BTC Associate Nursing Program Receives ACEN Accreditation

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September 12, 2017
Bellingham Technical College is proud to announce that the college’s Associate Degree Nursing program has received national accreditation through the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN).
 BTC’s Nursing program has always been approved through the state’s Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission, but the program has been working toward national accreditation for several years. After a successful ACEN accreditation site visit in February 2017, the Nursing program received its official confirmation of accreditation this August.
“BTC is proud to see the hard work of our Nursing faculty, staff and students come to fruition and be recognized with this national accreditation,” BTC President Kimberly Perry says. “This milestone is a testament to the high quality of the program and its instructors, and it is a boon for current Nursing students and those to come.”
“It is incredibly satisfying to see the nursing program at BTC achieve national accreditation,” says BTC Associate Dean of Nursing & Surgery Technology Julie Samms. “The achievement alone, however, is not nearly as impressive as the effort that went into the process from nursing faculty, nursing department staff, nursing students, and all levels of BTC administration. The level of support and involvement that went into the accreditation process is a reflection of how inclusive and collaborative the BTC campus is and how much we value everyone involved in the process, from the students all the way up to the president of the college.”
What is ACEN accreditation:
National accreditation through ACEN ensures that the nursing program meets standards of educational quality specific to nursing education. A nursing program must apply for ACEN accreditation and complete the application and peer review process in order to become accredited.
Why BTC worked for national accreditation:
The push for nursing programs to become nationally accredited is happening nationwide in an attempt to standardize pre-licensure nursing education and make sure that nurses are getting the same quality of education regardless of where they live and train. In Washington state, the state requirements for nursing program approval are very similar to national accreditation requirements, but that is not the case in all states. The BTC Nursing Program has been state approved since 1953, and the program has maintained that state approval as it has evolved throughout the years to meet the changing needs of healthcare employers. The Washington state nursing commission has prioritized national accreditation for all of the nursing programs in Washington state, leading the nation in requiring national accreditation for continued state approval.
What does this accreditation mean for BTC and its students:
For BTC’s students, national accreditation means that their pre-licensure nursing education will be recognized by transfer colleges nationwide and opens up some employment opportunities that were previously not available to them, such as working in government health agencies. It also means that they can apply to out-of-state RN-BSN completion programs to earn their bachelor’s degree without having to go through a lengthy process of verifying that their pre-licensure nursing program meets national standards.
About BTC’s Nursing program:
 BTC has the largest and oldest nursing program in the region; in fact, the program predates the college becoming Bellingham Technical College. The school initially collaborated with St. Luke’s and the K-12 system in 1953 and graduated its first cohort in 1954.
 Trained nurses are in demand in Whatcom County and beyond: 97 percent of BTC Nursing graduates are employed within nine months of graduation.
 
Those interested in learning more about BTC’s Nursing program and can attend one of our fall Nursing Program Info Sessions Monday, Oct. 2, or Monday, Nov. 6, from 4-5 p.m. in BTC’s Haskell Center, Room 108.
 
BTC’s Associate Dean of Nursing & Surgery Technology Julie Samms is available for interviews with interested media.
 
About Bellingham Technical College
Bellingham Technical College is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, and offers seven direct transfer degrees such as pre-engineering, pre-nursing, electronics, technology and business, and two Bachelor of Applied Science degrees. BTC offers 38 associate degree and 51 certificate options providing professional technical education to support local and regional industry workforce needs. For more information, go to www.btc.edu.
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