Tri-County’s Licensed Practical Nursing Program Receives Continued Eight-Year Accreditation

EASLEY, SC –  Tri-County Technical College’s Licensed Practical Nursing program received a continued eight-year accreditation by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) at its July meeting.  This is the highest recommendation a program can receive from its accrediting body.

The ACEN is the entity that is responsible for the specialized accreditation of nursing education programs, both postsecondary and higher degree, which offer either a certificate, a diploma, or a recognized professional degree (clinical doctorate, master’s/post-master’s certificate, baccalaureate, associate, diploma, and practical).

The Commission has authority and accountability inherent in the application of standards and criteria, accreditation processes, and the affairs, management, policy-making, and general administration of the ACEN.

Tri-County’s Practical Nursing program is in compliance with all six standards, which include mission and administrative capacity; faculty and staff; students; curriculum; resources and outcomes.  “The accreditation team acknowledged the strong support we receive from College administration and the community,” said Practical Nursing Program Coordinator Julie Vernon.  “They also commented favorably about our experienced faculty and consistently high student evaluations.”

“Our faculty prepare our students for working as an LPN or a seamless progression for continuing their education in our associate degree nursing program,” said Dr. Lynn Lewis, dean of the College’s Health Education Division. “Our physical and human resources are unmatched in LPN education,” said Dr. Lewis.

Practical Nursing students take classes at the College’s Easley and Oconee campuses.  “We have three top-notch instructors at these campuses, but Julie Vernon really stands out,” added Dr. Lewis.  “She is the most inspiring educator I’ve watched in class and in presentations.  She is cognizant of the different learning styles of our students and therefore her teaching techniques are very deliberate.  The evidence of our outstanding faculty is the students’ consistently high performance on their licensure exam and in the workplace.”

This past year the Practical Nursing graduates reported a 97 percent pass rate on the National Council Licensing Exam (NCLEX-PN).

“Practical Nursing remains a popular, strong program,” said Vernon, adding that LPNs are needed in long-term care facilities, doctor’s offices, medical personnel pools, schools and flu clinics.

Tri-County’s Practical Nursing department is fully accredited by the State Board of Nursing in South Carolina, as well as the ACEN.