myLoyalist
Home Campus News Loyalist College Announces Seven-Year Accreditation Status of the Brock-Loyalist Collaborative Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program

Loyalist College Announces Seven-Year Accreditation Status of the Brock-Loyalist Collaborative Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program

March 13, 2015

Belleville, Ontario, March 12, 2015 – Loyalist College is pleased to announce that for the second consecutive time, the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing (CASN) Accreditation Bureau has awarded a seven-year accreditation status to Loyalist College and the Brock-Loyalist Collaborative B.Sc.N. program. 

“Receiving this highest level of accreditation showcases Loyalist College’s academic excellence in nursing education,” said College President and CEO Maureen Piercy. “As an international leader in the integration of human simulation technology, Loyalist’s Nursing program offers innovative laboratory and clinical practice courses beginning in semester one and hospital and community-based clinical experiences starting in semester two. Students gain intensive experience learning in small clinical groups, led by outstanding faculty, in our state-of-the-art Human Simulation Lab. Loyalist and Brock have been partners in nursing education since 2001 and have enjoyed a partnership characterized by collaboration and mutual respect.”

The College of Nurses of Ontario has designated the CASN Accreditation program as the process to achieve provincial regulatory approval. The College of Nurses of Ontario, however, has designated the CASN Accreditation Program as the process to achieve provincial regulatory approval.All Nursing programs in Ontario are required to engage in this rigorous process, which involves a self-assessment and an on-site review by external accreditors, to ensure that both the educational institution and the program meet CASN standards for educating Canada’s nurses at the Baccalaureate level. 

“We are proud to have met the CASN accreditation standards, which are professional statements of excellence in the nursing profession,” said Loyalist College Dean of Health, Human and Justice Studies Karen Brooks-Cathcart who led the accreditation process on behalf of the College and collaborated with Brock University on the joint submission and plan for the process. “Achieving this status proves that the College – and our Brock-Loyalist Collaborative Bachelor of Science in Nursing program – have the resources, strategic partnerships, information management systems, and environment required to lead nursing education and scholarship. In addition to verifying our educational unit standards, accreditation speaks to the superior quality of our curriculum, program framework, knowledge-based practice, professional growth opportunities, and evaluation for continual program improvements.”

Graduates of the Brock-Loyalist Nursing program are eligible to write the registration examinations required to practise in Ontario.  For more information on the program, visit: loyalistcollege.com.

“Achievement of a seven-year accreditation demonstrates that the Brock- Loyalist partnership is working well and together we are delivering a comprehensive, high-quality Nursing program,” said Dawn Prentice, Chair of Brock University’s Department of Nursing.

About the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing and Accreditation
The Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing is the national accrediting body for nursing education in Canada. In 1987, the organization accredited its first undergraduate program and today, the accreditation of nursing education programs in Canada has become a core function of CASN. Accreditation promotes excellence and is recognized worldwide as an important, objective method to assess professional education programs. Accreditation identifies strengths and opportunities for improvement that can guide decision making. The process provides administrators and faculty with information regarding areas that require development, modification and/or resources. The program of accreditation sets forth overarching quality dimensions, standards, descriptors, and key elements against which nursing programs and their institutional units are assessed while also incorporating flexibility regarding the organizational structure and curriculum. This flexibility enables programs to be autonomous in their academic perspectives and responsive to their particular regional, social, professional, and institutional contexts. The CASN Accreditation Program is built on the original philosophy and approach of previous programs. It undergoes regular review and change. This is consistent with a constant quality improvement approach. Recent changes to the accreditation program accommodate evolution of distance education, collaborative partnerships and new program models within a new framework and with expanded standards.

About Loyalist College
Located on more than 200 acres in the beautiful Bay of Quinte region, Loyalist College is a close-knit community where students and their success come first. Internationally renowned for its enriched student learning and living experiences, Loyalist provides personalized attention in small classes, rewarding field placements and superior success services. To prepare students for in-demand careers, Loyalist offers 65 full-time programs; apprenticeships; and more than 500 online, distance and in-class courses, as well as opportunities for continuing education through more than 70 university transfer agreements. The College’s wide selection of advanced diplomas, diplomas and certificates aligns with market-driven disciplines including applied sciences, biosciences, building sciences, business and management studies, health sciences, human studies, justice studies, media, arts and design, and skills and technology. In Ontario, the College’s new Digital Media Centre and the LEED® Silver certified Sustainable Skills, Technology and Life Sciences Centre are training centres of choice for students, as well as College business and industry partners. For more information on the College’s Belleville and Bancroft campuses, visit loyalistcollege.com.

About Brock University
Located in a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, Brock University is a place where left-brain and right-brain thinking come together. Students develop rational/analytical thinking in concert with their emotional/creative sides. We view community involvement as crucial to developing intelligent, well-rounded members of society. Brock’s rigorous undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs include experiential learning opportunities and one of Canada’s largest co-op programs. When students from across Brock’s seven faculties gave their ratings to the Globe and Mail Canadian University Report, Brock was one of Canada’s top medium-size institutions in terms of quality of education, quality of teaching and most satisfied students.

– 30 –

Contact: Kerry Lorimer, Director, Marketing and Communications,
Loyalist College, klorimer@loyalistc.on.ca, 613-969-1913 ext. 2536

Categories: