SU School of Nursing earns “Nursing School of the Year” again
The Southern University School of Nursing has been recognized as the "Nursing School of the Year" in Louisiana for 2012. It is second time in the past three years that the nursing school has received the designation.
The award was presented by the Louisiana State Nurses Association and the Louisiana Nurses Foundation at its recent 11th Annual Nightingale Gala awards for nursing and healthcare.
"As a proud alum, and chairman of the Undergraduate Nursing Program here, this award means so much to me, the faculty, students and to the University," said Dr. Jacqueline Hill. "What makes all of us even prouder is that our school was selected by a panel of judges from across the U.S., recognized as being experts in their respective fields of nursing. Their findings say a lot about the excellence in our program."
Some of the criteria for selection as Nursing School of the Year includes first-time passage rate on the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (or NCLEX-RN), innovation in education and teaching, accreditation status, and comments of graduates' employers.
The School of Nursing was selected in 2010 for the same award by the LSNA and LNF.
Dr. Janet Rami, the longtime dean of the College of Nursing, now Interim Provost and Executive Vice-Chancellor, said the recognition is the result of planning and execution by the faculty, staff and students.
"I am so proud of Interim Dean Dr. Cheryl Taylor, the staff and the students. This citation is, in part, due to the amazing attention to detail that the faculty impresses upon the students each day. That's how these awards happen."
Southern Chancellor James L. Llorens said, "Our nursing program has long been one of the pillars of this institution. I congratulate the students and the faculty who consistently prove that we have one of the best nursing schools in the nation."
While SU's School of Nursing has a diverse enrollment, it is consistently listed as one of the top 10 producers of African-American undergraduate nurses in the nation.
Southern's Graduate Nursing Program offers the Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing (PhD), and the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN). Post-masters certification is also available for graduate level professional nurses seeking educational preparation for certification as a family nurse practitioner. The school plans to launch two new programs in fall 2012: the Doctorate in Nursing Practice; and the Bachelor of Science in Nursing for Registered Nurses who have an Associate Degree in Nursing.
The nursing school has four funded Endowed Professorships through the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, the Louisiana State Board of Regents and three area healthcare agencies (Our Lake of the Lake Hospital, Woman's Hospital, and the Baton Rouge General Medical Center.