BSU MSN: Building a Bold Future on a Proud Heritage

Written by:

• Euwanna Heard, EdD, MSN, CRNP, APRN, FNP-BC, Assistant Professor/Graduate Program Coordinator, Bowie State University
• Javonna O’Brien, DNP, FNP-BC, Assistant Professor, Bowie State University
• Doris Clark, PhD, RN, Adjunct Professor, Bowie State University
• Kwema Ledbetter, MS, PMP, Consultant

From Candidacy to Initial Accreditation

The Department of Nursing began its candidacy for seeking accreditation for the MSN program with the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) in 1998. Initial accreditation for the MSN program was granted in 2004. Since that initial accreditation, the process has been demanding due to faculty and staffing shortages. Despite these challenges, the MSN program received continuing accreditation with conditions in 2013. The Department of Nursing persevered in meeting the conditions for continuing accreditation by submitting a Follow-Up Report scheduled to be due in Spring 2015. At that time, the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN, formerly NLNAC) reviewed the report and awarded the MSN continuing accreditation status.

Differences between Undergraduate and Graduate Program Requirements

To operate successfully and maintain continuing accreditation, both the undergraduate and graduate programs adhere to the criteria and regulations established by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, the Maryland Board of Nursing, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, and the ACEN. However, the graduate nursing program also adheres to the criteria and regulations established by the Maryland Higher Education Commission and the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties.

The undergraduate program prepares the nursing student for the National Council Licensing Exam. The graduate nursing program prepares the FNP student for the choice of taking the American Nurses Credentialing Center or the American Association of Nurse Practitioners certification examination. The NE student is not required to take a certification examination but must meet specific qualifications and experience with teaching to be eligible for the NLN certified nurse educator (CNE) examination. To help with meeting the requirements, the Department of Nursing Simulation Resource Center (SRC) is utilized by undergraduate and graduate students to develop and refine their clinical expertise and critical thinking skills. Undergraduate students learn basic nursing skills in a 12-station skills laboratory that simulates a hospital setting. Undergraduate students also utilize patient simulation rooms, the pediatric simulation laboratory, the obstetric and neonatal simulation laboratory, and laboratories containing high-fidelity mannequins that simulate birthing and cardiopulmonary abnormalities. FNP students utilize the eight-room examination suite to perform medical examinations and role-playing to diagnose and treat common acute and stable chronic conditions. NE students work collaboratively with the SRC director to debrief faculty and students on clinical scenarios and assess student learning outcomes. Other requirements that differentiate the undergraduate and graduate programs are centered on admission qualifications and programs of study.

Behind the Scenes Work for Continuing Accreditation

The Department of Nursing was faced with unprecedented challenges that threatened to affect the preparation of the 2020 MSN Self-Study Report (SSR) and the ACEN site visit. Two professor emeriti were called to serve as consultants for preparing the undergraduate program for continuing accreditation and were subsequently appointed as Interim Chair and Interim Assistant Chair. In February 2019, an experienced FNP adjunct faculty, Dr. Euwanna Heard, was hired as full-time faculty for the MSN program. Dr. Heard was appointed the Graduate Program Coordinator by the new Department of Nursing Chairperson, Dr. Jacqueline Hill, hired in January 2020. Dr. Heard began working with the only full-time seasoned faculty member teaching in the NE program, Dr. Doris Clark, and a process management consultant, Ms. Kwema Ledbetter. The team of three was responsible for preparing the SSR and organizing the ACEN site visit. Once the Department of Nursing addressed the conditions that threatened the successful completion of the project, the COVID-19 pandemic presented a new threat by hampering in-person meetings and preparation activities.

The completion of the SSR and the site visit was critical. The Department of Nursing established the team in January 2020 with Dr. Heard as the team leader, who then established an informal charter that set project goals. The team held weekly meetings and developed a timeline of milestones and due dates. The team created an outline of the SSR, identified needed data, gathered and analyzed the data, wrote narratives, and developed the SSR using the ACEN resources for report writing and site visit preparations. With the concurrence of the Office of Planning Analysis and Accountability, the Office of Assessment, and the Department of Nursing’s nurse administrator, the SSR was submitted in August 2020, and a virtual site visit was conducted by the ACEN in September 2020. The ACEN Board of Commissioners granted the MSN program continuing accreditation with conditions, and the MSN program is currently preparing a Follow-Up Report for continuing accreditation. Despite the challenges, the team is grateful for the success of the SSR and the ACEN virtual site visit. The addition of another full-time faculty member in August 2020, Dr. Javonna O’Brien, for the graduate FNP program enhanced the goal of having qualified faculty. Dr. O’Brien participated in the virtual site visit and is now an integral part of completing the Follow-Up Report for continuing accreditation. A sense of accomplishment and pride in completing the SSR and participating in the virtual site visit remains essential to ensuring that our graduate nursing program continues to provide a rigorous, high-quality educational experience that prepares our students for a career in advanced practice nursing and nursing education. The MSN program at BSU is poised to continue evolving into a premier MSN program in Maryland and the nation.

Written by:

• Euwanna Heard, EdD, MSN, CRNP, APRN, FNP-BC, Assistant Professor/Graduate Program Coordinator, Bowie State University
• Javonna O’Brien, DNP, FNP-BC, Assistant Professor, Bowie State University
• Doris Clark, PhD, RN, Adjunct Professor, Bowie State University
• Kwema Ledbetter, MS, PMP, Consultant