Charles Town, W. Va., November 27, 2017 — American Public University System (APUS) today announced that its Bachelor of Science program in Nursing (BSN) has been granted accreditation for another ten years, and its Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program, launched in 2016, has also received initial accreditation for five years from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
“We’re very proud to have both earned and maintained CCNE accreditation,” said Interim Program Director Stacey Kram, DNP, RN-BC, CCRN, PCCN, CNE. “There is a shortage of healthcare professionals to administer high-level care as well as qualified nursing faculty to educate future nurses. We strive to offer high-quality, career-relevant programs to help address this need and assist our students in achieving their professional goals.”
CCNE is an autonomous, national accrediting agency which ensures the quality and integrity of baccalaureate, graduate, and residency programs in nursing. It serves the public interest by assessing and identifying programs that engage in effective educational practices. As a voluntary, self-regulatory process, CCNE accreditation supports and encourages continuing self-assessment by, and improvement of, collegiate professional education and post-baccalaureate nurse residency programs. It is a nongovernmental peer review process that operates in accordance with nationally recognized standards established for the practice of accreditation in the US.
The university's BSN program, introduced in 2011, is designed to meet the professional development needs of nurses holding an associate degree in nursing and an active Registered Nurse (RN) license. The MSN program offers specialty concentrations in Nursing Education and Nursing Leadership. Both programs are offered fully online, with completion of practice hours that may be performed at work. APUS also partners with community colleges to offer a 16-week online didactic Military Transition Program in which select servicemembers may enroll while completing clinical hours at the community college.
“This new, and renewed, recognition by CCNE is a testament to the outstanding outcomes our experienced faculty have helped our students to accomplish,” said Brian Freeland, dean of the School of Health Sciences.
The undergraduate and graduate nursing programs offered by American Public University and American Military University focus on the primary roles of practitioner, educator and leader. Students must complete practicum semester hours for each program, as well as a capstone course designed to integrate knowledge and apply professional skills to improve the quality of health in the workplace.
