BSC receives national nursing accreditation | Bismarck State College

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BSC receives national nursing accreditation

Published: Apr 05 2016
BSC receives national nursing accreditation - Photo
Bismarck State College (BSC) has received initial five year accreditation from Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN).

BSC is part of the Dakota Nursing Program (DNP) – a partnership of four North Dakota community college nursing programs with a shared curriculum taught on all four campuses. The partners include BSC, Dakota College at Bottineau, Lake Region State College (LRSC) and Williston State College.

LRSC also received ACEN accreditation this spring.

According to Julie Traynor, Director of the Dakota Nursing Program consortium, national accreditation has been a part of the group’s strategic plan for several years.

“The nursing faculty, staff, students, and administration at BSC worked as a team through this rigorous process and are thrilled with this accomplishment. We are dedicated to ensuring high quality nursing education, and ACEN accreditation shows we have the total nursing program that supports a strong health care workforce.”

The Dakota Nursing program at BSC is a two-step program that begins with an 11-month practical nursing certificate and continues on to a nine-month Associate of Applied Science degree in nursing. 

Program graduates must pass their national accreditation (NCLEX) before they can become licensed as a nurse. BSC graduates consistently pass NCLEX at higher percentages than national and state programs. At BSC, 100% of May 2015 graduates passed NCLEX RN® on first attempt. BSC’s three year NCLEX average from 2012-2015 is 93.1%, which is better than the ND state (89.3%) and the national (84.04%) three year pass rates for the same time.

“Our graduates are ready for the workforce in a short timeframe. Our pass rates show they are well prepared both to work in the field and to go on to earn a bachelor’s in nursing with one of the state universities,” said Annie Paulson, coordinator of BSC’s Dakota Nursing program.

In addition to the four partner campuses, the Dakota Nursing Program is also offered at associate sites in Harvey, Hazen, Rugby, Minot, New Town, Mayville, Grand Forks, and Valley City.