Nursing program again cited as 'School of the Year' by Louisiana Nurses Foundation
Contact: Rene Abadie
2/21/08
HAMMOND – For the third time in six years, Southeastern Louisiana University’s nursing program has received a Nightingale Award as the “Nursing School of the Year” from the Louisiana Nurses Foundation.
The award was presented at the sixth annual Nightingale Awards Gala for Nursing and Healthcare held recently in Baton Rouge. The competition is evaluated by a team of out-of-state judges who reviewed the nominations submitted by various Louisiana nursing programs.
According to the foundation, nominations are evaluated on the basis of comments submitted by graduates, employers and faculty; first-time passage rate of graduates on the licensing examination; accreditation status; activity of the school’s alumni association; support demonstrated by the student organization; and innovations in education and teaching.
“To receive this honor three times in the six-year history of this awards program is truly a testament to the dedication of our faculty to the high quality teaching we expect and to the high standards we set for our students,” said Donnie Booth, dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences. “Louisiana is blessed with a number of excellent nursing programs, so we are truly honored that the judges have once again selected our institution as the best.”
Barbara Moffett, head of the School of Nursing, said the award is also a recognition of the performance of the program’s graduates, most of who are immediately employed in the hospitals and other healthcare facilities in the region.
“Our graduates make us quite proud,” she said. “The feedback we receive from area employers is that they are equipped with the skills they need to perform in the workforce and possess the work ethic needed to become excellent nurses. That’s the best reward we can get for our work.”
Moffett also attributed the success of the program to the school’s clinical partners.
“The hospitals in this region, from St. Tammany Parish to East Baton Rouge Parish, provide our nursing students with top-flight exposure to the clinical practice of nursing,” she said. “We could not be successful without their excellent cooperation and partnership.”
The Southeastern nursing program consistently records one of the highest passage rates in the state for baccalaureate programs on the national licensure examination for registered nurses.
The undergraduate program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC). The program has approximately 1,700 majors and graduates approximately 150 undergraduates and 15 to 18 master’s level nurses each year. The graduate program, which is also accredited by NLNAC, is offered as part of an intercollegiate consortium.
More News...
