Sul Ross-Rio Grande College’s RN to BSN Program Receives National Accreditation
By: Laura Nelson, Sul Ross State University Rio Grande College
Sul Ross State University Rio Grande College’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing received the maximum first time national accreditation, five years, from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
These credentials reflect a degree that not only meets, but exceeds the basic requirements. National accreditation assures that RGC’s nursing program is competitive with others in the country. Graduates equipped with an RGC Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) are prepared to pursue additional education or employment with institutions that require a CCNE-accredited degree.
The RN to BSN online curriculum accommodates the schedules of busy, working adults and is offered to both full- and part-time students. Student-selected clinical experience is obtained in a health care facility in the area where they live. RGC began offering coursework in the fall of 2014, and the first four students graduated in May of 2016.
RGC’s RN to BSN degree offers students the affordability of a state system school and also benefits an underserved area and population. Dr. Geraldine Goosen serves as the program’s director, and said, “It is a great pleasure to receive national accreditation for the RN to BSN program which provides numerous benefits for the University, nursing graduates, health care facilities, and recipients of nursing care in our geographical area. Efforts exerted by administrators, nursing faculty, staff, alumni, students, and community representatives that provided time, knowledge, and skill to obtain this goal, have been rewarded. Future endeavors will be directed toward increasing enrollment, enhancing the on-line potential for each course, making changes in courses recommended by faculty, alumni, and students as well as developing new nursing courses which will provide broader and variable knowledge to future students.
