^11 JI Print Clackamas Community College Vol. XVIII, No. 15 Wednesday, February 20, 1985 Administration supports Nursing department seeks accreditation By Shelley Ball Of The Print Clackamas Community College’s nursing program is now receiving support from the administration to pursue National League for Nursing (NLN) accreditation for the first time since the program was established. Pat Krumm, nursing depart­ ment chairperson said the department is in the process of seeking outside funding by ex­ amining grant sources. She also said the College’s 80 students enrolled in nursing programs are supportive of NLN accreditation, and are currently in the process of meeting to prepare to circulate a petition calling for the ac­ creditation. All nursing programs in the state must be accredited by the Oregon State Board of Nurs­ ing in order1 to meet the re­ quired minimum standards of excellence. Although Krumm said the state board maintains good standards, she said hav­ ing NLN accreditation assures that the same standards of ex­ cellence are being measured across the nation in programs that have the accreditation. Krumm explained that students transferring from schools like the College to ob­ tain bachelor’s degrees will have an easier time doing so if they come from a school that has NLN accreditation, because then there would be no question concerning stan­ dards of excellence. While there has been no ac­ tual case of students being discriminated against in Oregon schools because of not having the accreditation, Krumm said the possibility is there. This possibility could become greater in the future should the current trend to raise the entry level for nursing to the requirement of a bachelor’s degree become a reality. Students who go through two-year associate degree programs, and pass the state board licensing exam to become Registered Nurses (RN) may also have some dif­ ficulty obtaining a job, as well as students who become Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN) without NLN ac­ creditation. For example, two recent graduates of the College had some trouble transferring to Hawaii to take their state ex­ ams and go to work because they did not have NLN ac­ creditation, Krumm said. She explained that the Hawaii State Board of Nursing decid­ ed to take a closer look at the students’ qualifications because of the absence of NLN accreditation. “The students on campus become concerned; they become concerned about why we’re (College) not NLN ac­ credited. We’re the only pro­ gram in the Metro area not NLN accredited,” Krumm said. Out of all the community colleges in Oregon, only five have NLN accreditation: Chemeketa, Lane, Linn- Benton, Mt. Hood and Portland. Support for NLN accredita­ tion is not new to the College, as Krumm said the nursing department has in the past re­ quested funds to apply for ac­ creditation, and nursing students have written letters and circulated petitions to no avail until now. The sum of $10,000 has been requested by the depart­ ment for accreditation pro- (Continued on Page Seven) High schoolers put to the test in campus competition Feb. 28 displays trick taught her by taking owner Bill Bachman’s cap in her mouth while in mid-leap. Fenda has been trained by Bachman to fetch hunting birds for him as well. Photo by Joel Miller |TH —j- What ç ,