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MILLIGAN COLLEGE, TN (November 5, 2003) — The quality of Milligan College’s bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) program has been nationally recognized by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), which recently granted professional accreditation to the program. Through an extensive evaluation and site visit, the CCNE determined that Milligan’s BSN program meets accreditation standards of quality and integrity for preparing effective nurses.
This recognition comes on the heels of a commendation from the Tennessee Board of Nursing for outstanding preparation and performance on the national licensure exam by Milligan’s nursing graduates. For the past five years, the nursing graduates have maintained a 100 percent first-time pass rate on the NCLEX, exceeding the national average by 12 percent.
“The faculty and staff in our nursing area have worked very hard on achieving and maintaining this high level of excellence,” said Milligan President Don Jeanes. “We are proud of these achievements and what they say about the quality and success of Milligan’s program and our graduates.”
And successful they are.
“We have a tradition of 100 percent of our graduates being employed as they receive their diplomas, at locations such as Duke Medical Center, Mayo Clinic, Mercy Ship, and locally at Mountain States Health Alliance and Wellmont facilities,” said Melinda Collins, director of Milligan’s BSN program.
Mary Fabick, professor of nursing, also reports that 100 percent of Milligan nursing graduates who have applied to graduate school have been accepted to the school of their choice, including Vanderbilt, Case Western Reserve, University of Tennessee-Knoxville and East Tennessee State.
“Our program is practice-based,” said Collins. “Couple that with Milligan’s Christian education and our graduates are at an advantage in the nursing profession to better understand and meet the needs of their patients.”
Officially recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education as a national accreditation agency, the CCNE is an autonomous arm of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) and is the only accrediting body devoted exclusively to the evaluation of baccalaureate and graduate degree programs in nursing. To date, CCNE has accredited 389 baccalaureate and master’s-degree programs at 244 regionally accredited colleges and universities.
Jeanes explained that professional accreditation by CCNE is further confirmation of academic excellence, as evidenced by the college’s longstanding institutional accreditation by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).
Milligan’s academic dean, Dr. Mark Matson, is pleased with the success of Milligan’s nursing program and its contribution to the college’s mission and to the community.
“Preparing servant leaders in the health care field is an essential part of Milligan’s commitment to the society that we serve,” Matson said. “We think our Christian liberal arts education, coupled with sound training in the health care fields, is the best approach for the changing needs of health care. Our nursing graduates are prepared to meet those changing needs. We are proud of our outcomes.”
For more information about Milligan’s BSN program, visithttp://www.milligan.edu/academics/nursing.htm.