The Minnesota State Community and Technical College, Associate Degree Nursing (system-wide) and Practical Nursing (system-wide) programs are pursuing accreditation from the National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation (NLN CNEA), located at 2600 Virginia Avenue, NW, 8th Floor, Washington, DC 20037; phone 202-909-2500. Interested parties are invited to submit third-party comments in writing directly to NLN CNEA, attention Lusetha Rolle, NLN CNEA Manager of Accreditation Services, no later than January 30, 2019.

All M State Nursing programs are approved by the Minnesota Board of Nursing.

May 3, 2018

The Practical Nursing program at Minnesota State Community and Technical College has been ranked as the No. 2 PN program in Minnesota by PracticalNursing.org.

Colleges offering PN programs were assessed primarily on pass rates for program graduates in the NCLEX-PN licensure exam over a five-year period. Twenty-six Minnesota PN programs were analyzed, and 10 were ranked.

The 2017 NCLEX-PN pass rate for graduates of M State's PN program was 95.92 percent, compared to a rate of 86.22 percent at all Minnesota colleges and a national rate of 83.85 percent. M State's pass rates were 91.67 percent in 2016, 97.59 percent in 2015, 98.89 percent in 2014 and 98.17 in 2013.

"I believe our historically high pass rates for students in our Practical Nursing program reflects the excellence of our M State nursing instructors," said Jennifer Jacobson, M State's dean of health careers. "We take great pride in preparing future nurses for successful careers in the health care profession."

M State offers a full-time PN program on the Moorhead campus with both fall and spring starts. For more information about M State Nursing programs, visit Minnesota.edu/programs/nursing.

PracticalNursing.org is an online resource that "champions the growth of nursing professionals through education, advancing knowledge and inspiring patient care." This is the second year in a row that M State has been ranked among the organization's top programs in Minnesota.

"I knew several people who went through the nursing program in Fergus Falls, and I really appreciated the opportunity to go through an affordable two-year RN program. My favorite part of my classes is getting to work with my classmates on school projects, presentations and volunteer projects. I have the best classmates!

"Being the oldest in a large family, I have always wanted to take care of and make a difference in the lives of people who are hurting. Choosing to major in nursing was an obvious choice. This spring, I am planning to travel to Angola to help friends who are serving in a hospital as a doctor and nurse practitioner. The hospital is located in a large city where one in three children do not survive to age 5. The need there is tremendous!"

Lydia Bradrick will graduate in Spring 2019 from the Associate Degree in Nursing program.

State law requires that students having direct contact with individuals in licensed institutions complete an annual background study with the Minnesota Department of Human Services. Students also are required to complete a national background check and may be required to complete a federal background check as directed by clinical facilities. Students will be provided with instructions after they are accepted. The fee for the national background check is incurred by the student at the time the background study is submitted. Students who do not pass required background checks will not be allowed to participate in clinical activities and thus are not eligible for graduation.

To improve student success, nursing faculty at M State have selected an integrated learning product from Assessment Technologies Institute (ATI). While the product is used in every course, students purchase the product through student fees attached to particular courses within each program. For information on Fee Assessment, please see the attached 'ATI Fee Assessment' document.

We encourage prospective nursing students to schedule a visit at the campus of their choice. Arrange a campus visit by contacting M State at 1-877-450-3322 or visiting minnesota.edu/visit.

NURSING ARTICULATION IS DEFINED AS the intentional planning and coordination of nursing education programs so that the program at one level serves as the foundation for the next educational level. The goal is to help students make transitions that are smooth and seamless, educationally sound, and do not require revalidation.

The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Statewide Nursing Program Transfer Agreement provides a pathway for transition from the Practical Nursing to Associate of Science in Nursing as well as Associate of Science in Nursing to Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing. Students considering advancing their degrees through this process are encouraged to read the articulation agreement in its entirety and consult with a Student Development Services advisor as they plan their educational transitions.

Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Statewide Nursing Program Transfer Agreement