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ACEN-Ready
Written by Shonda Smith, MSN, RN
PN Program Director
West Georgia Technical College
Published: May 2022
My name is Shonda Smith. I have my master’s degree in nursing education, and I am the Program Director for the practical nursing (PN) program at West Georgia Technical College.
The PN program at West Georgia Technical College is 2‒3 semesters in length. Once students have gone through competitive selection and been accepted into the program, they have a total of eight courses to complete with a grade of 75% or higher to graduate from the program. The program is committed to the training of competent nurses, who will successfully pass the NCLEX-PN exam; the program also seeks to ensure that each newly graduated nurse is able to provide safe and effective care to all individuals across the lifespan.
I had the privilege of attending the ACEN 2021 Nursing Education Accreditation Conference as a nurse educator and nurse administrator. At that time, I was transitioning from an instructor in our associate degree nursing (ADN) program to the Program Director for the PN program. As nurse educators, we all know that ACEN accreditation supports your program’s commitment to providing a quality nursing program and your program’s readiness to meet expected standards of educational quality specific to nursing education. My transition from the ADN program to the PN program brought me from a program that was ACEN-accredited to a program that is not.
The educational requirements for the PN program at West Georgia Technical College are regulated by the Georgia Board of Nursing and are not currently ACEN-accredited. Having been a part of the ADN program, having worked on individual standards set forth by the ACEN, and having participated in an ACEN accreditation review of the ADN program has given me insight on how to proceed with the process of acquiring ACEN accreditation for the PN program. The accreditation conference played a major role in the preparation for gaining such accreditation. It has enhanced my knowledge regarding each of the ACEN Standards and what they entail. I have also gained a better understanding on how to properly assess each Standard and determine if the program is adequately meeting the ACEN Standards and Criteria. By attending the accreditation conference, it has allowed me to acquire knowledge from others that have already gone through the accreditation process and to be able to start implementing processes into our program that will better prepare us for obtaining accreditation. Implementing these processes in the program now is not only preparing me as Program Director for ACEN accreditation, but it helps the faculty be prepared. Thankfully, it does not change their usual workplace methods as they are already working as if the program was ACEN-accredited.
The practical nursing program at West Georgia Technical College is one step closer to having ACEN accreditation thanks to the opportunities earned to make professional connections with those who have paved the road before me on this ACEN-accreditation journey. Attending the accreditation conference made it possible to start implementing practices into our program that demonstrates our willingness to impart the core nursing principles within our nursing students to ensure they are competent nurses that will provide safe and effective care to all individuals throughout the lifespan.
Author Information
Shonda Smith, MSN, RN
PN Program Director
West Georgia Technical College