The Keene State College Nursing Program is preparing for a national site visit in mid-April. From April 11-13, three visitors from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) will be at KSC, Director of Nursing Dr. Patricia Shinn said.

They will be from the University of Southern Indiana, Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital in Kentucky and Saginaw Valley State University in Michigan.

Additionally, two individuals from the New Hampshire Board of Nursing will be present for the site visit as well. Over the course of the visit, the individuals from the CCNE and the New Hampshire Board of Nursing will meet with students, faculty, the dean, the provost and the college president. They’ll have the opportunity to observe student clinicals and classes, and on the last day, they’ll conduct an exit interview to share their findings with Shinn.

In preparation for the visit, Shinn said she and the nursing faculty have been writing a comprehensive self study over the course of the year that describes the nursing program and how KSC students are meeting the learning outcomes. It’s been a “group project,” with faculty meeting each week to work collaboratively on the report.

In August of 2018, Shinn will officially find out whether KSC’s nursing program has been granted national accreditation. If achieved, the next re-accreditation visit would not occur until 2028.

Jessica Ricard can be contacted at jricard@kscequinox.com