St. Luke’s University Hospital-Bethlehem is located in Fountain Hill. It is home to the St. Luke’s School of Nursing, which is the oldest such program in the country. (FILE PHOTO)
The St. Luke’s School of Nursing’s (SON) Diploma Nursing Program recently announced that it has been granted Continuing Accreditation by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) through Fall 2029. This is a re-accreditation for St. Luke’s School of Nursing, which has been in operation since 1884 and is the nation’s oldest nursing school still in existence today.
The ACEN accreditation process included site visits and public input and had been ongoing over the past year.
That the accreditation is good through the Fall 2029 speaks to the quality of the SON program and the faculty and students who are part of it, SLUHN officials said.
Nursing Program Director Lisa Storck, DNP, RN, WHNP, said the accreditation is “a reflection of the wonderful commitment of faculty members, staff, students and the continued support of the entire network and the Board of Trustees.”
ACEN is recognized as an accrediting body for nursing education by the United States Department of Education and Council for Higher Education Accreditation. ACEN is considered the leading authority for nursing education.
In its letter announcing SON’s continued accreditation, ACEN cited two areas of exceptional strength of its program:
- The letter noted that the school’s “fiscal resources are exceptional and ensure the achievement of the end-of-program student learning outcomes and program outcomes are commensurate with the resources of the governing organization.” It further stated that, “long-standing partnerships with the SON, the Temple School of Medicine, St. Luke’s University Health Network and alumni scholarships demonstrate continuous, active and exceptional commitment to the SON.”
- The letter said that “the program’s licensure examination pass rate of 90 percent or above (consecutively) for the last three years is a significant achievement.”
ACEN accreditation is a voluntary peer-review process that enhances quality improvement in the program. Accreditation also is beneficial for student recruitment, student admission to further education, state regulatory agency requirements and employers seeking competent graduates.
For more information on St. Luke’s School of Nursing, visit sluhn.org/SON.
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This local health news is brought to you in partnership with St. Luke’s University Health Network.
