the process.”
The B.S.N. program is open to licensed registered nurses who have graduated from regionally and ACEN- accredited associate degree programs.
“We have a terrifically organized program that really works with the working nurse’s schedule,” said Dr. Deborah Copeland, interim director of the B.S.N. program. “It is accessible, achievable and affordable.”
The pursuit of a bachelor’s degree in nursing is increasingly important due to changes in health care delivery and the growing preference of health care facilities to hire nurses with advanced education.
“Our patients are more complex, and that is the reason why we have to meet the need with highly educated health care professionals,” Copeland explained. “All nurses know that they have to keep learning in order to be current and marketable.”
The ACEN accreditation for the B.S.N. program highlights Palm Beach State’s seamless pathway in nursing education, which begins at the entry level with the Patient Care Assistant and Practical Nursing certificate programs. Students may start with a certificate program or apply directly to PBSC’s Associate in Science degree in Nursing. Once A.S. degree graduates pass their state licensure exam to become registered nurses, they are eligible to pursue their B.S.N. at the College.
“The B.S.N. makes nurses more competitive in the workplace,” Kaplan remarked. “They will not be excluded from any job opportunities because they already have the higher level of training. We’re glad to offer this degree to our existing students and nurses in the community.”
For more information about Palm Beach State’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, visit www.palmbeachstate.edu/programs/Bachelor.
Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN): 3343 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 850, Atlanta, GA, 30326; Phone: 404-975-5000; Website: www.acenursing.org.
