The St. Luke’s School of Nursing’s (SON) Diploma Nursing Program 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 United States’ oldest nursing school still in existence.

The ACEN accreditation, which included site visits and public input, was ongoing during the past year.

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.”

In its letter announcing SON’s continued accreditation, ACEN cited two areas of exceptional strength of its program:

• “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.

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 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 is beneficial for student recruitment, student admission to further education, state regulatory agency requirements and employers seeking competent graduates.

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.

Information: www.sluhn.org/SON